Lately, I've been using Nike+ as a perfect example of where advertising as a medium may be headed.
Nike+ is a brilliant collaboration between two companies Apple and Nike, in which the end results transcend a mere product offering but rather a cultural shift in terms of what we as consumers expect from top brands and ways that the brand connects us to what is lust-worthy about that brand.
"In 2006, Nike and Apple teamed up to create a device that measures and records the distance and pace of a walk or run. The information is transmitted from a sensor located in the sole of your Nike running shoe and stored on your Apple iPod Nano. The kit is able to store information such as the elapsed time of the workout, the distance traveled, pace, or calories burned by the individual wearing the shoes, and display it on the screen or broadcast it through the headphones of an iPod. The receiver displays information comparable to that of the iPod kit on the built-in display. After a run, the receiver can be plugged straight into a USB port and the software will upload the run information automatically to the Nike+ website."
What are the results? A killer product that is supported by a well-thought out website. Nike+ taps directly into a collective that are fervently passionate about fitness and provides them something that can feed that passion.
"In addition to tracking personal workout statistics, the Nike+ integrates directly with the Nike website (created by R/GA). Workout data can be automatically uploaded to the website during an iPod sync with iTunes or through another program via the website's public API. The uploaded information is mostly not personally-identifying, but does also contain some personal statistics such as weight (if configured). Workout data is stored in XML files on the iPod, which has led some web and applications programmers to offer alternatives to the official Nike reports. On October 19, 2006, new features were added to the Nike+ website, including the ability to name runs. Forums were also added (which they refer to as "talk some trash"), allowing users to meet and challenge other runners, ask questions, and give feedback. Recently, there have been several more additions to the Nike+ website including but not limited to: a challenge gallery where all user created challenges are viewable, the ability to name the route taken when running or walking, compatibility with the new iPod Nano (fourth generation), a distance club to view everyone's total distance traveled, fastest 5K et cetera."
The positioning and messaging of both brands (Nike+Apple) are communicated seamlessly by providing an experience with tremendous benefits and then backing it up with a FREE website that allows the user additional opportunities to enjoy the product. Without a doubt, the best example to date of how a company can create a deep and lasting brand culture that is measurable and memorable.
