Nike hires Don King to Trumpet Tennis Showdown

Nike hires Don King to Trumpet Tennis Showdown

Nike wants to keep exploding the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, this time at the US Open, and to make their campaign more interesting they had hired Don King.

Nike launched their "Grapple in the Apple" campaign (check out the photos here) at a boxing-match-style event.
At this event went Mr. Don King, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who will try to make it to another grand slam final starting next week. The last time these two amazing players meet in a final was at Wimbledon, where Rafael Nadal won the title for the first time after a 5 set final.

Nike has been the sponsor for Federer and Nadal since a long time now and they are looking to capitalize on the attention this rivalry brings to the sport.

Nike is counting with another potential finals showdown between Federer and Nadal at the U.S. Open.
For this campaign the players have even been given boxer-type nicknames: Roger "The Magician of Precision" Federer and Rafa "Matador of Spin" Nadal.

"Coming out of this summer's tennis activity, our feeling is it was time for Nike to take that approach and make it a little broader," Ken Dice, Nike's VP-U.S. brand management said. "We may be seeing two of the best players ever go at it in a way that tennis hasn't seen in a while. And it's time to see how that transcends from the most loyal tennis fan to [all other] sports fans or anyone who follows pop culture. The underlying idea is that we make sure all of New York knows about this. We are asking them to pick a side, and hopefully people will get engaged and start talking about it."

To do this huge campaign Nike is working along with creative agency Wieden & Kennedy and Don King Productions.
Don King is not only serving as the mouthpiece for the campaign but as a creative partner as well.

"We worked with Wieden to develop the Don King idea, and when we brought Don in we restructured our original idea around some of his insights," Mr. Dice said.

"How often do we bring a third creative partner to the table with a veteran marketing agency and shake things up by saying, 'Hey! We have this idea and we think you can help us. Can you help us make it bigger and better than the two of us could normally do on our own?'" Mr. Dice said. "And Nike has always been about collaboration with its athletes. So we brought in a promotional expert to help promote the U.S. Open and this rivalry in a way that maybe we haven't done in a very long time."

I guess people in New York will see Federer's and Nadal's faces very often. The campaign includes print executions in local newspapers, a digital component and outdoor advertising. The effort will also incorporate wild postings and street teams.

"We'll also use the viral-video space to make sure that for the next two weeks we continue to push messages celebrating Roger, Rafa, the U.S. Open and New York City," Mr. Dice said.

While Mr. Dice said the campaign "isn't about a shoe launch" and more about "capturing the excitement of tennis in New York for the next two weeks," Nike will use tonight's event to showcase the gear that both players will be wearing during the tournament.

If Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal don't make it to the final it will be a huge disappointment for Nike but they campaign will give a lot to talk about anyways...


Information from ADAge