Air to the Max - Hero

Nike and JD Sports Air to the Max

Insight

Air isn’t just a product feature; it can also be a delivery service.

Nike and JD Sports mark the annual Air Max holiday with a unique activation, bringing shoe drops all day from the air.

A digital sign in a shoe store displays “Activate your AirDrop” with JD and Nike logos. People in the foreground browse, and shelves with sneakers are visible in the background.
A hand holding a smartphone showing an AirDrop request; the request displays a photo of a black and white Nike sneaker against a sky background, with Decline and Accept buttons visible below.

Idea

Air Max dropped to you by air.

Air Max Day is all about Air and shoe drops. AirDrop combines these two in an in-store activation taking over JD Sports’ flagship location in Times Square, New York City.

Every hour, at random, a store customer is surprised to find an AirDrop on their phone, awarding a free pair of Air Max complete with a box full of Air prizes. In-store digital signage drives the excitement and prompts customers to activate AirDrop.

Leading up to Air Max Day, a giveaway through the JD Sports app offers the chance to win a drone delivery experience. After thousands of applications, JD loyalty STATUS members from New York City and Los Angeles are selected to receive Air Max from 400ft out of the sky. The shoes are dropped onto drone sites located on city rooftops with skyline views, stylised with Nike visuals, a drone landing pad, a photoshoot area, and custom air-traffic control uniforms for staff.

A close-up, top-down view of a basketball hoop with an orange net. A box is being dropped through the hoop, landing on a round orange and black mat with the white Nike logo. The surface beneath appears to be gray concrete.
A person wearing an orange Air Traffic Control vest and headset directs air traffic with two red wands, with a city skyline and the Empire State Building visible in the background.

Whether from the sky or a digital cloud, Nike and JD Sports transformed a retail holiday into an activation, using what made the shoe so special in the first place - Air.

Impact

Taking Air Max to new heights.

With a potential reach of up to 9 million, 260,000 interactions were sparked: producing an estimated rate between 5-6 times the fashion and retail industry averages.

At a time when wider global delivery issues could have derailed Air Max Day, the activation drove new levels of engagement and delight.

  • AdweekNike drops free sneakers by drone to promote the Air Max ↘
  • JD SportsThe future is in the air this Air Max month ↘

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