Nike - Cactus Trails Trading Company

How do you promote a hyper-limited edition Nike x Travis Scott show drop to a captive audience during peak Covid? And pull it off in one month? See how we attracted 1 million visitors in first week it was live.

Creating a fake store to launch a real shoe.

The Challenge
Travis Scott and Nike were dropping Cactus Trails, a very limited sneaker and apparel collection inspired by Scott's desert upbringing and worn-in '90s aesthetic. It was launching at the height of Covid, with fans stuck at home and the great outdoors off-limits, and we had one month to build the hype.
Our Approach
We made a fake store to launch a real shoe: the Cactus Trails Trading Company, an early-internet-style online exchange run by WWE legend Cactus Jack, aka Mick Foley. Fans could "trail off" from home with tongue-in-cheek products, including some of the first moving 3D AR objects (yes, an AR rock), plus a fake glowing review from sneaker personality Brad Hall to seal the bit.
Results
Turns out, the people were thirsty for a little absurdity because in its first two weeks, the site raked in over 800,000 unique visitors and smashed through the one million visit mark in week one alone.

An image of the Cactus Trails Desert Escape Kit which features the Air Max 270 React Shoe, "Pre-worn" socks, and desert sand to insert into your shoe.

Background

Travis Scott partnered with Nike to create ‘Cactus Trails,’ a very very limited collection of sneakers and apparel inspired by Scott’s desert upbringing and well-worn, 90s aesthetic.

To hype fans for the drop, we invented the Cactus Trails Trading Company, an early internet-inspired online exchange ran by WWE legend Cactus Jack, aka Mick Foley. Here, fans could experience the great outdoors and “let it go, trail off, stay lit...at home!” through various digital and physical products inspired by the drop.

The trading company became a breeding ground for AR experiments. What’s the least high-tech thing you can make high tech? The answer: a rock. We created some of the first moving 3D AR objects, ever created. (Other free products such as the Augmented Reality Mick Foley and the Augmented Reality Hoop Vacuum sold like hotcakes!)

Our Services

Strategy
- Social Strategy Concept
- Content Strategy
Creative
- Concept
- Content Strategy Design
Engineering
- UX/UI
- Site Development
- 3D Modeling

No fake company would be complete without a glowing fake review. We asked infamous sneaker reviewer Brad Hall (real name: Ben Kobold) to review the site, demo the AR objects, and post a tutorial on how to spray paint your own AM270 Cactus Trails.