Nike – Strike Night
Nike: “Strike Night”
What they did?
Nike coordinated the event, which was live-streamed via Facebook Live, with London agency XYZ, employing the help of AKQA, Limelight, Groovy Gecko and United Visual Artists, to achieve beautiful results.
The Ultimate Team
Building on this, the cast was really something to behold, with; Pierre-Emerrick Aubameyang, Marcus Rashford, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, André Silva, Mauro Icardi, Alex Iwobi, Christian Benteke and Thibaut Courtois all lacing up (deep breath). They were supported by the likes of Eden Hazard and Harry Kane in the stands, and football legends Didier Drogba and Ian Wright on the judging panel, completing a list of players with more club appearances than every Z list celebrity combined.
Back To The Playground
The aim of the game was simple, every man for himself, put the ball in the back of the net, with bonuses given for style and quality of finish and a bonus “moneyball” round to finish each run.
Nike used “Strike Night” to promote the launch of the new Hypervenom III “Black/Metallic/Silver”, which all players competed in, although judging by some of the performances, they still need a tune-up!
Culture Club
In addition to the legendary duo of Wright and Drogba, the judging panel was joined by rising grime stars AJ Tracey and Santan Dave who kept humour high in the lulls and finished with an exclusive live performance along with Section Boyz to close out the show.
Why we like it?
As Tony Robbins remarked when interviewed on the AskGaryVeeShow recently, Facebook Live presents the opportunity to have your own TV show, without the need for a network, this is exactly what Nike did.
They created a show with: exceptional production value and set design, thanks to the agencies involved; entertainment and humour all the way through; and a chance to see these celebrities in a relaxed setting interacting with each other… as well as some unbelievable finishes.
Furthermore, with the inclusion of live-engagement opportunities for fans to vote on their favourite players from home, Nike and XYZ created one of a new style of interactive broadcast experience, one which we hope to see many more of.
“Strike Night” also represents and astute understanding of British youth culture and the connection between football and music, combining a fantasy tournament featuring some of the worlds biggest players with performances from the real up-and-comers in the grime scene.
Managing director of XYZ Will Mould, commented:
“Strike Night was a perfect example of how a live brand event can be amplified by collaboration and clever use of technology. We are very lucky to have a client such as Nike who not only believe in that vision as well, but who trust us to deliver their most important brand experiences on a global scale”.
The Results
The proof of this is very much in the pudding, 2.7 million Facebook views, with over 300,000 through YouTube and almost 8,000 shares, it’s safe to say brand awareness of the Hyper Venom IIIs has increased dramatically.
The full “Strike Night” experience is available below via YouTube:
Photo and featured image both sourced from Nike Football Facebook.
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