Nike
nike.com
Nike's Community Impact team needed a new sub-brand built from the ground up; one that could carry the weight of their sustainability and community engagement work without feeling like corporate window dressing. They hired me to do it.
The Work
Over two years, I partnered with Nike's Community Impact team to design, produce, and launch Back Your Block; a platform spanning grant-making for underserved youth across the US, a national sneaker recycling program that converted used shoes into basketball courts and playgrounds, and a series of large-scale community events produced in partnership with local leaders and Nike Factory Stores in each city. My role covered the full creative and strategic range: sub-brand development, design, production, event management, and community partnership coordination. The whole project was photographed by the great Boone Speed.
Takeaway
Big brands can do meaningful things. This time, this one did, and seeing the kids immediately put these resources to good use in ways that genuinely impacted their lives for the better was inspiring, and a reminder of what it’s really all about.
“While working on the Nike North America Marketing team my group hired Russ and his partners to manage all the creative for large, complex community relations initiatives that were introduced simultaneously in multiple major markets. Russ is a skilled creative mind and an extraordinarily organized person; his skill in this area was often vital to our success. At all times, Russ demonstrated strong conceptual abilities, flexibility and an enviable work ethic. To be clear, most of Nike’s projects involve many moving pieces in many markets at the same time. The degree of difficulty is extremely high and so is the bar. Nike demands perfection. We were pleased with our results from Russ and hired his team repeatedly. Any company would benefit greatly to have Russ as part of the team.”
— Michelle Lacy Community Relations Manager, Nike, Inc