NEW KIDS ON THE KOP
NIKE X LIVERPOOL FC
Launching the Liverpool FC x Nike Collection
As of the 2020/2021 season, Nike, Liverpool F.C and JD Sports entered into a Sports Marketing Partnership with Nike producing Liverpool’s Compete, Train and Express Collection and JD Sport becoming Nike and Liverpool’s key retailer.
So in a city that has been historically dominated by Nike’s biggest rivals, Adidas - how does a brand like Nike earn its place alongside the famous crest of Liverpool F.C and start to carve a mark in a new chapter of the club and it's cities rich culture?
Our challenge was to launch the Liverpool FC x Nike Collection to the young JD Consumer in an authentic way that would begin to establish the brand's new association with the club by exploring fresh and unexplored narratives yet to written by a new generation of fans.
It’s these narratives that would be key in creating a campaign that established an affinity to the JD Sport x Nike Partnership and portioning JD Sports as the undisputed destination to shop for the complete look of Liverpool F.C amongst the club's Gen-Z fanbase.
"YOU'RE IN LIVERPOOL NOW KID"
Firstly we had to get an understanding of what it means to be Scouse. As we quickly found out, it really is a state of mind. Liverpool is a city steeped in culture, a city that is constantly re-inventing itself, each generation brings a new flavour to the mix. So in order to establish that connection with the consumer it made total sense to tap into the diverse Youth Culture of the city and give it a voice.
THE NEW KIDS ON THE KOP
Note: (for those of you who don’t know, the Kop is a world famous, iconic stand situated behind the goal at Liverpools stadium, Anfield).
The ‘New Kids on the Kop’ campaign paid homage to the young, relentless talent who represent the future of Liverpool. Starting with Curtis Jones (Liverpool F.C midfielder) as our main protagonist, we explored the young creative talent defining a city. These kids (musicians, artists, social commentators) are fresh. Most you would have never heard of before. That’s why they are in the campaign! It was a no holds barred insight into the youth culture of the city, that celebrated the look of Liverpool.
Through an integrated social campaign, JD Sports store installation and a take over the local newspaper the ‘The Liverpool Echo’ we created a chance for these new voices to be heard.
NEW VOICES FOR A NEW ERA
"THERE'S NOTHING LIKE OUR CITY, THERE'S NO ONE LIKE A SCOUSER, WE ARE THE BEST AT WHAT WE DO"
Curtis Jones - Liverpool FC Midfielder
SOCIAL MEDIA
CAMPAIGN
The majority of JD and Nike’s target audience consumes content via social media. So we created a series of social films that gave the world an unfiltered view into Liverpool’s Youth Culture, a new generation a fans who are bring a whole new flavour to the word Scouser. Scouse culture told from the street.
These films featured a series of creators from across the city and were headed up by Liverpool F.C player and local lad Curtis Jones. In a no-holds-barred view from the inside each film was underpinned by the protagonist unearthing the true meaning of being a scouser, whilst displaying their very own take on Scouse street style.
Each film was centred around a key product drop that naturally integrated the new Nike x Liverpool F.C garms with the Scouse street style.
"IT’S A BIT DIFFERENT ROUND
OUR WAY BUT THAT’S THE
WAY WE LIKE IT."
THE LIVERPOOL
ECHO TAKEOVER
So you can't just rock up and expect to be a part of the family.
Through our research we quickly realised for this campaign to land we had to understand that this was their city, their club and it had to be their campaign. So in order to connect with the wider Liverpool fanbase we decided to take over their paper, the Liverpool Echo.
Through the paper each of our featured talents was provided with a platform to convey unfiltered versions of their own origin stories, their craft and their love for LFC club. This was supported by a photo campaign that capture our new gen scouser styled in the new Liverpool x Nike product.
To start to carve a new narrative for the city by shining a light on its undiscovered talent and the publish them in the Liverpool Echo allowed us to land on the kitchen table of every household in Liverpool.
JD SPORTS STORE INSTALLATIONS
This was a kit launch like no other... the first time a Nike logo would sit on the famous red shirt of the League, European and World Champions… Liverpool F.C.
Through the JD Sport installation we wanted to create an unfiltered, unbearable take on modern day Scouse youth culture, at its finest. Paying homage to the reds with the most epic shrines that combined the new wave of Liverpool supporters with campaign imagery of young players like Curtis Jones—they’re our heroes at JD, not the usual suspects and connect with the irreverent appeal of authentic Scouser style
In a city that houses two massive football clubs we knew in order to take-over JD Sport’s flagship store in Liverpools city centre we would need to be Boisterous, Disruptive and Irresponsible.
The goal was to attract people with a shameless statement of Liverpool FC pride by creating the ultimate fan spectacle inspired by how true Reds rep their team, at the games and in their homes. After all the this is a global club with a local feel wrapped in steep traditions and a rich culture. These were all aspect that we wanted to bring to the forefront of our in-store installations.
So we took over the biggest JD Sports store in Liverpool and created a window display inspired by real life LFC shrines that payed homage to the kind that you see outside the homes of this football mad city and integrated popular match-day institutions like Peter Carney banner. The idea was to create a rich dominating visual that literally no one could ignore. By creating a shrine lifted directed from the fan culture of the that surrounds the club the idea was to entice customers into store by elevating the welcome and making then feel part of the family.
THE ENGAGE AREA
The engage area was an interactive installation that in sat in the centre of the store. It was created for customers and fans to relax, engage with the LFC x Nike product immerses themselves with in the culture of the club.
We wanted to create a space that felt familiar to fans but also allowed us to naturally integrate product and camping imagery in a way that felt authentic to the rich visual culture of the club. The inspiration behind the installation was inspired by the backdrop of LFC TV’s Friday night show ‘The fan Couch’.
The reason behind the store take over was the to create a talking point within the city that established without question that JD Sports as a retailer that understands their club, it’s fanbase and asserting it as the undisputed destination to buy the complete Liverpool x Nike look.
The main focus on of the campaign was to position JD Sport as the place to buy your Nike x LFC look and to familiarise Nike’s partnership with LFC by building trust and an understanding between the brand and the clubs fans base. For us it was an opportunity to give those unheard voices a platform and help to put Liverpool’s emerging youth culture on the map.
In the words of Curtis Jones...
"I was delighted with the response to the brief on the Nike x LFC Campaign at JD that MOX London & Bullion delivered on. From conception to planning, the team delivered a comprehensive and connected 360 marketing campaign that stretched from bespoke In-Store Retail, Social AV suitable for various platforms and media plans and an extremely impressive design and execution of a local comms. partnership with The Liverpool Echo. They delivered a truly integrated campaign that was undeniably Scouse and one that has been well received from business to consumer. The numbers we are receiving from JD Sport indicate that the campaign is judging to be a success and has clearly established the retailer as the place to purchase Nike x LFC product”.
Anthony Mahon - Nike Football Brand Manager
"TELL US NEVER...GO ON!"
