Challenge: Nike once dominated the shoe category in China, but currently they are losing customers to Adidas and other fashionable street wear brands. In September 2013, Nike predicted their sales will continue to drop for the next two quarters, which would make for five consecutive quarters of loss.

Setting the Stage:  In China, the one-child policy children are very persuasive in how their parents spend their money. This “lonely generation” are at the center of four grandparents and two parents which results in centralized attention. With so much family attention and pressure focused on cultivating these only-children, the youth are interested in expressing their identity through their personal choices. Brands are not just status symbols to them, the Chinese youth care about fitting in, personal expression, and increasingly more about social responsibility. Online they are able to find freedom from the gaze of their parents and it is perfectly natural for them to have virtual friends they have never met in real life. The new “China Dream” is a not only a life of luxury, but also giving back value to China.

Cultural insight: In the past you were what you owned, now you are what you share.

Real Problem: Nike has always been a beloved brand, but as the younger generation seeks to be more connected and are less concerned with conspicuous consumption, we needed to positioned Nike as more than a label. Rather, something they can rally behind together with their circles.

Objective: Increase Nike’s brand equity in China.

Charity Partner: WildAid has been extremely effective in curbing the consumption of endangered species in Asia. They have recruited the largest superstars in China to spread an immense public awareness campaign that has permeated China’s culture and society.

Solution: We connected the Brand with a charity to solve the problem. Our solution to this challenge was Nike Wild. The campaign connects the brand with the speed and beauty of these endangered animals. Nike Wild taps into your natural animalistic instincts and encourages you to harness that power.

Strategy: Make movement the currency for change.

Concept: The prowess of these animals is the same spirit that lives in every athlete.

NIKE WILD FUELBAND PROJECT “UNLEASH GREATNESS” 

Nike believes anyone with a body is an athlete. Through the activities you love you can DO something to change the world. Utilizing FuelBand and Nike+ technology, people will be able to earn money for WildAid through physical activities. Drawing from an initial “Wild Bank,” individuals can raise money on their own and join a team. The app tracks their progress on a leader board that displays how they and their teams rank among others in regard to money raised.

Social Engagement

Users will be able to publish stories and photos on the FuelBand App of their activities. They will be able to share these through the major social media platforms of China, Korea, and Japan.

To further foster social communities Nike Wild will be incentivizing the “Wild” experience. Each time the funds raised reaches an increment of 500,000, the team who has raised the most money in that time will be publicly recognized and awarded a package of products from the Wild line and Nike gift cards.  The group who raises the most money combined by the deadline in 2016 will receive a paid trip to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“It is a dynamic market for testing as the Chinese are very keen to try anything new. They spend more time online, mainly on mobile phones – than most people in other markets.”

China boasts the largest internet market in the world, with more than 570 million users and it is growing exponentially. Leading Platforms in Asia: WeChat / Wei Xin (China), KakaoTalk (Korea), Line (Japan), and Facebook.

My Role:

• One-on-One Interviews
• Secondary Research
• Strategy Development
• Brief Writing

Credits:

Sean Boutchard (CS)
Kendra Gaines (AD)
Billy Galanko (CBM)
Duncan Hoge (CT)
Nelson W. Johnson (CT)
Andrea Sofia (CS)
Andrew Couch (CW)