NIKE NORTH AMERICA | COLD WEATHER "SNOW DAY"

Nike North America aimed to go to market for the first time with a unified voice that aimed to reignite the freedom of play in North America. Our message to our audience was simple: "Can't Win If You Don't Play.” With its launch in the summer months, we encouraged kids to play sports freely, every chance they got. After having an effective summer with our message, it was time to extend that unified voice to the winter months and sell Nike’s Cold Weather apparel. 

Cold Weather was a huge business opportunity for Nike. It was also a highly competitive space for the business where our consumer typically depends on Under Armour’s base layers to keep them warm in the cold. With this business landscape, it was essential that our message helped drive the business. To be successful, "Can't Win If You Don't Play,” had to seamlessly extend into the winter months. During the “Perfect Storm of Sports” where all the major sports in North America collide, not only is the seriousness of elite sports is at its highest level, but culturally everyone is just sitting around waiting for the next sports event to come on. But for kids, winter was a blank, unexplored canvas waiting to be filled. How could we remind kids that sports are not about the regimented seriousness, but about playing? 

Winter can be a pain in the ass for anyone. The cold just makes it harder to get up and move. However, when it turns cold outside, the true athlete lights up because they get to play in ways they can’t any other time of the year. And if the purity of sport lies in creativity and imagination, winter unlocks the freedom of play unlike any other season. Whether you are you are a basketball player shoveling snow off the court for a frigid game of one-on-one or the skateboarder taking his skills to the slopes, winter brings sport to life as only winter can. The elements offer a unique set of challenges. With this campaign, we wanted to show the excitement of play in the winter, not the harshness that everyone else brings to life. We wanted to strip away the winter hype. Winter was a frosty temperature, but more importantly, a blank canvas ready for athlete exploration. Using athletes of all sports, we showed the world that when the roads were closed and school was cancelled, the game was on. It was time to come out and play - an invitation and a challenge to make the most of winter’s blank canvas of play.