9-5-2017 Inside the success of Nike's Breaking2 'moonshot' - Digiday Search … Inside the success of Nike’s Breaking2 ‘moonshot’ MARKETING ON PLATFORMS Inside the success of Nike’s Breaking2 ‘moonshot’ MAY 8, 2017 by Tanya Dua News Podcasts Digiday + Events Careers Who needs media planners when a tireless robot named Albert can do the job? Duopoly Video Anywhere Brands in Culture The Confessions Media Marketing This past weekend, Nike brought together athletes Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese in Monza, Italy, in an attempt to achieve an “impossible” feat: Finish a marathon in less than two hours. The final result may have come up 26 seconds short, with Kipchoge clocking in a time of 2 hours and 25 seconds, but Nike still won, according to marketers. “I wouldn’t call it a stunt; they spent considerable time talking about it ahead of the race,” said Stephen Boidock, director of marketing and business development at Austin-based agency Drumroll. “It worked because it was the perfect marriage of content and influencer marketing.” Nike has apparently been preparing for the Breaking2 “moonshot” project since 2014. It announced the project in December, along with the Zoom Vaporfly Elite shoes, which all three athletes donned during the event. The race also took place under carefully controlled http://digiday.com/marketing/inside-success-nikes-breaking2-moonshot/ 1/5 9-5-2017 Inside the success of Nike's Breaking2 'moonshot' - Digiday conditions, with a group of elite pacesetters being subbed in and out and a hydration strategy. While that faced its share of criticism Search … from running purists, the race was ultimately compelling enough to make it a marketing win for the company. Inside the success of Nike’s Breaking2 ‘moonshot’ ADVERTISEMENT “It was brilliant marketing and will be held as a precedent for years to come,” said Susan Cantor, CEO at branding firm Red Peak Branding.News Podcasts “They Digiday found something + Events Careersnew and elusive that tapped into everyone’s collective attention and then used social media as a driver to propel it even further.” Numbers, too, show the event was a marketing success. Nike has been mentioned more than 584,000 times on social media, on posts spanning Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, according to data crunched by Brandwatch over the past seven days. The hashtag #Breaking 2 has been used over 407,000 times within the same time frame, with the sentiment being over 87 percent positive. #Breaking2Who needs mediahas accumulated planners when over a2 tirelesstrillion impressions,robot named accordingAlbert can to do Kellan the job? Terry, senior data analyst at Brandwatch. Terry said that is Duopoly Vtheideo most Anywhere impressions around a specific hashtag he’s ever seen. Brands in Culture The Confessions Media Marketing Traditionally, Nike’s marketing has focused on polished television ads and lavish deals with the world’s most popular athletes. But Breaking2 was an attempt to break out of that model and tap into technology, innovation and social media, said Cantor. Though the event itself was closed to the public, anyone with internet access could experience it. Nike livestreamed the race on Twitter and Facebook, and shared live and behind-the-scenes moments around the attempt on Instagram. It also made it easier for everyone to track the social media action by following the hashtag #Breaking2, and it tweeted out live race updates with the hashtag #Breaking2Alerts. People could also use a custom Nike Vaporfly Elite shoe emoji on Twitter. Finally, the company will release a feature-length documentary on the attempt in partnership with National Geographic this summer. Nike continues to benefit from Kipchoge’s remarkable run, with Nike’s digital content engagement increasing 15 percent on May 6, compared to May 5, according to data from marketing technology company Amobee. The Zoom Vaporfly Elite shoes are also getting a boost, with 5.2 times more digital content engagement around them between May 5-7 as compared to May 2-4. “Nike has wisely made their Breaking2 campaign about the technological innovation of the Zoom Vaporfly Elite as much as about the athletes trying to achieve the first sub-two hour marathon,” said Jonathan Cohen, principal brand analyst at Amobee. “The narrative http://digiday.com/marketing/inside-success-nikes-breaking2-moonshot/ 2/5 9-5-2017 Inside the success of Nike's Breaking2 'moonshot' - Digiday around unlocking human potential and breaking the two-hour marathon is about more than just an individual athlete, and it appeals to Search … a much broader audience than just hardcore marathon fans.” http://wp.me/p2AShf‑Zhf RELATED ARTICLES Inside the success of Nike’s Breaking2 ‘moonshot’ Nike’s sports hijab launch highlightsNews Podcasts Digiday the + Events lack Careers of foresight at big brands MARCH 8, 2017 by Jessica Schiffer With 8.6 million followers, Nike’s Jordan Brand is a slam dunk on Instagram Who needs media planners when a tireless robot named Albert can doA theUG job?UST 8, 2016 by Sahil Patel Duopoly Video Anywhere Brands in Culture The Confessions Media Marketing http://digiday.com/marketing/inside-success-nikes-breaking2-moonshot/ 3/5 9-5-2017 Inside the success of Nike's Breaking2 'moonshot' - Digiday Search … Inside the success of Nike’s Breaking2 ‘moonshot’ News Podcasts Digiday + Events Careers 0:15 / 0:15 MARKETING ON PLATFORMS Digiday research: When it comes to consumer data, email reigns supreme MAY 9, 2017 by Bethany Biron Who needs media planners when a tireless robot named Albert can do the job? Duopoly Video Anywhere Brands in Culture The Confessions Media Marketing THE PROGRAMMATIC MARKETER Who needs media planners when a tireless robot named Albert can do the job? MAY 9, 2017 by Shareen Pathak MARKETING ON PLATFORMSDigiday Research: Brands are trying to take back control MAY 8, 2017 by Shareen Pathak SPONSOREDFour things we learned about advanced TV at This Way Up NY sponsored by Tremor Video http://digiday.com/marketing/inside-success-nikes-breaking2-moonshot/ 4/5 9-5-2017 Inside the success of Nike's Breaking2 'moonshot' - Digiday Search … Inside the success of Nike’s Breaking2 ‘moonshot’ THE PROGRAMMATIC MARKETERWTF are data lakes? MAY 8, 2017 by Ross Benes MARKETING ON PLATFORMS ‘Scaling our reach’: Tough Mudder is creating video content for Amazon MAY 8, 2017 by Tanya Dua News Podcasts Digiday + Events Careers SUBSCRIBE TO SIGN UP FOR FOLLOW US DIGIDAY PLUS DIGIDAY NEWSLETTER @DIGIDAY Who needs media planners when a tireless robot named Albert can do the job? 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