IDL was approached to help Nike tell a complete product story through an entire Dick's Sporting Goods store. Nike had never given a DSG location the same treatment it does to its own pinnacle locations. 

We won this job by first imagining what the space could be. Dreaming about owning an entire DSG is a daunting task, from facade to entrance area and footwear pad the space is truly enormous. I began with quick sketches and doodles around a possible entrance area. We did extensive research within what was happening at a pop up level around the REACT campaign across the globe pulling our bits and pieces that seemed to be working the best. Then we had to scale these ideas to work in a retail environment of nearly 4,000 sq. ft. Oddly enough, our initial sketches and subsequent renders ended up being fairly close to the final build.
A troop of running mannequins pull shoppers into the Nike React experience, and spring-donned pedestals display the shoe in all stages of a running stride. A massive, custom-lit chandelier, customized foam archway and letters of equally huge scale frame the breathtaking first view of the store takeover. Throughout the store, floor decals guide consumers through pedestals highlighting the soft, springy, light and long-lasting qualities that speak to the shoe's standout performance. Product storytelling elements produced by IDL range from a custom-built foam back wall and a field of pillows to a shoe try-on area and a custom digital screen connected to a self-propelled treadmill. Throughout the store, custom pink and blue lighting highlights the product, heightens the disruption and magnifies the impact of this immersive retail experience.
The build process presented many challenges but most interesting was the REACT foam. We were able to create an engineering solution that allowed us to use an actual foam substrate rather than a painted MDF form that was seen nearly everywhere else in the market. This solve provided consumers a chance to fully interact with the leading technology throughout the entire experience.
As the retail industry undergoes a massive shift, creating environments that make consumers want to learn about, interact with, and share brand moments is paramount for brands who care to leave a lasting impact. As this full DSG takeover tested the waters from the perspective of the  brand and the retailer, the success of this program across the board will encourage more experiential activations at retail, much like this one. Illustrating the impact of this program,

Nike shared these stats:
Lombard significantly outpaced the sell-thru of product in comparison to the rest of the fleet
React sales increased by double-digits post-install
Lombard continues to rank as the #1 DSG door for React performance
Lead Design: Tim Weakland
Creative Direction: Sara Schmidt
Account Management: Tom Czarnowski
Project Management: Alex Umbdenstock
Project Engineering: Greg Schaal, Oliver Cattlin
Back to Top