Fortnite / Nike In-game Brand Integration

Challenge

Nike defines exclusive sneaker drops — a small sales window to purchase special footwear in limited quantities — to the online gaming sphere. Real-world drops are famous for spiking interest, causing long lines, sparking brand buzz and driving high resale value for the items offered, creating an aura of exclusivity and a growth engine of consumer hype. Nike’s Jordan Brand seeks to replicate this marketing technique with gamers.

Solution

Fortnite / Nike in-game brand integration 

Fortnite, one of the world’s most popular online Battle Royal video games (designed by Epic Games) was a natural fit for one of the world’s most popular apparel brands: Nike.

Nike’s Jordan Brand teamed with “Fortnite” on a brand/product integration with new characters in the online game showing off the athletic apparel brand’s signature sneakers.

Skins

#FortniteXJumpman brand partnership included two limited-edition skins — downloadable character variants which users pay for — wearing Air Force 1s in a variety of colors, including the iconic black and red, or “bred,” color combo associated with the Chicago Bulls and purple and yellow, style of the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Results

Evercore ISI analyst describes partnership as ‘genius’ move.

Harvard Business Review

Fortnite is a pioneer in the world of branded integrations. Most partnerships are extremely selective and high-touch. They take place within the platform’s primary mode, called Battle Royale. Marvel and Nike, for example, have debuted custom skins (stylized outfits for players’ in-game avatars) and limited-edition product drops inside the game.

Forrester research group. 

Nike is famous for generating word-of-mouth in their marketing strategy, according to Forrester research group. The Nike/Fortnite brand integration is also an excellent example of how people are eschewing traditional marketing for a sense of belonging. The “skins” for sale within the game are forms of tribal identifiers and self-expression amongst peers.

Bloomberg news

“Fortnite” skins are typically priced between $13 and $18. According to Bloomberg news it’s unclear if Nike will split the revenue from the new skins with Epic Games. More major marketers have been working with the publisher to get in front of the eyeballs of “Fortnite” players, who tend to skew young, encompassing desirable but elusive and generally ad-averse consumer groups like Gen Z.

In-Game Marketing.

Nike and Fortnite acquire new buyers by knowing their audience. Robust brand/product integrations like the branded “Fortnite” skins are becoming more popular among marketers as services and platforms that are largely ad-free become bigger destinations for consumers and trends like cord-cutting continue to accelerate.

• 350 million registered players as of Q2 2020
• 3.2 billion hours played in the battle royale shooter
• 27+ million players viewed in-game events: Travis Scott, Dillon Francis, Steve Aoki, Deadmau5, Diplo, Major Lazer, and many other musicians

Fortnite / Nike In-game Brand Integration

More in-game brand integrations here.