Brilliant Nike Marketing… at least I think so.

One of the numerous screens you get on the Nike+ site. This one is the detail of a specific run (or in my case walk).

This is a story about Nike+, which was one of the case study examples presented in the ‘Next Evolution of Marketing’ book I blogged on in my previous post.

I was enamored with the story about Nike+

It goes kinda like this.  Faced with flat sales new intense competition from Adidas/Reebok, Nike  could have invested in traditional expensive advertising campaigns, but instead embarked on a clever and symbiotic joint Marketing AND technology program with Apple.  The approach involved re-acquainting themselves with their loyal customers, and appealing to the larger running community. It was really an example of marketing with meaning… creating a program that does improves people’s lives, and appeals to their desires for achievement.

The program

In a nutshell, the program involves:

• An iPod or iPhone.
• A transmitter that plugs into your iPod or iPhone . A receiver that fits into your Nike+ enabled Nike shoes.  This package sells for $29.
• Nike+ shoes. Many models available with a special space under the removable insole for the transmitter. These sell for anywhere between $60 and $125. You have to have the Nike+ model.
• A membership on the Nike+ web site, which tracks all your workouts.
• Apple’s iTunes program on a Mac or PC.

What Nike knew, is that avid runners tracked their workouts already, but did so either very manually, or with some computer aided tools.  But Nike took it a step further to fully automate the process, provide awesome visual goals and tracking of your workouts, and create what would be the largest running community in the world – a global community. Users can share workouts, running courses, goals, and  more.  And of course the web site includes a shopping section where you see gorgeous presentations of their sharp lines of shoes and other running gear. Talk about getting their customers more deeply connected to their brand!

I fell for it

I  decided to engage in the program myself. I wanted to experience this brilliant marketing firsthand.  Partly because I wanted to see if it really felt brilliant, and partly because I’m getting an early jump on the New Year’s resolution to be working out again.  So off I went to buy the sensor package from Apple, and a new pair of Nike+ enabled shoes. I plugged into my iPod Nano, and fired up another audiobook.  So far, I still think this is brilliant marketing at its finest.

Go check it out for yourself. www.Nikeplus.com and the Apple Nike+ iPod Sport Kit.

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