In 1995, Michael Jordan returned to the game he loves and stepped on the court in the Air Jordan XI Concord. To welcome its return 23 years later, we needed to create a memorable campaign that appealed to the masses and resonated with our core audience, plus a much younger generation of fans.
"Grail" is a highly discussed and debated phrase in online sneaker communities. "My grails" are a personal decision, made from personal stories and connection to certain shoes. Our strategy was to claim the XI Concord is the true grails by using personal stories from people our global audience would connect with.
Leveraging international A-List talent (Nick Anderson, Carmelo Anthony, Edison Chen, Dominic Ciambrone (Shoe Surgeon), Mike Dean, Billie Eilish, Tinker Hatfield, DJ Khaled, Neymar Jr., Chris Paul, Justin Timberlake and Lena Waithe), we built a social and digital campaign solidifying the Air Jordan XI Concord as #TheGrail.
The campaign launched with a 60-second hero spot and micro content across the brand's social channels in an effort to target specific audience segments.
The 60-second spot quickly became the most viewed video of all time for Jordan Brand on Instagram, and consumers responded with unprecedented energy on launch day, resulting in the most successful Nike sneaker ever launched.
