STRATEGIST: Matt Gill ART DIRECTOR: Sophia Groen

The Situation:

We had to create a strategy and a campaign to make Jordans shoes for every day life, and not just sports.

The Insights:

Air Jordan used to have an incredible reputation with skaters in the 90s, particularly the Jordan 1’s and Jordan 4’s. 90’s culture is having a moment and nostalgia for that decade has never been higher. Street art and tagging is popular with skaters and having your own tag is common in skate culture.

The Strategy:

Target Gen Z and Millennial skaters by partnering with popular skating brands, influencers and street artists to create a unique version of the Jordan 4’s . We want this campaign to remind skaters the Jordan 4’s were the of the OG skateboarding shoes of the 90’s. The campaign will feature a viral street art tagging campaign, new product launches, OOH ads, a Youtube series, social media content, influencer promotional partnerships and video game partnerships.

The Campaign:

Flip Your Kicks

Partner with Jeremy Klein and JNCO to introduce a new line of Jordan 4's and skater gear sold through NIKE’s and JNCO’s websites. This new gear will be part of an “essentials kit” for skaters and bridge the gap between Jordan’s basketball heritage and skateboarding ethos.

Why Jeremy Klein?

American artist and former professional skateboarder, Jeremy Klein, rose to prominence as one of the original riders for Steve Rocco's World Industries company. After being one of the first professionals on Birdhouse (founded and owned by Tony Hawk), Klein retired from the company in 2008. He founded his own company, Hook Ups, in 1993 that is known for using Japanese animation style female characters and monsters on their products. He was also recently indicted to the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2024.

Why JNCO?

JNCO’s deep roots in skate culture and iconic ’90s streetwear aesthetic make it the perfect partner for Jordan. By collaborating with a brand cherished by skaters, Jordan can tap into JNCO’s credibility and reach a broader audience beyond basketball enthusiasts. This partnership ensures a product that feels both authentic and fresh, blending Jordan’s high-quality performance with JNCO’s signature skate style.

The Gear:

The Launch:

Our big activation to launch the campaign is a viral street tagging campaign - Jeremy will create tags at skateparks and outside skate stores with a unique art piece that features a QR code. The code brings you to a website with a countdown to the new products release leading up to the release of the new shoes.

OOH:

A series of large tags as OOH placements in spots you wouldn’t expect to find a tag (on the side of a bank, on a subway platform etc.) leading up to the release of the new essentials kit in areas that skaters frequent. The ads will further tease the release by featuring a QR code that will bring people to the countdown landing page we created for the skatepark tags.

Video:

Roll The (Grip) Tape

A docuseries about Jeremy Klein, his art and the inspiration behind the designs on the partnerships new products. It would be produced by Jordan along with the team at The Berrics, which is a Youtube channel dedicated to skating culture with 1.45 million subscribers.

Social Media:

“The Making Of” Instagram Reels

Short, vertical-format mini-doc segments showcasing the design and testing process. Includes interviews with Nike and JNCO product teams, Jeremy Klein input sessions, and factory floor “teaser shots” of the sneakers being assembled.

Snapchat Countdown Stickers

Use interactive countdown stickers on Snapchat leading up to the official product launch date. Pair each countdown post with a different piece of content

The Partnerships:

The Influencers

Promote the new line of products with a series of influencer partnerships with some of the most popular skateboarders in the world. The partnerships would feature paid promotional posts with the skaters using and praising the new products.

Skate x Air Jordan Video Game Partnership:

Partner with the makers of the soon to be released skateboarding videogame ‘Skate’ to offer gamers the chance to purchase the shoes in game for their characters and provide opportunities for them to buy the new products before anyone else. Skate is a highly anticipated video game that both skaters and gamers have been waiting for nearly ten years for.