The challenge was to create a campaign that would resonate authentically with local communities in Lille, Paris, Marseille, and Lyon, celebrating the unsung heroes who embody the spirit of French football at the grassroots level. The activation needed to bridge the gap between the elite national team and amateur football culture, demonstrating Nike's investment in the sport .
Local Heroes, National Pride
We designed a multi-city wild posting campaign that transformed France's four major football cities into open-air galleries celebrating local amateur players, coaches, and community leaders who represent the true spirit of French football. This hyper-local strategy was built to generate authentic community engagement and reinforce Nike's position as the brand that understands and supports football at all levels. The campaign was structured around three strategic pillars:
City-by-City Cultural Mapping: Deep research into each city's unique football culture from Lille's working-class pride to Marseille's street football tradition, Lyon's youth development legacy, and Paris' multicultural neighborhoods. We identified local heroes in each market whose stories authentically represented their communities, ensuring the campaign felt genuinely local rather than nationally imposed.
Strategic Urban Saturation: Securing 300+ premium wild posting locations across high-traffic neighborhoods in all four cities—near amateur football pitches, training grounds, and community centers where the target audience lives and plays. Each city received custom creative featuring their own local heroes, creating a sense of ownership and pride within each community.
Visual Storytelling Excellence: Creating powerful portrait-style visuals that elevated amateur players to the same iconic status as national team stars, paired with their personal stories and the phrase "Nos différences nous unissent" (Our differences unite us)—the FFF's unifying message. The campaign combined Nike's performance aesthetic with documentary-style authenticity to honor each hero's contribution to French football culture.
Real-world
results
wild posting sites secured across Lille, Paris, Marseille, and Lyon
impressions generated among football communities and lifestyle audiences
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Nike
Salomon
