Nike ACG: Wyrd in the Wild
An immersive outdoor brand experience developed and produced by Canoe for Nike ACG in Wiltshire.
Experiential / Outdoor / Production / PR / Talent / Creative
The brief
Nike ACG wanted to bring its outdoor positioning to life for the media and creators shaping running, lifestyle and outdoor culture. The opportunity was not simply to present the new collection. It was to create an experience that could make ACG feel tangible: considered in its setting, credible in its activities and distinctive enough to stay with guests after they returned home.
As the UK PR agency for Nike Running and ACG, Canoe led the project from strategic response through to live delivery. Our remit covered creative concept, experiential strategy, production planning, venue sourcing, programme development, partnerships, guest management, media and talent.
Starting with the experience, not the programming
We began by defining what the activation needed to make people feel and do. The format had to move guests out of London and into the environment where ACG product belongs. It needed enough time for genuine participation, not a sequence of staged content moments, while balancing physical challenge with conversation, learning, recovery and shared experiences.
That led to the idea of a one or two-night escape built around a temporary ACG Outpost. The Outpost would act as a base camp, product space and communal hub, with a programme extending out into the surrounding landscape. From the outset, the concept and production plan were developed together. Every creative ambition was tested against location, access, weather, accommodation, timings, equipment and guest care.
Wyrd name! Building the creative system
Wyrd is an Anglo-Saxon idea linked to fate and personal destiny, and the ancestor of the modern word “weird”. It gave the experience a cultural thread rooted in Britain rather than a generic version of the outdoors.
British folklore became the system connecting the project. It informed the choice of landscape, the hosts and specialists we considered, the routes and activities and the way guests would move through the story. Working with Mike Hankin, founder of The Folk Union, we developed an identity around three local figures. The White Horse represented the trail run and hike, The Giant represented foraging and The Dragon represented bushcraft. These motifs could then carry through maps, itineraries, signage, menus, clothing, patches and a folklore zine.
This approach gave each production workstream a shared reference point. The identity was not applied at the end as decoration, it helped shape the experience from the beginning.
Finding the right landscape
Venue sourcing started with a clear set of criteria. The location needed strong terrain for running, hiking and outdoor skills. It had to feel psychologically removed from London while remaining practical for transport and production. It also needed a culturally specific sense of place, useful infrastructure and enough comfort to look after guests properly.
We assessed landscapes including Avebury and Wiltshire, the South Downs and the Wye Valley. Each offered a different balance of mythology, terrain, visual character, seclusion and access. Wiltshire gave us the strongest connection between the Wyrd narrative and the land itself, with chalk paths, prehistoric sites, open skies and the White Horse making folklore a tangible part of the experience, rather than simply something we would talk about.
After an exhaustive search, Campwell Farm near Bradford-on-Avon provided the right operational base. The working fifth-generation farm combined an off-grid accommodation village of cabins, yurts and bell tents with a roundhouse-style communal building that could become The Outpost. It felt remote, but it gave the team the infrastructure needed to produce a controlled experience in a rural setting.
Designing and producing The Outpost
The production brief for The Outpost covered several roles at once: arrival point, kit room, product space, indoor dining area, recovery zone and social hub. It needed to work from morning preparation through to evening gatherings without feeling like a conventional event venue.
Rather than treating the site as a blank shell, the spatial design team worked with its raw materials, scale and surroundings. Custom tree displays, modular wooden units, moss and rock formations sourced from the site created a product environment that belonged in the landscape. ACG graphics and restrained orange wayfinding made the space recognisable without overwhelming it.
The practical detail mattered as much as the visual treatment. Product storage and distribution, lighting, power, weather protection, equipment, catering, fire safety, transport and movement between spaces all had to be resolved before guests arrived. A strong experiential idea only works when these systems are clear and dependable.
Mapping the guest journey
The experience began before Wiltshire. Guests received an initial product selection ahead of the event, then met at Nike’s London headquarters and travelled together on a branded ACG bus. The transition from city to countryside became the first chapter of the story rather than an incidental transfer.
On site, arrival, accommodation, kit collection, workshops, routes, meals and recovery were planned as one continuous journey. Maps, itineraries and wayfinding gave guests clarity without removing the sense of discovery. Welcome packs and gifting were chosen for functional use at camp, including a sauna hat, camp light, blanket and power bank.
We also designed for different levels of outdoor abilities and aspirations. The programme needed to feel credible to experienced runners and outdoor media while remaining generous and accessible to guests from broader lifestyle and cultural backgrounds.
Producing a programme with purpose
The programme was structured around four connected themes: movement, outdoor skills, folklore and recovery. Each activity had a role within the wider brand story and each partner was assessed for subject knowledge, hosting ability and cultural fit.
Heartwood Bushcraft led a fire-lighting session using basic equipment and foraged wood. Healing Weeds delivered a guided workshop in plant identification, edible and medicinal properties and responsible stewardship. Folklorist Emma Heard of Weird Wiltshire connected the group to stories from Stonehenge, Avebury and the chalk downs.
The following day, guests chose between an 18km trail run and a 10km hike led by Callum Rixson, Nike Run Coach Dora Atim and The Alpine Project. Routes were developed to combine physical challenges with the landscape and local landmarks. Wood-fired sauna sessions created a natural recovery point, while a fragrance workshop with Commune used botanical ingredients to turn the environment into a personal keepsake. Ubuntu Food brought the group together around fire-cooked meals, making hospitality part of the experience rather than a break in the schedule.
Behind the programme sat detailed production planning: partner briefs, route checks, equipment, transport, timings, contingency, dietary requirements and transitions between activities. The aim was to make a complex schedule feel effortless for the people taking part.
Making product part of the experience
ACG Product was integrated into the journey rather than separated into a formal presentation. Guests received lifestyle product, footwear and backpacks before the trip, followed by performance clothing, footwear and accessories on arrival.
The run and hike created the most authentic live test, but the wider format built repeated moments of use across travel, camp, workshops, changing weather, recovery and social time. This way, the product could be understood through experience, with its performance and utility experienced without turning the activation into a demonstration.
Creating the conditions for content
We invited 16 guests across endemic running, lifestyle and outdoor media and creator communities. The group was deliberately small enough to participate fully, build relationships and create work grounded in the experience.
The landscape, spatial build, programme and visual system gave guests multiple ways into the story while keeping the output recognisably ACG. Photographer Jack Gorham documented the activation with an understanding of the West of England and the relationship between running, folklore, people and place.
The results
Wyrd in the Wild generated 150 pieces of content from 16 guests, reaching a combined audience of 7.2 million
The results were the outcome of the approach, not a separate layer added at the end. Strategy, creative, location, build, programming, product, people and logistics worked as one system, giving guests a distinctive ACG world they could enter, experience and share.
Canoe’s role
Experiential strategy, creative concept, production planning, venue sourcing, site planning, spatial design and build, guest journey, outdoor programming, partnerships, artist collaboration, product integration, media relations, talent, content and reporting.
Wyrd in the Wild shows how Canoe brings a brand to life through the complete experiential process, from the first strategic decision to the production details that make the live experience work.