See how Sweden used newspapers to launch Nike’s global “Men vs Women” campaign.
Campaign background
Nike’s “Men Vs Women” advertising campaign took the small step of pitting the sexes against one another.
The ongoing worldwide running competition was designed to raise awareness of its NikePlus running shoes that use wireless technology.
Role of newspaper advertising
To mark the launch, Nike Sweden drew up a media partnership with global newspaper Metro to help execute the promotion locally. It used several methods with the aim of increasing awareness, creating a strong engagement and driving sales.
At the centre of the campaign was the MetroBlog, with athletes Agnes Carlsson and Ara Abrahamian contributing regularly.
These online blog entries were backed with print and online banner ads on several editions of the Metro.
A guerrilla marketing event at Stockholm University saw Nike representatives handing out Metro issues with a one-off promotional wrap cover. There were also exclusive editorial interviews with Nike brand ambassadors such as footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and competitions for Nike+ products.
Results
Backed by international television ads, sales for Nike running products increased by 70% on the previous year with the dedicated blog boasting over 100,000 page views from 45,000 visitors. Nike Sweden also boasted the best sales per population ratio across the company’s global network.
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