Drawn Agency | Nike London

Nike London

Razing silos through storytelling

How does Nike achieve its renowned global brand alignment? By eliminating silos and embracing next-level collaboration that extends from the company’s front lines to the C-suite. Nike asked Drawn to facilitate this immaculate alignment with storytelling targeting key internal stakeholders around the world.

Nike SB x Bearbrick black figures displayed beside matching Nike Dunk sneakers

Nike London: young man in a black T-shirt seated on a fire escape, black and white portrait

Nike London crowd scene with a backpack printed with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan 1 sneakers

Nike London: two side-by-side portraits of women in inflated padded bodysuits framed by glyph borders

Nike London performers on stage before a large crowd at an arena under green stage lights

Integrated Retail Marketing (IRM)

Nike created specialized IRM teams in fashion capitals New York and London to influence fashion influencers. These efforts included big crowd-wowing events and collaborations with crowd-favorite spots.

Nike London 'Sneakers For Her' recap title with two women posing in dark outfits and sneakers

Nike London social collage of women showing off sneaker collections and streetwear outfits

Nike London Instagram-style collage of a woman in streetwear posing by colourful London doorways

Influencing Influencers

Influence is won in big ways and small. By joining the world of nano-, micro-, and macro-level influencers, Nike’s aim was to win over the streetwear fashion that was in turn influencing the rest of the world.

Nike London: man in a black Nike cap and grey T-shirt in low light, black and white

Nike London BSMNT exhibition wall of black-and-white prints including 'Real People Do Real Things'

Nike London: man's back in a 'Real People Do Real Things' tee before a BSMNT Nike storefront

Nike London: person holding a wrapped skateboard and a BSMNT Nike tote bag on the street

Nike London BSMNT skateboard decks printed 'Real People Do Real Things' and the Nike swoosh

Nike London BSMNT store interior with a person in a 'Real People Do Real Things' tee at the counter

Joining and Sharing

Much has been learned at Nike over the years of trying to sponsor the street scene before learning how to effectively join it. Nike London’s IRM team asked us to help tell these stories to other Nike teams around the world. We used data and assets to weave compelling, engaging microsite narratives for key internal stakeholders across six continents.

Nike Mercurial 'Born Mercurial' key art with leopard graphic, athlete and orange football boot

Nike London 'Eden Hazard Drop-In' card with a portrait of footballer Eden Hazard

Nike London 'Surprise Athlete Drop-In' card showing Kyle Walker and Danny Rose in England kit

Nike Mercurial 'Born' pop-up storefront lit with red neon framing at night

Nike London store with Cristiano Ronaldo figure and app showing him holding an EMS device

Sharing What Works

We developed interactive emails and built microsites to highlight these progressive campaigns, present data-driven results, and stimulate further engagement — all with the goal of further strengthening Nike’s global brand alignment and boosting efficiency.

Nike London scattered hand-drawn sneaker design sketches with annotations

Nike London: two men taking a phone selfie at an England-branded display

Nike London: Kobe Bryant carrying a basketball across a busy London street

Nike London: young woman in pigtails and pink mesh sleeves against gold and pink lighting

Nike London: smiling man in a green number 14 Nike football jersey against a red backdrop

Nike London: woman boxing in a black Nike Pro Hijab and white top with boxing gloves raised

Events Big and Small

Many of the unconventional streetscape events allowed fans to connect with their heroes in a real, human way — like Kobe Bryant playing pickup basketball with local kids. Nike IRM was active almost weekly with events big and small to become part of the fabric of the London community.

Nike London LDN skate event with skaters and boards gathered on a city street, black and white

Nike London: skater beside a graffiti mural under a bridge at a skate park

Nike London: front of a Mercedes car badged with Nike swoosh and Air 270 lettering by a graffiti wall

Young men in winter coats sit on metal railings outside a brick estate, one with a Nike bag, Nike London

Person in a hood walks past a graffiti-covered wall by a London estate, Nike London case study

Ground Up

Some of our favorite efforts to build stories for were the small, grassroots opportunities to join different cultures found on the streets of London — especially the SB crowd.

Flat-lay of many all-white Nike Air Force 1 and Air Jordan sneakers on grey, Nike London

Person in black joggers wearing white Nike Air high-top sneakers standing on cracked glass, Nike London

Woman in black Nike sportswear sits on a white block before an icy backdrop with a ladder, Nike London

Woman in a Nike Air tee holds up red and black Air Force 1 sneakers by their laces, Nike London

Footasylum app screens beside a man in a Just Do It hoodie in a recording studio, Nike London

Collaborations

By empowering those retailers selling the Nike brand, IRM was able to deepen their connection with these retailers and drive traffic to stores through events and partnerships.

Nike ASOS Activewear campaign slide, More Reasons to Move, with phone, tablet and 2.9% CTR stat

Nike ASOS story ads For the rush and For the likes beside a woman in a Just Do It sports bra

Nike social slide, 10M reach, phone playing a YouTube video with 6.3M views of a runner

Powerful Results

Drawn’s interactive narratives were shared with hundreds of Nike executives all over the world, showing them what was being done in London — as well as how effective the results had been. We produced these narratives on a weekly basis and saw incredible results: a notable increase in brand alignment worldwide and a 208% boost in content engagement.

Two night runners with earphones smiling and flashing peace signs in a city, Nike London