NIKE

Nike Air Max 720 — From Data to Sculpture

One shoe, 720 brains, emotions spilling onto the streets.

NIKE · JUNE 2019

Nike Air Max 720 — From Data to Sculpture

01 — Brief

Brief

Nike was launching the Air Max 720, featuring the largest Air unit they'd ever produced. Nike's creative agency Awesome Bros had already framed the brief: the "720" in the name shouldn't stay a model number — it should become 720 real people's real emotions.

Not a routine launch, but a case that didn't belong to its category. They needed a partner who could find 720 wearers, actually measure what they felt, then turn the raw data into art.

“Trying on a shoe is a feeling — we measured that feeling 720 times, then sculpted it.”

02 — Insight

Insight

Sports marketing almost always sells a promise: speed, comfort, performance. But when a customer tries on a shoe, they actually feel something else — a momentary feeling they couldn't put into words even if they tried.

If we could prove that feeling was measurable — and that the brand could turn it into something else — Air Max 720 would stop being just a launch and start being a research project. Out of category, press-worthy, share-worthy, and a step toward Nike being a culture brand, not a shoe advertiser.

03 — The Idea

The Idea

To turn the Awesome Bros concept into reality we built a technology + operations architecture in three layers.

Data collection ran on two parallel field channels: laboratory-styled stations inside Nike stores, and a "suitcase" mobile EEG unit we designed — taken to universities and concerts by a team in lab-coat costumes.

When all 720 wearers were collected, the raw data went to Refik Anadol's studio.

Advanced EEG, 12 Emotions

A complete biometric portrait system reading the wearer's brain in real time, capturing 12 distinct emotions and classifying the raw data on the spot.

Live Feedback & Reels

The data was processed live and the wearer saw their own emotion graph on screen. Auto-generated Instagram Reels from the same data were ready for sharing on the spot.

Mobile Suitcase Units

Alongside the lab-styled in-store stations, we built a portable EEG unit shaped like a suitcase — taken to universities and concerts by a team dressed as lab researchers.

Refik Anadol's Data Sculptures

All 720 datasets went to Refik Anadol. The patterns, intensity and distribution became data sculptures shown across Nike flagship stores and outdoor spaces. Refik Anadol gave talks telling the story of the project.

04 — Execution

Execution

The concept came from Awesome Bros, but turning "a launch that measures emotion" into reality was a multi-layered technical design problem.

Scope

EEG device integration and 12-emotion measurement software
Live data visualization and Reels generation system
In-store laboratory station architecture and setup
Mobile "suitcase" unit design and production
Field operations at universities, concerts and events
Lab-costume field team organization
Classification of 720 datasets and handover to the artist
Technical coordination with Refik Anadol's team

Team

Project Lead & Experience: Atilla Baybara
Technology Development: Utku Olcar
Client Relations: Şaban Yılmaz
Operations: Yiğit Sarı
+ Field, production and operations team

720

Datasets Captured

Live Emotions

Classic Ads

∞

Data Sculptures

05 — Results

Results

Outstanding sales performance — Air Max 720's Turkey launch left a mark on the sales curve
Heavy press coverage — the out-of-category format earned wide space in trade and mainstream media
Refik Anadol's talks telling the story of the project added a layer of art and thought
Data sculptures across Nike flagship stores and outdoor — the physical exhibition let the brand spill out of the store
On-site Instagram Reels videos were shared organically by participants, fueling the viral arm of the campaign
Became a reference among Nike Turkey's launch case studies