Nike’s Air Max Day 3D Billboard in Tokyo pushed the boundaries of digital outdoor creativity. Developed by Cekai, the campaign’s intent was to merge product innovation with immersive visual technology – bringing Nike’s iconic sneakers bursting out of the screen in spectacular fashion.
Unveiled in 2022, the campaign used anamorphic illusion technology on a curved digital screen in Shinjuku, one of the world’s busiest intersections. The larger-than-life shoe appeared to hover, rotate, and stretch into the crowd, creating a viral moment shared globally across social channels. This work sparked a 3D billboard craze across the world that persists to this day.
Footage of the billboard spread rapidly across TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. Within 48 hours, videos of the illusion amassed tens of millions of views – turning a single Tokyo screen into a global brand moment.
The Shinjuku display’s 90-degree curved surface was designed specifically for anamorphic content. It allowed Nike’s creative team to choreograph motion that “wrapped” around the corner, creating true spatial immersion.
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The billboard won multiple international awards, including recognition for digital design and experiential impact. It demonstrated how motion illusion could shift outdoor advertising into an art form, where boundaries between media and experience dissolve.
Nike’s 3D execution became an instant cultural landmark – a literal and symbolic projection of brand energy bursting beyond the frame.
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