The Six Tool Player
Footwear Launch for Nike Baseball
Launch content for Mike Trout, and his highly-anticipated sixth signature cleat and turf shoe. This new version featured an all-new design, including special edition colorways, necessitating a campaign that would resonate with Nike Baseball's primary audience of young ball-players and fans while leveraging digital platforms for engagement and growth. The content needed to be strategically crafted to make a significant impact and ensure scalability, allowing for maximum exposure and opportunities to show up for the audience.
My Role: Art Direction & Design
Created while at Nemo Design
Creative Direction: Jeff Bartel, Matt Graff
Athlete Photography: Swanson Studios
Product Photography: Steve Temple
To establish a genuine connection with fans and young ball-players, the campaign focused on leading with Mike's voice. The content was strategically planned to coincide with the MLB All-Star game, held in Cleveland, the home of the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame, providing a stage for the launch.
Working closely with the Nike Marketing team, captured all content with Mike during Spring Training in Arizona. Former player and MLB commentator, Harold Reynolds, served as the liaison, facilitating authentic responses about the inspiration and design of the product. Given the personal touches and design details contributed by Mike, as well as the performance markers tailored to his game, it was crucial to capture the essence of his powerful playing style and no-bullshit approach to the game. With music as our central theme, we developed a visual language that conveyed Mike’s powerful playing style, and his no bull-shit approach to the game combined with the youthful energy of gig posters.
The reaction from Mike's fans and the audience was overwhelmingly positive. In the first week of the launch, category sales experienced a 119% increase compared to the previous year within the same time frame. The Trout cleat specifically saw a notable increase of 161% in sales. However, sales were not the sole focus; the campaign also succeeded in reaching and growing Nike Baseball's community. There was a remarkable 580% increase in profile visits to Nike Baseball's Instagram page, while click-throughs to Nike Baseball's landing page increased by 252%, driven by the campaign's content.
The combined success in sales and community growth validates the effectiveness of the campaign's approach, leveraging Mike Trout's star power and the authentic connection established with fans and young ball-players. The strategic use of digital platforms, paired with the visual language and association with music, Ignited a passionate reaction among the audience, leading to successful engagement metrics and increased brand loyalty.
