The Brief

Nike was introducing an all-new running and athletic shoe line that combined its Free platform with its hyper-flexible sole with Flyknit, their new, entirely woven, upper design that fit like a sock. They came to us for launch messaging strategy, visual identity, in-store concepts, and a customer-converting ecomm appraoch.

The Approach

We looked at this new shoe and saw one thing above all: freedom. We knew everyone from marathoners to brand-new runners struggled to find a shoe that fit well and didn’t feel painful or cumbersome. So while my designer partners set to work creating visuals that invoked the woven lightness and sock-like flexibility, I developed a messaging system that highlighted a fitness solution that felt like another layer of skin over your foot and provided answers to frustrated athletes who wanted running to feel more natural and less cumbersome. “Freedom to Be Fit” became a central tagline, with supporting copy that brought the line’s unique characteristics to life.

The Result

The launch of the Free Flyknit helped Nike see a big year, with footwear revenue up 12% currency-neutral that year. The initial run of 60,000 pairs that Fall grew to 1.1 million a year later, driven in large part by our campaign and great conversion rates in the ecomm and social spheres. The client loved the messaging system in particular and brought back many of the points for new launches over the years.