Swim Like Mike

PR/Integrated

⚠️ Problem

Young African Americans drown at a rate almost three times that of their white counterparts. What can Nike do to change that?

💡 Insight

While the African American community is full of amazing, larger-than-life role models, none of them are known for swimming. Even greatest athlete of all time doesn’t know how to swim: Michael Jordan. Crazy, we know.

🔮 Idea

Create a swimming movement in the black community by turning Michael Jordan into swimming role models.

We make branded content about his journey to learn swim and overcome fear. Nike kicks off the campaign with #SwimLikeMike.

To create hype, Jordan Brand announces its unbelievable new sneaker line drop: shoes made for underwater. Cue outrage.

On June 23rd, Jordan Brand reveals what the shoes were all about, launching an eight episode video series following Michael Jordan learning how to swim. The series will air on television, as well as on Jordan Brand's main page.

3) The Result

We used culture to change culture, inspiring thousands to learn how to swim by creating the biggest African American swimming role model in history.

Art Director: Me & Melissa Osoria
Copywriter: Erica Yoshimura