AKQA and illustrator. McBess, create 100,000 personalised films to send to Nike+ users, to inspire their training in 2015…

Outdo You is a powerful mantra. Nike+ digital agency, AKQA, got off to a top tier start. Then, it hit on the idea of personalised videos.

Last year, Nike and AKQA started collecting data from Nike’s most active data generators – those who train a lot using Nike FuelBands and apps like Nike+ Running. Then they took the data and visualised it with the help of illustrator, Matthieu Bessudo (aka, McBess)

The result is a campaign made up of 100,000 videos, each unique. AKQA extracted Nike+ users’ data to create the videos that applaud them for their achievements in 2014 and challenge them to do more in 2015. The personalised films feature the individual’s running stats, against a background of weather and city backdrops that depend on the user’s location. Nike gets “mentioned” here and there in the videos, on a runner’s headband or a billboard, for example.

AKQA also created some generalised films, one of which shows all of the Nike+ data from last year, and numerous cityscapes. Others are specific to a US city where users are especially active – New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto.

Nike emailed each of the 100,000 customised videos to its user during the New Year holiday. The idea (hope) is that the campaign will be carried by social media shares.

AKQA creative director, Whitney Jenkins, commented, “These are some of the most social people on the planet,” he said. “They share like crazy. So that becomes a pretty awesome flagship marketing move for Nike.”

The general videos are available on YouTube with a message of encouragement attached. New York’s is, “Easy never does it, Big Apple. Watch your year and outdo you in 2015 with Nike+.”

The campaign is also housed on Nike’s Your Year website.

Creative credits:

Advertising agency: AKQA, USA
Creative director: Whitney Jenkins
Associate creative director: Brett Reese
Senior creatives: Aaron Seymour-Anderson & Thom Lovegrove
Producer: Katie Reardon

Illustrator: Matthieu Bessudo / McBess
Production company: Bläck