November saw Nike launch a content series called ‘Mind SETs’ within its training apps and clubs designed to uplift the mind as well as the body, to help people consider how their mind influences their body and leverage the healing powers of movement.
Nike ‘Mind SETS’ sets out to deliver curated and custom movements with expert content and brand experiences and the program is rolling out globally across the entire Nike ecosystem including the Nike App, in the Nike Training Club and Nike Running Club, email, .com, social and via influencers.
The content series is based around exercise’s impact on mental well-being and the first set of exercises focuses on how people feel rather than on what they achieve. Starting with the question ‘How are you feeling?’ the program guides users/members through a series of custom workouts, podcasts and badges for prioritizing mental health primarily designed to help Nike members to move in ways that make them feel good.
The initial set of content includes Nike’s first ‘Audio Guided Walk & Run’ with running coach Dora Atim, plus a podcast on burnout by Jaclyn Byrer (the host of Nike’s ‘Trained’ podcast), plus Nike Run Club badges awarding users for prioritizing mental wellbeing.
The Nike Training Club app offers ‘workouts for however you’re feeling’ and guidance on holistic wellness, including tips for nutrition, recovery and sleep.
Further content will roll out over the coming months.
The global content was developed closely with agency AnalogFolk Amsterdam who worked on the strategy, core concept and content from ideation through to execution and the programme’s launch campaign included a series of LinkedIn posts – the first titled ‘This Campaign Is A Conversation’ – from the brand and the agency as well as on athlete and influencer channels.
“It usually takes extreme situations to normalize things. Let’s not wait to have burnout to start to consider the topic of mental health,” explained Nike Digital Marketing Specialist Manon Rossi. “What if we start to put mental health back to the place it deserves—right at the center of all conversation? For athletes, for employees, for every human being. Mental health is and should stay at the core of all our concerns. Let’s slow down for a minute, pause and observe. No need to rush, no need to over-perform.”
The initiative was created for Nike by a team at agency AnalogFolk Amsterdam which included Executive Creative Director Carren O’Keefe, Creative Director Tobias Snall, Creatives Dan Northcote-Smith, Nick Moss, Zoe Akihary, Noam Kaestner, Jake Kedge and Kaz Salemink, an editorial group which included Morag Bruce, Jasmine Phull and Ashleigh Kane, Designers Camille Bouyer and Rhiannon Steptoe, Strategy Director Pierre-Axel Pejouan, Senior Strategist Sofia Bodger, Business Lead Roddy Taylor, Account Team Jaspreet Bahra, Project Director Sebastiaan Peters and Agency Producer Jamie Aubin.
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The subject of mental well-being has become a major conversation across the world as more people admit to struggling to deal with challenges and in recent years Nike has become known and admired for not only inspiring and supporting people tackle their sports and fitness goals, but also their mental health ones too.
This trend has accelerated in the last 18 months as mental health and wellness has become a major topic of conversation in contemporary culture and in the sports space through the Covid-19 pandemic and with high-profile athletes such as Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles publicly speaking out about the importance of focusing on mental well-being.
Nike’s increased emphasis and approach comes as rival fitness brands are also turning their focusing on mental health; for example, earlier this year Fitbit launched a global campaign focusing on self-care for people coming out of the pandemic and restarting their exercise programs, as well as its January 2021 ‘Stress Symphony’ project, while Asics rolled out its global ‘Move Your Mind’ programme.
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