Nike Store Plots Virtual Outdoor Adventure With Mobile Tech

Nike and retail experience agency Hovercraft Studio developed an in-store activation that simulates an outdoor expedition while keeping COVID-19 safety protocols in mind, per details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive. Currently available at Nike’s NYC House of Innovation and running through Feb. 11, the experience looks to re-create the feeling of visiting Smith Rock State Park in Oregon. A geofenced microsite serves as the “basecamp” for visitors, who can use the mobile site to access a map and checklist of activities that require augmented reality (AR) and scanning QR codes to complete. Once users have fully explored the activation, they are rewarded with physical goodies and an AR model of the new ACG Hiker shoe. The effort arrives as experiences that blend physical and digital elements — sometimes known as “phygital” marketing — are in higher demand amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more at Retail Dive.