CreativityFat Joe, Nike and Foot Locker Rediscover ’90s Hip-Hop in a New York CabBrands strengthen partnership in new campaignBy Patrick Coffee|October 3, 2018The brands share a common DNA.Foot LockerShareBy Patrick Coffee|October 3, 2018ShareRemember the ’90s, when samples were still analog and you had to drive to the store to buy a new pair of shoes?Nike and Foot Locker looked to tap into that nostalgia in their most recent campaign, which launched late last month to promote the new Nike Air Origins and Nike Air Frequency packs.The two brands have a long history. Since they largely serve the same audiences, their fortunes are tied closely together; as Nike’s sales rise, so do Foot Locker’s.The new campaign goes back to the culture that inspired so much of what that audience created: ’90s hip-hop. In the primary video, Fat Joe of “Lean Back” fame takes some lucky New York City residents on a drive downtown in his “Mo Flow Cab” to the nearest Foot Locker to pick up the new Air Frequency.Along the way, he challenges them to rap along to classics from Naughty by Nature and Gang Starr. (And no, they don’t get all the lyrics right, either.)Two additional spots feature rapper Playboi Carti and Celtics star Jayson Tatum “unearthing” their own Nike packs.This work also marks Nike and Foot Locker’s first collaboration with Bullish, the New York agency founded by Deutsch veterans Michael Duda and Brent Vartan in 2016. Beyond the ads above, they worked with director, Wieden + Kennedy veteran and Lucky Lefty founder Rick Jacques, who created a series of “vertical” iPhone videos featuring the new shoes.Additionally, the campaign included several pop-up events, and influencers weighed in with their own content last month. It was one last shot of summer for sneakerheads.“Our Foot Locker shoppers have come to expect the most extensive collection on Nike Air products—and this summer is no different,” said Patrick Walsh, vp of marketing for Foot Locker North America. “Tapping into the 90’s and the retro style trend, the Nike Air Origin and Frequency collections are dropping with a lot of anticipation … the momentum of ‘Discover Your Air’ is just getting started.”CREDITSAgency: Bullish Client: Foot Locker Campaign: “Discover Your Air”Nike Tom Kelley, Senior Brand Director Sean Phifer, Brand Director Tori Hill, Account Brand Marketing Caroline Heaton, Brand ManagerFoot Locker Francine Feder, Vice President Marketing North America Patrick Walsh, Vice President Marketing North America Richard Cruz, Senior Director Integrated Marketing Rachael Schnell. Senior Director Brand Marketing John Clayton, Manager Social Media Liz Rivas, Senior Manager Creative Services North AmericaBullish, Inc. Ben Barney, Creative Director Ryan “Pocket” Fluet, Creative Director German Rivera Hudders, Copywriter JJ Kraft, Art Director Mikki Janower, Designer Zach Lev, Partner Brett Andersen, Manager Shannon Worley, Executive Content Producer Brent Vartan, Managing PartnerProduction: Mass Appeal Dan Levin, Director Evan Jake Cohen, Director of Photography Mike Lobikis, Executive Producer Corey Deckler, ProducerEditorial House: Whitehouse Post Matt Hartmann, Editor Alejandro Villagran, Asst Editor Michael Somerby, Post Producer Caitlin Grady, Executive ProducerMix / Sound Design: WAVE Studios Chris Afzal, Senior Sound Designer & Senior Mixer Vicky Ferraro, Mix ProducerPost-Production / VFX: CARBON Milan Boncich, Colorist Chris Wiseman, Senior Artist / Creative Lead Joe Nash, Post Producer Frank Devlin, Executive ProducerMusic “Flow Joe” by Fat Joe “Mass Appeal” by Gang Starr “Hip Hop Hooray” by Naughty by Nature Music Supervision: Wool & Tusk (Aaron Mercer, Music Supervisor) Adweek Adweek