BANFF – When Nike wanted to win back customers it had lost to other running shoe manufacturers, it created Nike+ and turned to the online world. Nike+ was the case study presented by Rare Method creative director James Leal-Valias during “The Future of Marketing? Integrated and Interactive” session at NextMedia on Saturday.
Nike partnered with Apple on Nike +, which offers runners music to train to and also provides details of their training, including distance run, pace, time and calories consumed. The application consists of a receiver that taps into runners’ iPods to provide their favorite running music, and also a sensor for their shoe that records details of the run.
The run details can be downloaded to a Nike+ web site and are available to be graphed and compared over time. A runners’ favorite route can also be charted and shared, and a “challenge” section of the site allows runners to trash talk each other and to dare their friends.
“This is very active marketing that is different from traditional TV advertising,” said Leal-Valiant. “It’s an example of the next revolution in advertising. It’s effective. It shows how people run, even when they’re not running.”
With Nike+, a runners’ history is available online. Also, before going for a run, the application can be used to set training goals, and select playlists to run to. Social networks can be used to check out the profiles and runs of others. Runners can create or join their own online communities, and they can tweeter about great runs, or post challenges.
Leal-Valiant added, “This is the brand at its best. You aren’t looking at a commercial. This is a completely new category of advertising.” Nike has developed a huge community and loyalty to its brand with Nike+, he noted.
To develop a similar campaign, he noted there should be segmentation, social media involvement (don’t try to control it, let it develop), an embracing of technology, and converged media.
The case study shows that traditional TV advertising no longer works on its own, and nowadays marketing needs to connect and engage people on their own terms, concluded Rare Method president Tom Short.
Short predicted marketing in the near future will only grow more viral, mobile, social and emerging.
