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We Run Zagreb - Nike

In 2012, Nike was preparing to organize a 7.5K race in Zagreb. The goal was to popularize running and get as many amateur runners involved as well as motivate others to get off the couch and try running. Running in Croatia is not as popular as in the neighbouring Slovenia or other western countries, so we knew that this was not going to be an easy task.

Running is a team sport

Creative Agency Imago, and event agency Projektil were tasked with organizing the event, and our task was to use the digital media to get the people to participate. While researching other races in Croatia and elsewhere we noticed that in most cases the registration process, although necessary, is one of the hurdles in the way of participation. The other problem to solve was a stereotype that running was boring.

 

Walk first...

The solution was a two step plan. For a month prior to the race day Nike gathered runners from run clubs and active fans of their Facebook page and organized a running event that would take them all the way from the south tip of Croatia, to the northern part of the coast. To maximize the visibility of this truly inspiring project, we created a microsite that outlined the plan, promoted the runners and followed them every step of the way by integrating beautiful photos, videos, instagram and twitter posts and blog articles into a comprehensive single page layout.

Nike We Run Coast Homepage

We Run Coast

The website covered all the activities during the Coast run and “pumped” the atmosphere as the finish approached. Runners that participated in the Coast run, blogged about it every day and contributed by posting images on Instagram which were automatically displayed in galleries on the website.

Switching to “Race mode”

We drove traffic to the website from the Facebook page, but it didn’t take long until the story spread by itself and people started talking about this in the digital channels. Suddenly people wanted to join in, some did so, and the running bug infected many that now could not wait to take part in the running event in Zagreb. 1 day after the Coast Run and 25 days before the big race in Zagreb, the website switched to “Race mode” that enabled everyone to learn about the race, see who is already participating and most importantly enabled the visitors to register themselves.

 

Nike we run Zagreb homepage

Nike we run Zagreb homepage

Everyone loves a registration form, right?

The main aspect of the race mode website was the registration process that we turned into something fun and engaging, so that it stopped being a hurdle and became a tool that would spread the word about the race and motivate other latent runners. We created a web, facebook and desktop app that enabled potential runners to be creative and design their own starting number, by choosing colors, patterns and writing their own motivational messages.

we run  2

It’s easier with a little help from your friends

If people did not want to run alone, we provided an option to create or join a running team, that would run and compete together. People could invite their friends to join their running team, and in that way became ambassadors of the race. Once a starting number was created it was automatically added to an official Facebook photo gallery, to be seen, liked, tagged and shared by anyone. The user was also given options to share or use the image as his/her Profile or Cover image. This in turn created a buzz that motivated others to try out the Starting Number Generator, and through a fun creative process register for the race.

 

we run zagreb bibs

Content is nothing without a community

Since Nike products are present in many sport stores in Zagreb, we installed a custom made desktop app in the stores that called the visitors to register for the race. This turned all of these stores into registration points. To make sure we didn’t miss anyone, we also produced an iPad app that Nike ambassadors and animators used to “enlist” runners on the well known running locations around the city. The number of people that registered for the race quickly rose.

 

we run in use

The biggest race in Croatia!

Over the course of 25 days over 7.500 people created their personalized starting numbers. 6.000 people showed up on the starting line, making this the most popular race in Croatia ever.

The official Nike Running Croatia Facebook page received over 9.000 new fans that formed an engaged running community in which NIke products were strongly embedded.

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