Through the Breaking2 endeavor, we not only created an understanding of the depth of innovation behind this attempt, but we more importantly brought to life less quantifiable components — the power of the heart and the mind.

Taking branded storytelling to the next dimension, we took a seminal sports moment, and told it through the National Geographic lens to create an empowering moment for mankind.

With breathtaking cinematography backed by a culturally-charged musical score, viewers found themselves rooting for each runner as their unique stories and personalities came to life. Despite the story’s heartbreaking outcome of barely missing the 2-hour mark, “Breaking2” was a win — inspiring, poignant and captivating — illustrating that there’s triumph and glory in not just winning, but in the journey it takes to get there, a message that mirrors the brand ethos of Nike and National Geographic and reaches far beyond the world of sports.

Bridging the Breaking2 race in May 2017 to the documentary premiere in September, we drove awareness through short-form social storytelling — teasing out the athletes, the science and the innovation that brought the entire journey to life.

On September 20, the film premiered commercial-free on our cable network at 8pm EST. The film was made available the next day on 10 VOD platforms, including on YouTube in 34 languages. It was broadcast an additional 34 times across our network, and on FS1. To drive awareness between the time of the marathon and the premiere, we conducted a robust tune-in campaign — priming and enticing entertainment, consumer and sports media to build momentum before “Breaking2” premiered.

With a consumer-first and mixed media distribution approach, we optimized engagement among audiences everywhere, leveraging traditional linear channels, digital, and VOD. We are still garnering 40K+ views a week on YouTube with no active marketing.

The film had a global reach of 231MM+ across platforms, 4MM+ documentary views and 124MM+ social impressions, with overwhelmingly positive sentiment. “Breaking2” generated 1.9MM+ views on YouTube alone, and six months on from the release, is registering on average 40K views per week on the platform.

In days following the premiere, the film achieved 180K impressions per social post, 360K impressions on Facebook, 282K views via YouTube and VOD, and 245K EST downloads. The film generated buzz outside of the sports pages with 43 pieces of consumer coverage, reaching a total of 963M+ readers.

“Breaking2” generated awareness and impact, connecting global audiences around a single sports moment. The goal was to break the 2-hour barrier, and though it didn’t happen, the partners told the story of the athletes who brought us just 25 seconds away, and have likely inspired the person who will prove no human is limited.