Right now, I’m going through a particularly active phase and therefore decided to invest in some new trainers…
The first ones I picked up were adorned with the Nike swoosh/tick.
But why? I claim to not be taken in by glossy packaging and brand image beliefs but, unbeknown to me, I instinctively always chose Nike over any other sports brand.
The key question is: Why are Nike so great?
I’ve written a list of just a few of the most recent innovative campaigns and techniques which are what I feel make Nike at the top of their game:
- Ronaldhino ‘Touch of Gold’ Viral video: An extremely popular viral video which has been viewed over 30 million times on YouTube. It’s the one with the incredible cross bar bounce back trick – I even know that and my only interest in football lies with a certain Portugese midfielder.
- Run London: Great because it managed to, “blend experiential and digital marketing for the first time” .These hugely popular running events take place every year in and around London. The great thing about them is that they’re all themed, past themes include: ‘Chicken and the egg’ in yellow t-shirts and ‘Go nocturnal’ in a load of luminous gear.
- Nike+: Described by Revolution as ‘technological wizardry’. Nike and Apple teamed up to offer the ultimate personal workout. A chip in your shoe can link directly to your iPod which can give you instant feedback about your performance. This information can now be uploaded to the Nike+ website where you can track your performance and share it with others.
- Nike Photo ID: It’s described as a mobile initiative which allows people to come up with designs for trainers from what they see around them. All they have to do is take a photo of a design they like, text it to the people over at Nike and their design will be incorporated onto a pair of basketball trainers.
Obviously, in Nike’s long standing and successful history there have been countless other campaigns but these are the ones I feel have really hit the mark when it comes to creating a successful blend between digital, social media and experiential marketing techniques.
I think Nike’s success is best summed up by Gareth Jones over at Revolution magazine, who wrote:
“Ever since its launch 45 years ago, Nike has been one of the world’s most enterprising companies. By continually re-inventing its products and redefining advertising genres, Nike has firmly embedded itself in the consumer consciousness.”
Tags: experiential, nike, online community, social media, Sports
April 18, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I’m the same with Adidas. I don’t think I pay attention to sports advertising – but straight away my mind has just flashed full of images of Adidas advertising and digitial marketing that has caught my eye.
I think that certain sports brands, such as Nike and Adidas, have created an image of themselves as being more than just a sports brand, and more of a high street brand – this is definitely more so than say 5 years ago and I reckon that social media and digital marketing has a lot to do with it.