During a recent visit by Nike’s Global Marketing Team to the UK, we were asked to talk about community building, about how running and creativity intersect and why London – and other vibrant cities like London – provide such a perfect environment for runners to come together and share their passion for running and everything that goes with that.

We were able to use Like the Wind magazine as an example of the way that we engage with runners through stories. We returned to the space that we had used for the Like the Wind Pop-Up at the end of 2014, recreating the look of the space, with artwork from the magazine on the walls and some of the other independent magazines that had inspired us to start LtW in the first place.
By telling the story of why we decided to publish Like the Wind in the first place and the reaction we have witnessed to it by runners all over the world, we were able to address issues around creativity, story-telling, authenticity and what it is that engages runners emotionally and intellectually.

Ruth Hooper, UK Running Brand Director, said:

“It was great for the members of our global marketing team to hear about how freestak build and engage with the running community in general, and more specifically how they have done that through Like the Wind Magazine and associated community activities. The freestak team told us about the genesis of the magazine and impact of their projects through storytelling, authentic communications and associated events. It was particularly insightful to see how the magazine sits at the intersection of running, creativity and community. The global marketing team members felt that the insights we gained were extremely valuable.”