Joe J.Strickland: Nike opens Chicago style pop-up shop to highlight its sports culture

Nike highlights Chicago sports culture in ‘Sport Changes Everything’ campaign

Chicago has its own attitude, its own culture and manner, and Nike, a five-time winner of the World Branding Awards, is featuring what makes the city unique, from a sports perspective, in an extension of its ‘Sport Changes Everything’ campaign.

Nike believes that the sport culture in the Second City is one of a kind. Nike Chicago’s iteration of the campaign goes ‘Chicago style’.

The creative, done with Wieden+Kennedy spotlights both the pro athletes and cultural influencers that have helped create Chicago’s sport culture.

The anthem film features a hardened Chicago employee at Frank’s Grill in Chicago yelling into the store microphone to get one “Chicago style”. As another employee starts making the signature Chicago dog as the man barks out the features that make Chicago sports great, including pictures of Jordan and the Bulls, the Bears, the White Sox and Cubs, plus Chicago native Anthony Davis, and a slate of local athletes.

Nike Chicago Style Sport Changes Everything campaign The campaign also features three local athlete stories that launched on social and showcase how they can “Be what Chicago is famous for,” inspire their community and embody Chicago-style in their own unique ways. The three athletes are McKinley Nelson, the founder of Project sWish; Ixhelt Gonzalez, a member of the US women’s national wheelchair basketball team; and Monyett Crump, founder of Reveal Dance.

A live activation brings the ‘Chicago style Sport Changes Everything’ campaign to the streets. Nike Chicago created a physical manifestation of the campaign called Nike’s World Famous Chicago Style – a diner with plenty of Chicago attitude. The location will play host to various events and programs for the community to celebrate the power of sports and be inspired by local sports stars and the community leaders featured in the ad. Visitors will have the opportunity to participate in various events including basketball games, dance classes and meet-and-greets. The pop-up runs through 4 November.

This story first appeared on The Drum.