Youwasntder... but don't worry IWasDer. The streets set pace.
NSLB hosted a 5km run with the streets out in full force. As running's commercial appeal increases, NSLB remind brands you can't commodify community.
Want more deep dives? Subscribe to tap into the archive 🫡
Saturday evening, 6pm, -3℃ outside… what you doing? Watching Netflix? Scrolling TikTok? Get off the internet. The message from NSLB (No Soldiers Left Behind) as they hosted a 5km run last Saturday. Start at South Kensington Station and finish at Nike’s flagship Oxford Street store. Where runners had a chance to win pairs of the unreleased Nike Pegasus Premium trainer via a raffle.
Those who know me, know I ain’t a runner. I can chase a ball around weekly for football but running hasn’t clicked for me. But I’ve been following NSLB for a while and I f*ck with their message. So much so the message compelled me to actually join them for this run. In this freezing cold weather? The return of brand??
GENTRIFICATION OF RUNNING
It was a sad day for the high-streets when Starbucks and Pret started infiltrating. A loss of character as high streets became soulless, carbon copies of each other.
In a similar vein, post-pandemic run-clubs have been popping up on every corner. Running’s cultural renaissance has been documented. Corporates wants to cash in on culture. The run club is now positioned as the safe-haven for the busy City professional. But for every corporate run club that spawns and each LinkedIn breakdown, none have made me run.
Why? I was still seeing running as an individual, solo dolo activity. None of the run clubs I saw spoke to me as an individual or my interests. So I didn’t see or feel the idea of community that was being spoken about. Until I saw what NSLB were doing.
No Soldiers Left Behind
For those unaware, NSLB started off as a movement amongst friends in West London. @Fempv, founder, started documenting workouts with friends as part of a TikTok series. Filming their calisthenics workouts, sharpening the mind and body. His why? To inspire others to better themselves and rewrite the negativity surrounding London.
youwasntder started as content to inspire. But it has now evolved into a bigger movement. This now encompasses streetwear brand NSLB. The movement has grown to 24.7K followers on Instagram, who have also bought into the message. The closed workouts are now public affairs for those who resonate to get involved.
You can’t commodify community. Take it off your brand brief
This started as a weekly mission for @Fempv to workout with his close circle from West London. A mission to inspire and change the narrative. Through the power of the internet, it was a message that resonated with others. This community was cultivated with time. Not just one summer.
This serves as a reminder for brands who want to commodify community for quick cash. I’ve seen plenty of activations where the ‘community’ element is glorified. Where events are merely just a one-off activation. A few social posts and the disappearance act follows. ‘The community’ is lured into the activation with free product. The result? You have customers not a community.
The definitions for community:
‘a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common’ or
‘the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common’
Free product is most likely an interest shared by the whole world. Maybe apart from minimalists. At a behavioural level it’s not specific enough to compel an audience.
So whilst there was free Nike product at NSLB’s run, the people I spoke to didn’t care about the shoes. We were all there for the energy and the opportunity to sharpen the mind and body. So what’s in it for Nike??
NIKE TOWN AT THE FINISH LINE. Experience > Product
For the past two years, Nike’s ‘decline’ has been well documented. Financial reports have been bleak at a macro level. But the brand is restoring the feeling at a micro level. This was part of CEO Elliot Hill’s action plan for Nike’s turnaround. He wanted to invest and empower regional teams in key cities once again. A category London would fall into. Once upon a time, Nike had all London school kids rocking mini Just Do It bags with T90 Astros. What a time to be alive.
However, in today’s world the big brand’s influence is not as strong. It’s why Nike have been intentionally linking up with the smaller brands. Corteiz, Splitdat etc. These independent brands are closer to their core audience. They have the ability to move audiences emotionally. And a greater influence within culture. Something I’ve spoken about previously.
Which is exactly what this run with NSLB did. There’s just a certain energy with this movement you can’t quantify with data. Running through tunnels shouting nusluuub (NSLB) was an experience. The 5km somehow felt easy in the -3℃ conditions. The 200+ runners took over the streets of London. Before we all finished at Nike Town.
The store acted as a cool-down space. A strategic approach mentioned within Chapter 9 of House Captain’s latest report. The vast majority of us didn’t win any Nike product. Yet we all celebrated each other and reflected on the run at the finish line. Using Nike Town as the finish line, allowed Nike’s involvement in the activation to transform. It transformed from just being free product into an experience.
Brands need to be additive to the experience. Not just push product. Through doing this, Nike were able to be a part of a cultural moment and a feeling within London. So remember…
Feeling is primary, product is secondary. ♾️
Interested in how I can support your insights + strategy? 📞👇
Book a call below.