‘We Run This’ rollout for JD and Nike, culminating in landmark Trafford Centre takeover 

Edison Media has delivered the UK out of home rollout for JD Sports and Nike’s ‘We Run This’ campaign, activating across major cities including London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester. 

The campaign combined high impact roadside, rail, digital towers and large format placements to ensure strong visibility in key urban running communities across the country. 

At the heart of the activity was Manchester, Edison Media’s hometown, where they coordinated a full takeover of the Trafford Centre to bring the campaign to life past traditional media. 

Externally, large-format digital placements surrounded the centre, supported by prominent city-centre formats, including Canvas and premium roadside locations. Inside the Trafford Centre, 14 flag banners and bold graphics wrapped the balustrades and stairs. Shoppers moving through the space were met with a continuous rush of bold colour overhead and underfoot, making the campaign impossible to ignore. 

The takeover culminated in a 5k run, staged in partnership with MADE Running, that transformed the Trafford Centre into a live race environment after hours. Runners moved through the mall, leisure spaces and surrounding estate, turning one of the UK’s most recognisable retail destinations into an active expression of the campaign. 

While the rollout spanned multiple UK cities, the Trafford Centre activation provided a defining moment, converting national visibility into a mutual experience on the ground. 

Nicola Orrell, Managing Director at Edison Media, said: 

“‘We Run This’ was about showing up properly across the UK, not just appearing in a handful of spaces. We built strong presence within key cities, but Manchester gave us the opportunity to do something bigger. The Trafford Centre takeover allowed the campaign to move beyond media into real experience. Pairing national visibility with a live community event created a moment that remained credible, energetic and true to the running culture JD and Nike wanted to champion.”