The Tokyo Marathon is the biggest running event in Japan. Both elite and everyday athletes can enter, but spots open to the public are very limited. The event was cancelled in 2020, but the iconic finish line is finally back. To celebrate this occasion and to support marathon runners - especially those embarking upon their very first marathon, Nike Japan created a localized version of "Runners Helping Runners", a global campaign starring Olympic Gold Medalist Eliud Kipchoge. We sought out for a version that Japanese consumers can relate to, and casted Suguru Osako the renowned Japanese marathon runner as the leader in Japan. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Suguru ran the fastest time recorded by a Japanese runner in Olympic history, placing 6th overall in the men's competition. By collaborating with both elite athletes and influencers we curated a list of FAQs to help runners conquer the race.

The idea was to create a series that counts down to the Tokyo Marathon and at the same time communicate the type of Nike services available to first-time marathon runners. Just like a sitcom, it starts with a teaser to announce the cast - Japan's top marathon runner + the country's top comedian teaming up for the first time. The pilot then introduces the services and the entire network of athletes on standby to help. The subsequent episodes take inspiration from the FAQs by first timers in the Nike forums. There's a saying it takes a village to raise a kid. Nike believes it takes an entire network of runners to get first to cross that finish line, and many many more.

Our strategy was to focus on everyday athletes that are running a marathon for their first time. We decide to support them by introducing the do’s and don’ts in a comical yet educational way. With several CTAs in forms of FAQs before and during the race, our main takeaway was for consumers to enjoy the moment and continue to run after the race.

We started off by researching the commonly made mistakes even elite athletes make before marathons, and narrowed down the options to ones that made the most sense to everyday athletes. By aiming to launch the campaign a few weeks before the race, we hoped for consumers to absorb the content and apply it to their training routines. In addition to the film series, we've also launched In addition a supporting podcast content to help runners recover from the race effectively.

Nike Japan set the highest ever footwear market share this year at the Tokyo Marathon with 48.6% of participants rocking the swoosh. Runners Helping Runners also generated 66MM media impressions throughout the campaign.