US Ad of the Day: Nike hosts radio show for emerging hip hop talent on Nike Air Max Day

The show, which was called, ‘On Air.Max,’ took place in the JD Sports store in the iconic plaza for Nike Air Max Day on March 26. Nike Air Max Day was founded in 2014, nearly four decades after hip hop and grime icons of the underground originally flexed Nike Air Max shoes.

The live studio, created in partnership with creative agency AKQA, was meant to honor the music scene that put the sneaker on the map, with a day of live broadcasts from today's underground artists, like Tayc, Grabba Ranks and Kilopatrah Jones. Special guest Jabari Banks, from the drama series Bel-Air, also made a one-off personal appearance in-store.

“It’s so inspiring to see the new generation come together to celebrate what Air Max truly is about – passion and rebellious creativity – two traits that underground artists embody the best,” says AKQA executive creative director Luciana Cani.

Styled like a radio show from the pirate radio era, the activation also offered giveaways for exclusive Air Max Day prize packs, including vinyl records and Air Max silhouettes. Meanwhile, in-store shoppers could unlock the new Air Max Pulse shoe, which launched exclusively at JD Sports, all while being exposed to the next generation of New York’s underground music scene.

“This celebration comes to life through a radio station – because it’s super impactful for underground artists to hear their music on a mainstream broadcast,” says Cani. “And for a generation that rarely interacts with radio, this is such a memorable and unique way to connect them with new artists and Air Max.”

A recording of each live set can be found on Boiler Room’s YouTube channel, like this one from Kilopatrah Jones:

Also for Nike Air Max Day, the sportswear brand unveiled an out-of-home homage to the Air Max 1 sneaker in Hangzhou, China.

Credits:

Agency: AKQA

Luciana Cani, Executive Creative Director

Pedro Sanguiné, Associate Creative Director

Enoch Lui, Senior Copywriter

Cindy Sim, Associate Copywriter

Teiano Lesā, Art Director

Matt Ostler, Copywriter

Mariana Reis, Senior Art Director

Teresa Pinho, Senior Copywriter

Matthew Morgan, Senior Product Designer

Osamu Akatsu, Senior Designer

Nora Molinaro, Designer

LungYi Lin, Motion

AKQA - Strategy

Jeff Burgin, Strategy Director

Rachel Smith, Strategist

AKQA - Delivery + Production + Technology

Brian Breach, Head of Delivery

Heather Harlow, Executive Producer

Victor Covington, Project Manager

An Doan, Technical Director

Kurt Steinke, Director of Music Production (Townhouse)

AKQA - Client Services

Nick Lawhead, Client Partner

Sasheen Turner, Account Executive

VTPro - Event Production

Emily Titleman, Executive Producer

Alexis Taylor, Producer

Amy DiTullio, Associate Producer

Laura Suhok, Creative Producer

Nic Christopher, Technical Producer

Ian Udulutch, Production Assistant

Francis Garces, Production Assistant

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