{"id":17611,"date":"2025-03-25T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sortlist.com\/blog\/?p=17611"},"modified":"2025-03-20T01:47:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T00:47:57","slug":"event-management-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sortlist.com\/blog\/event-management-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Event Management Case Study: How Nike Achieved Event Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to creating an event, it is not enough to design it just for the sake of gathering a bunch of people and presenting your brand, products or services to them. You need to give people a reason <\/strong>to attend and actively engage with your brand. You need a WHY<\/strong>. Nike’s Breaking 2 is the perfect event management case study. It will help you understand all the different elements <\/strong>that go into a successful event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a deep dive into the actual event and why it was able to be watched live by over 13 million<\/a> people across YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in 2017. To date, 19 million people have watched it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nike Breaking2: Event Management Case Study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, Nike and National Geographic teamed up to do the impossible: break the 2-hour marathon barrier.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Iwq9GgOBQt0?si=MiqSuJL9FhRZlQo8\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time, the world record time was 2:02:57.<\/strong> Nike challenged athletes to shave more than 2 minutes off a 26.2-mile course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The brand reached out to three marathon runners:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    They all agreed to join the project and run in Nike’s new Zoom Vaporfly Elite running shoe<\/strong>. But the truth is that the shoes were never the main character. It was them, Eliud, Lelisa and Zersenay. Their stories, their passion, and their will to do the impossible<\/strong> captured the attention of millions around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    <\/p>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Nike
    Source: Marketing Week<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n
    This was the real story of three men trying to achieve an audacious goal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
    On May 6, 2017, they all gathered in Monza, Italy for the race. It was held on the Formula 1 circuit and would be streamed live on social media. But most importantly, it was going to be a documentary <\/strong>that focused on the athletes’ stories, the science behind the record attempt, the training, and the race itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Although none of them succeeded (Eliud Kipchoge fell 25 seconds short), the event captured the attention of athletes and people around the world. More than 13 million people watched the live stream. The brand received more than 140,000 mentions on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n
    A Genuine Story & Partnerships<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    Several elements came together to make this event a success:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    The goal of the brand: Mark McCambridge, director of brand communications, says the project was never a marketing stunt. The goal was to test human strength<\/strong> and see if people could run fast enough to break barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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    1. \ud83d\udd2dThe brand’s vision:<\/strong> Nike knew the attention potential of this challenge and was smart enough to go the extra mile and make it more than just a one-day experience for the public. They turned it into social media posts, but most importantly, they turned it into a documentary that anyone can watch today, years later.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. \ud83e\udd1dThe brand’s partners:<\/strong> Nike knew the limitations of doing this as a one-brand show.\n