Nike Basketball
Positioning & Creative Direction

Unapologetic Game

By 2016 Nike Basketball had complete domination of the marketplace owning 90+% marketshare.

But something was off. Looking from a new perspective, we noted loosing our footing in the streets and that wasn’t right. Overseeing a team of seasoned brand marketers, I led the team on an insights journey to discover more and regain that special sauce that was the soul of Nike.

We learned we had become “the establishment,” too elite and too glossy for an up and coming generation.

Immersing ourselves in our consumers lives I led the team to make the moves to re-establish the establishment from it’s roots, from the ground-up, to reclaim our position as the soul of the game…unapologetically.

Unapologetic Game

It’s more than a game, it’s a performance.

The “Unapologetic Game” positioning was the rallying cry for the rebirth of the soul of Nike and led an entirely new creative direction and sharped messaging that spoke, undeniably, to the game, the athletes, and the culture.

Anchored by disruptive innovations, it called for disruptive ‘take notice’ moments, shaped declarative, raw, in your face experiences at all key touch points, informed our irreverent leaders and partners.

The positioning and subsequent creative also led to new models of athlete engagement, creating groundbreaking consumer experiences reconnecting performance w/ culture, a winning bid for the NBA licensing deal & 1st ever NFC jersey, and the inclusion of Women’s through all our marketing strategies.

Nike Basketball:
Lead: Colin Leary / Nicole Hubbard
BM: Melanie Auguste / Melvin Lenzy / Craig Lyon / Phil Cook
BD: Michael Spoljaric / Darien Birks / Colin Matsui
BC: Jordi Pont / Tony Hellberg
BD: Justin Taylor