AKQA: Nike’s 50th Anniversary

For the past 50 years, Nike has ‘invented, influenced and impacted’, reaching far beyond the world of sports. But even though Nike has decades of unforgettable moments, the next generation has no connection with its iconic history.

As part of Nike’s 50th Anniversary, AKQA created a fully integrated 360 brand campaign that invited Generation Z to reinvent Nike’s history using multiple types of brand experiences – ranging from social media, live events, print, AR activations and more.

To reach this new generation, Nike couldn’t just retell its past through traditional media outlets. The brand needed to connect with Gen Z where Gen Z spend most of their time, across multiple types of new and innovative brand experiences.

The campaign received international press coverage from the likes of The Guardian, Yahoo, Bloomberg and more, including The New York Times writing, “How Nike Won The Cultural Marathon. As the brand turns 50, it’s not letting up.”

The campaign broke all of Nike’s organic viewing records on YouTube, achieved over 451m social engagements, had a 400% higher reach on social than the industry average, and attributed to 18% revenue growth across mobile and $4.8bn in digital growth for Nike.