Nike - The Waffle Mindset — Martimツ

New Work. /

New Work. /

A campaign that portrays the legacy of the Waffle Racer, a breakfast-inspired breakthrough that changed the future of running and innovation forever – and how it continues to inspire creators from all walks of life to this day.

Nike. /AKQA Berlin. /AKQA Portland. /AKQA São Paulo. /2022

Part of Nike’s 50th Anniversary Campaign

Revolution in performance innovation can come from the most unlikely of places – never truer than a track coach watching his wife use a waffle iron sparked an experiment that changed sport forever. When your company owes so much to this perspective, it becomes inherent to it – to never stop breaking the mold in pursuit of better, for both ourselves and our industry.

50 years on, the butterfly effect of Bowerman’s creativity not only continues to inspire innovations in product from sustainability to design, but validates every crazy thinker and tinkerer in their efforts.

Nike’s Innovation Kitchen is named in homage to Bill’s original laboratory, and is laid out so that the designers, engineers and developers can see each other’s desks and throw random ideas or thoughts in on each other’s work in much the same way that Bowerman would be hit by inspiration.

The studio’s Director of Athlete Innovations, Tobie Hatfield, talks of how his first lesson in innovation and listening to athletes was when Bowerman x-rayed his feet as a student pole vaulter and hurdler at South Eugene High. A few weeks later, Hatfield was presented with a custom track spike with re-drilled spike holes strategically placed to match his bone structure.

Bowerman’s outlook on research and development lives on in innovations such as the raised heel, the nylon upper and the continuous midsole. His footprint is evident in Nike’s halls to this day.

Though the OG and today’s Waffle Racer are very different – the modern-day street sneaker sports a mix of recycled materials and a foam midsole – they were both landed upon through the same process of iteration, unconventional problem-solving and focus on serving the athlete.