Rip The Script

Football is the biggest sport in the world and Nike’s most important entry point to attract new fans into the brand ecosystem. The 2026 World Cup was a critical moment to reassert leadership in the most competitive attention environment in sport.

Internal brand tracking and commercial data confirmed Nike Football was losing relevance with Gen Z. Sales were declining double digits, and brand affinity and engagement scores were trending downward. The traditional “one big TV spot” approach was no longer effective in a fragmented, creator-driven attention economy.

I led the creation of Rip the Script as Nike’s first 12‑week narrative universe—a fully integrated ecosystem designed to impact both brand and business. We expanded the film into hundreds of touchpoints across the football community, activating athletes, celebrities, and creators on the platforms Gen Z natively uses (TikTok, IG Stories/Reels, WhatsApp, Pinterest). We paired this with PR, gamification, and retail integration to keep Nike in the headlines. At the same time, we elevated Nike’s internal digital ecosystem to absorb the surge in traffic—ensuring consistent storytelling and converting engagement into transactions as consumers moved down the funnel.

This approach transformed Nike’s presence during the World Cup, dominating 12 weeks of headlines, generating 3.7B total content views, 16M engagements, 57% share of voice, 85% organic reach, and federation jersey sales increased 3X compared to the previous World Cup.