Situation:

Leverage Nike’s sponsorship of participating teams in WC23 to show the world what’s possible, and accelerate the future of women’s sport on and off the pitch

Brief:

Deliver a world-first immersive, multi-sensory retail experience that celebrates female athletes and ignites the spirit of women’s football at the intersection of people, product, community and culture.

Create an experience to challenge her expectations of how she can be served, and what a retail space should look and feel like.

Objectives:

Create a moment in time that inspires a lasting legacy for women’s sport.

Promote Nike’s ‘jersey culture’ to celebrate all participating Nike sponsored teams, as well as individuals sense of style and individualism

Drive digital connection and innovation of the customer in store experience, creating a never seen before way to shop

Deliver an evolving program of events, workshop and collaborative moments for her to experience the power of women’s sport

The Nike Dream Arena:

An iconic place for her to dream big and be part of creating a new football culture

A pioneering, female football-focused concept aimed at being a world-first retail experience. With this mindset and thinking, ‘The Nike Dream Arena’ concept was born, a carefully crafted and iconic destination explicitly designed to inspire and empower girls and women. To support, try and play football, whether a fashionable stylist, avid supporter or athlete.

The activation was carefully crafted to inspire Her*, with all facets of the creative and physical design focused on Her* individual needs and requirements, with an understanding of all the nuances of the female shopper.

As a digitally-led space, the concept aimed to elevate the in-store experience for all customers in relevant ways, engaging them as individuals, allowing them to learn and discover in highly personable ways, and allowing them to choose their own customer journey.

Aiming to be a pioneering, female football focused destination, the activation invited the next-gen consumer, whether a fashionable stylist, avid supporter or athlete to dream within a dynamic, sensory-rich environment.

Extensive 1:1 consumer research interviews were conducted, yielding valuable insights. Alongside these, consultations with football influencers and professional players helped craft a concise and comprehensive strategy that encompassed the desires and expectations of the future football consumer. This enabled a clear understanding of the essential elements that the activation’s experiences needed to deliver.

Every step of the consumer journey was fastidiously crafted to ignite inspiration and infuse each visitor with personalised excitement. From the moment they entered, to their arrival at the 360 arena showcasing the kits of all 13 Nike-sponsored teams, to their exploration of L1, where they could virtually try on kits and capture cherished moments with friends, every touchpoint was designed to leave a lasting impression.

Spanning three levels of the George St store (across 700m2), the 8 week activation was meticulously planned.

Project delivery, commencing in February 2022, took 18 months, with strategic research, through to concept development and design (based on the learnt insights and findings), culminating in a 7 week build program.

Working with a commercial build partner, the store was closed to the public and refitted, in incredibly limited time, across all levels to imagine differing experiences, appealing to its distinct consumer audiences.

In the final week, ahead of launch, the Nike merchandising team worked tirelessly, both day and night, to re-stock and visually re-fit the space. Working concurrently while some building elements were finalised. A feat requiring precision and fastidious management of people and space, all whilst keeping the above “lawyer” tenant neighbors appeased and happy.

Despite this, the activation opened on time, coinciding with the first game of the tournament.

Not only did the activation exceed commercial expectations, but stood as a profound source of inspiration and empowerment for girls and women, motivating them to explore and embrace football, igniting a fresh wave of female enthusiasts and players.

During the tournament it became a must visit destination, selling 36%+ more than anticipated sales forecast. It delivered a total increase of 15.8%+ on conversion, and an increase of +13% overall footfall. Interestingly, only 30% of sales were of jerseys, demonstrating the incredible performance of the x Free-Style Studio.

With member experiences booking out in less than an hour (in some instances, less than 90 secs), and an attendance rate of 90% - 100%, these were deemed to be a huge success.

Given its success, Nike is now considering how this platform, and the learnings derived from it, can live on as a test case for retail activations in the future.