Nike Grid took place in London over two game periods, both built around the central objective of running through the city to claim territory and rewards. Runs were logged via a physical connection with the cityscape – phone boxes – rendering the experience uniquely and unequivocally ‘London’. All you needed to play was a desire to run and a Facebook account. Because the phone box system was connected to Facebook, players were able to publish and share their running activity instantly. Facebook.com/NikeGrid was the nerve centre for the game: players came for hints and tips, new ‘glitch’ games (dropped daily), data visualisation films and leaderboards. By managing the community around the clock and heroing the best performers, Grid galvanised online and real-world friendships. The community has continued to grow (with our support), creating its own groups and real-world meet-ups for the most addicted players.

Grid created a depth of engagement unseen in any recent Nike activation project. 31,000 total runs were logged. 62,000 phone calls made. 74% of players were 17-22.

During April’s 24-hour game, players logged 125 runs per hour and left Facebook comments every 6 minutes on average. 30% of comments received responses from other players.For October’s 2-week game, activity created 457,886 daily stream impressions on Facebook. Fans were spending an average 7 minutes and 30 seconds on our Facebook page.Players changed their profile pictures to Grid-related photos and logos and, when the game ended, organised their own celebration party.