Nike, in partnership with Mindshare, decided to make a bit of a splash at Sydney’s recent annual City2Surf run by enlisting Branding by Air to build, launch and fly a four-metre model of their new ‘FlyKnit’ running shoe around Sydney's coastline. 

Sydney's annual City2Surf run is a national icon, attracting over 85,000 runners each year, with many more spectators lining the route.

It was no easy feat to create an airworthy giant shoe from scratch, but despite the tight deadline, the Branding by Air team managed to pull it off, alongside its accompanying banner.

Branding by Air said the campaign caused quite a stir on the day, with the big trainer becoming a major topic of conversation amongst competitors and supporters.

They added that the original proposal consisted of ground based event ideas “with a sprinkling of aerial”, that was until someone asked: “Can we attach that giant shoe idea to a helicopter?”