Strike Night
By AKQA, London, UK
For Nike Football
Highly Commended in category Design & Branding
In subcategory Installation/Experience/Exhibition
Project Description
Nike Football Strike Night transformed a traditional football boot release into a cultural moment. Inspired by the NBA dunk contest, the event embraced live media to launch the all black colourway of the new Nike Hypervenom 3 and establish it’s new positioning, as the ‘boot for the finisher,’ in a fresh and disruptive manner.
Live media is the domain for our core consumer and for them, nothing sets Facebook and Instagram alight like the live debates constantly taking place around comparisons between goal scorers, stats and who is the best. The old adage, stats don’t lie, is certainly true for goal scorers. But, equally it’s undeniable that certain goals mean more than others and stick in the mind. Generally, the more clinical and spectacular the finish, the more respect the goal commands. To launch Hypervenom 3, we decided to settle the debate once and for all, on the very platforms that host it.
Live media is the domain for our core consumer and for them, nothing sets Facebook and Instagram alight like the live debates constantly taking place around comparisons between goal scorers, stats and who is the best. The old adage, stats don’t lie, is certainly true for goal scorers. But, equally it’s undeniable that certain goals mean more than others and stick in the mind. Generally, the more clinical and spectacular the finish, the more respect the goal commands. To launch Hypervenom 3, we decided to settle the debate once and for all, on the very platforms that host it.
Agency Solution
Strike Night was a finishing tournament that saw seven world class goal scorers go head-to-head to crown the world’s best finisher. Staged in London, and broadcast globally on Facebook Live, the athletes had to score high or go home, with their exploits in front of goal measured in three ways:
Firstly, the world’s first full-size, fully interactive LED goal (“the most intelligent goal in the game”) awarded points based on the accuracy and power. Secondly, pitch side judges awarded bonus points per strike if they liked what they saw, and finally, the global Facebook Live audience had their say. Using emojis to cast their votes, an additional 500 points were awarded to the winner of the real-time poll, enabling the millions of fans watching online to have the deciding role in tight battles.
With a live broadcast at its heart, Strike Night created the platform to decide who is the world’s best finisher once and for all, with strikers doing what they do best – scoring goals live.
Firstly, the world’s first full-size, fully interactive LED goal (“the most intelligent goal in the game”) awarded points based on the accuracy and power. Secondly, pitch side judges awarded bonus points per strike if they liked what they saw, and finally, the global Facebook Live audience had their say. Using emojis to cast their votes, an additional 500 points were awarded to the winner of the real-time poll, enabling the millions of fans watching online to have the deciding role in tight battles.
With a live broadcast at its heart, Strike Night created the platform to decide who is the world’s best finisher once and for all, with strikers doing what they do best – scoring goals live.