Nike reignite one of tennis greatest rivalries with the return of Andre Agassi‘s Air Tech Challenge III and Pete Sampras‘ Air Oscillate.

Andre Agassi Nike Air Tech Challenge III

The Air Tech Challenge III, launched in 1991 as the Air Tech Challenge ¾, included visible air in the heel and a flexible encapsulated Nike Air-sole unit in the forefoot.The third installment of the Air Tech Challenge line also moved away from the “Hot Lava” colorway made popular by its predecessor, opting for an equally eye-catching, tennis ball-inspired neon yellow pop. For Agassi, it represented an evolution in on-court aesthethics that, like many models in his signature line, resonated off the court.

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Djokovic sponsors took to Twitter to celebrate his third Wimbledon title, and given the low number of retweets for such big brands, some of them should hire new social media managers and rethink their sponsorship strategy. Let’s have a look at Djokovic sponsors messages on Twitter:

Uniqlo

adidas

Peugeot

Head

Seiko

Social media are a really powerful and cheap way to reach fans and consumers, but Uniqlo, adidas, Head and co failed to promote their champion and their product. The number of retweets and favorites is really low (only 3 retweets for Uniqlo UK!) and it’s not really surprising as these tweets share the same flaws:

– bad timing: social media activity reaches his peak during the match and the trophy ceremony, so why wait the next day to react and engage with the fans? That’s what Uniqlo, Peugeot and Seiko did. Peugeot even shared a link to their online game, available only two days later; that really makes no sense.

– bad use of hashtags: no hashtags in Seiko’s tweet, no #Wimbledon hashtag for Uniqlo UK and Head, no #NovakDjokovic hashtag or @djokernole mention by adidas, while Peugeot use #TeamDjoko in the picture but #NoleFam in the message…

– no call to action: only Peugeot shared a link to their online game. Both Uniqlo and adidas should have added a link to their online store, to buy Novak’s outfit and shoes.

– no storytelling: as you can see, Djokovic sponsors (except Seiko) chose a simple message and picture to congratulate their champion: no use of twitter video, vine or gif. Only adidas and Head put a little effort in the image used, while Uniqlo UK’s picture is of such a bad quality you can’t even see clearly the logo on Djokovic jacket. The texts are really bland and Peugeot’s message is quite confusing: “a great opportunity to play on grass”.

On the contrary, Nike did a really good job with their Serena Williams celebratory tweet:

The picture shows the swoosh, the “Just do it” slogan and the Nike Court logo, the green color suggests Wimbledon, while the text sums Serena’s Grand Slams wins. Only things missing are #justdoit and #Wimbledon hashtags as well as a link to buy Serena Williams dress or NikeCourt Flare shoes.
The result: 2,200 retweets and 2,700 faves; that’s more than Uniqlo, adidas, Head, Peugeot and Seiko’s numbers combined.

Also read:
adidas and Novak Djokovic: the one that got away
Social media, the star of Wimbledon 2014
Twitter and Wimbledon 2014: what have the players been up to?

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are among 13 athletes featured in Nike’s new “Find your Fast” campaign.

Nike’s “Find Your Fast” campaign brings together some of the planet’s beacons of speed to inspire athletes to run or train for their fastest time this summer. Whether preparing for a first mile or looking to shave seconds or minutes off a personal record, all athletes can get faster.

“Fast in tennis means always being in the point. No matter what an opponent sends my way I can get it. Because you can’t hit what you can’t reach!” – Serena Williams

“Being fast in tennis is everything. If I’m quicker to the ball I’m in greater control and I can exert my will on the match and the opponent. Fast wins matches. I want everything about me on court to be fast.” – Rafael Nadal

More Nike news.

Roger Federer‘s Wimbledon shoe is the Nike Zoom Vapor Tour 9.5 Safari, available at select Nike retailers and on nike.com/nikecourt.

Also read:
Roger Federer Wimbledon outfit

2-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal will wear the Nike Lunar Ballistec 1.5 “Safari”. A clean white and metallic silver aesthetic complete with Safari print:

The Nike Lunar Ballistec 1.5 “Safari” is available at select Nike retailers and on nike.com/nikecourt.