What it is
On October 28, 2018, Los Angeles had what was called the LA Sports Equinox. Five home games fell on the same day, inside a six hour window. The city is known for its traffic, and that day made it worse.
Los Angeles has two professional teams in every sport. The What The LA Air Force 1 was built on that local fact. Its purpose was to celebrate the city and its sports dynasties, under the position Nike used for Los Angeles, the City of Athletes. Khounlavong had started in the Los Angeles seat the month before. The shoe released on November 1, 2019 at $130.
Los Angeles set the launch date, because the shoe was made for the city. New York took the same brief and made a What The NY Air Force 1. The two cities worked in concert so the shoes would not collide across the geography. What The NY released on October 17, 2019, and What The LA on November 1, 2019.
What Khounlavong did
- Helped spearhead the shoe itself, to celebrate the City of Athletes.
- Set the launch date for Los Angeles, and worked in concert with New York so the two city shoes did not collide.
- Spearheaded the integrated marketplace marketing and the retail events for the What The LA Air Force 1.
- Built the program on a local insight: two professional teams for every sport, in a city then being called the City of Athletes.
- Oversaw the teams that distributed the shoe through more than one channel and seeded product with influencers courtside.
Results
- 100% sell-through, in minutes.
- Coverage from KABC, KCAL, KNBC, KTTV, ESPN, Univision, Kicks On Fire, Hypebeast, Complex and the LA Times.
At a glance
| Project type | Product launch and marketplace activation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Athletic and lifestyle footwear |
| Seat | General Manager, Nike Sportswear (Los Angeles) |
| Ran through | Nike |
| Dates | Built on the LA Sports Equinox of October 28, 2018. Released November 1, 2019 |
| Location | Los Angeles |
| Related pages | Jimmy Khounlavong, Nike Sportswear, Los Angeles |
| Principal | Jimmy Khounlavong |