One of the world’s largest suppliers of athletic shoes and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, Nike, is attempting to inspire runners in the US and Canada to outdo their 2015 track records. For this, it has created more than 100,000 personalised animations tailored to the specific cities, climates and sporting activities of its Nike+ members.
Your Year with Nike+ uses data gleaned from individuals to inform their own personalised one-minute film. Every Nike+ user is sent a link to his short, whose content has been shaped using location, weather and movement data.
The animation style has been designed by French illustrator and director McBess. Nike+ members can access their own film by logging onto the campaign website, where they are encouraged to “Outdo You”.
Nike and its digital creative agency AKQA have take a step toward bringing that new marketing reality to life.
For years, Nike has been out in front of these trends with Nike+, an initiative which encourages its customers to track their athletic activities through products such as the Nike Fuelband. Last year, in conjunction with AKQA, Nike started collecting data from its most active data generators–i.e. people that actively train using FuelBands and apps like Nike+ Running. Next, the two companies took that data and visualised it, creating over 100,000 customised animated films designed to capture individual people’s 2014 athletic exploits.
These videos, dubbed Your Year, are available on YouTube, where Nike and AKQA are encouraging these people to try and top themselves in 2015.
There is more to it. This sportswear brand is also hoping to release real versions of the self-lacing shoes from sci-fi movie Back to the Future II by the end of this year. Nike designer Tinker Hatfield has announced that the company is striving to release the Nike Air MAG shoes, worn by fictional character Marty McFly when he is transported to 2015.
