Photo: Volkswagen
Back in the mid-1960s, a small footwear company by the name of Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) set up shop in Santa Monica, California. From there, the company started branching out thanks to a resilient employee and a Volkswagen Type 2 Bus.
The employee’s name was Jeff Johnson, and the Type 2 was his personal car. He used it as a mobile shop as he went from event to event advertising his company’s products. Slowly, Blue Ribbon Sports grew into Nike and the giant it is today.
This month, the Type 2 gets its shot at stardom as part of a partnership between Nike and Volkswagen. As Nike's Blue Ribbon Sports: Coast to Coast tour that kicks off on October 5 in Santa Monica, an ID Buzz electric bus will take Type 2’s place.
The tour is meant to promote Nike’s revival of the BRS brand and will include history lessons, donations of shoes and much more.
Painted in the same color as the original concept, only with Nike-specific adornments, the ID will follow the caravan from Santa Monica to Chicago and then New York, acting as both a promoter of the new German line of electric vehicles and Nike’s revived brand.
“To learn Volkswagen played such an important role in Nike’s early history is a really big deal to us,” remarked Saad Chehab, Senior Vice President, VW Brand Marketing.
“Supporting the rebirth of BRS is the perfect platform to help promote the common values of our companies, while showing the world VW’s commitment to electrification isn’t just about personal transportation – it’s about moving everything in a smarter fashion.”
The ID Buzz used for this marketing stunt is the cargo variant presented one year ago. Scheduled for production in the first few years of the next decade, the new electric bus from VW hopes to capitalize on the success of its famous ancestor.
This month, the Type 2 gets its shot at stardom as part of a partnership between Nike and Volkswagen. As Nike's Blue Ribbon Sports: Coast to Coast tour that kicks off on October 5 in Santa Monica, an ID Buzz electric bus will take Type 2’s place.
The tour is meant to promote Nike’s revival of the BRS brand and will include history lessons, donations of shoes and much more.
Painted in the same color as the original concept, only with Nike-specific adornments, the ID will follow the caravan from Santa Monica to Chicago and then New York, acting as both a promoter of the new German line of electric vehicles and Nike’s revived brand.
“To learn Volkswagen played such an important role in Nike’s early history is a really big deal to us,” remarked Saad Chehab, Senior Vice President, VW Brand Marketing.
“Supporting the rebirth of BRS is the perfect platform to help promote the common values of our companies, while showing the world VW’s commitment to electrification isn’t just about personal transportation – it’s about moving everything in a smarter fashion.”
The ID Buzz used for this marketing stunt is the cargo variant presented one year ago. Scheduled for production in the first few years of the next decade, the new electric bus from VW hopes to capitalize on the success of its famous ancestor.
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