Nike recently launched a terrific campaign that showcases how the world's leading soccer clubs - Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Club America, and Arsenal - prepare during the pre-season.
Nike's campaign, entitled "Inside Edge", is brilliant because it demonstrates how brands can effectively leverage their sports partnerships throughout the off-season - a time when many lessen their marketing and activation spend. It also showcases how brands can effectively associate several (but not all) team partnerships in one major consumer-facing campaign.
The pre-season Nike campaign takes fans behind-the-scenes, demonstrating how players from the world's elite soccer clubs prepare for the upcoming season. The campaign provides insightful tips, insights, and advice on a variety of training and performance elements, including:
Nike invited nearly 100 media members from across the globe to Dallas, TX for its 2010 Nike Football Media Summit. Nike organized the Summit in an effort to unveil its new, innovative technology, apparel, products and footwear designed specifically for football players competing in the professional, collegiate, and high school sports realm.
Nike held the event at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, an iconic venue that certainly played hand-in-hand with the innovative products and technology Nike had available to unveil to athletes and sports fans across the world. The Football Media Summit was hosted by Desmond Howard and featured five current NFL athletes – Clay Matthews, Ndamukong Suh, Stephen Jackson, Felix Jones, and Dwayne Bowe - on hand to directly speak to how Nike apparel takes their performance to the next level. .
Partnership Activation was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the tremendous event and provide you with an in-depth look at the new technologies and uniforms Nike was showcasing on display. Check out a gallery of photos from the entire event here.
The primary focus of the 2010 Nike Football Media Summit centered around four specific sectors of football where Nike is leveraging insights and new technologies to completely revolutionize the game. Armed with 30+ years of football insight, research, and first-hand feedback from athletes, Nike has developed all the tools necessary to meet the needs of the best athletes in the game.
Attendees (media, guests, and brand personnel) were also treated to a number of additional perks, including:
Nike ID Customization Stand – Attendees were given an opportunity to experience Nike ID firsthand by customizing a pair of shoes and a jacket that they will receive free in the mail in a few weeks
Tour of the New Cowboys Stadium – Attendees were given a complete hour-long tour of the new Cowboys Stadium, which included the Cowboys locker room, Cheerleader locker room, press box, the Legends suite, the post-game press conference area, the Miller Lite Club, the cheap(er) seats, and various in-stadium destinations (Jerry Jones’ suite was the only restricted area)
Field Access – Attendees were provided the opportunity to roam the field at the new Cowboys Stadium and take pictures at the 50-yard line and along the sidelines
Player Access – After the morning session, media members were given 30-45 minutes to speak specifically with each of the five (5) NFL athletes and ask particular questions about their performance, apparel, and other off-the-field interests
Introduction to the Nike Boom! Mobile App – Nike featured representatives on-hand to educate guests about the new Nike Boom! Mobile app that it introduced for athletes at all levels. The free smartphone app allows athletes to create custom music playlists that can be embedded with motivational messages from Nike’s roster of prominent athletes – the app is pretty amazing
An Elaborate Lunch in the Miller Lite Club at Field Level of Cowboys Stadium
(1) Night Stay at the Ritz Carlton in Dallas
NEW PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES
The 2010 Nike Football Media Summit focused primarily on showcasing four (4) of its new, game-changing elements:
The Nike Air Zoom Alpha Talon Cleat
Nike Football united its most innovative technologies to create the Nike Air Zoom Alpha Talon Cleat, a premium cleat that will soon be highly demanded athletes playing football at all levels. Dwayne Bowe noted during the Summit that the cleat is the best piece of footwear he has ever suited up in.
The Nike Air Zoom Alpha Talon cleat features a collection of new attributes that cannot be found on any other cleats in the marketplace, including:
Flywire - Provides speed without compromising support
Talons – Provides adaptive traction
Deflex Padding – Provides more lightweight ankle protection
Kurim – Provides structure around the ankle
Phylon with Nike Zoom Air – Provides cushioning while staying low to the ground
Z-bar – Provides ankle support and locks the foot to the footbed
Sidewall Shovels – Provides on-edge traction
Sharkteeth Traction – Provides additional traction when backpedaling
Ultra-durable Kevlar laces
The 2011 Nike Pro Combat Uniform
Nike unveiled its new 2011 Nike Pro Combat Uniform, which it considers to be the ultimate in lightweight, breathable protection for superior speed. The new uniform, featuring several products that were designed as a completely integrated system of dress, includes:
A New and Improved Nike Combat Base Layer
Flywire Collar Support
Chainmail Mesh
Deflex Padding
An Adjustable Carbon Fiber Plate
A Vapor Elite Football
Vapor Carbon Gloves
Exclusive Editions of the Nike Pro Combat Uniform
Nike unveiled four (4) exclusive editions of the Nike Pro Combat Uniforms specifically designed for the Florida, Oregon, TCU, and Boise State football teams. The event featured plenty of excitement around the new jerseys the Oregon Ducks will be sporting in the BCS National Championship game against Auburn as well as the uniforms that TCU will be donning against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.
Nike SPARQ Training
Nike featured a live demonstration of its SPARQ training on the field at the new Cowboys Stadium. Nike invited a local Dallas high school football team (and its band) out to the event to showcase how it leverages its SPARQ training program to improve the speed, agility, and performance of 25,000+ high school athletes across the nation.
Check out some video of all the action below:
Introduction Ceremonies, Hosted by Desmond Howard
Introduction of the Nike Air Zoom Alpha Talon Football Cleat (w/ NFL guest appearances)
Introduction of the 2011 Bowl Jerseys for Oregon (BCS), Florida, TCU, and Boise State
Introduction of the 2011 Nike Pro Combat Jerseys
Walking Onto the Field at Cowboys Stadium (Kickoff of the 2010 Nike Football Media Summit)
Ndamukong Suh Discusses His Top 5 iPad Apps
Dwayne Bowe Talks Fantasy Football
A Tour of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Locker Room
Nike SPARQ Training On-Field at Cowboys Stadium
Look for more pictures and video to come from the 2010 Nike Football Media Summit. Thanks again to everyone at Nike who made the event truly special for everyone involved.
With the 2010 World Cup in South Africa just a few days away, Nike recently released a really cool viral piece that demonstrates how they wrapped the side of the Southern Life building in Johannesburg with an inspiring campaign.
Check out the viral piece below... It does a terrific job providing an inside look at their behind-the-scenes execution!
Are you looking to create a viral campaign that emphasizes team unity and focus? Are you looking for new ways to engage fans on one united front?
Nike recently released a powerful viral piece that demonstrates the things the Dutch National Team will need to effectively do during the 2010 World Cup to realize their full potential. The piece, entitled "Bleed as One" is very interesting because it uses some unusual imagery to demonstrate how the team will need to compete as a united front with with resolve and focus, not just their brilliant style of play.
Nike recently teamed up with Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres to create a cool new viral piece. The clip, entitled "Master Accuracy" demonstrates the skills that players can develop while wearing the new Nike Total 90 III soccer cleats.
The advert features Torres challenging Rooney to shoot balls through laser-based targets. Check it out below:
Are you looking to connect with consumers by focusing on the passion that fans and athletes have for the game? Are you looking for new viral ideas?
Over the past week, Nike has released two (2) tremendous ad campaigns that do a tremendous job promoting the passion that both fans and athletes share for their favorite sports. It is amazing to see Nike continuously create ads that blow consumers away (and subtly ingrain their brand along the way).
Nike - "Force Fate"
In support of its Nike training hockey apparel (particularly Team Canada hockey apparel), Nike created a captivating piece that features Canadien hockey players and supporters making their claim that their success is earned, not bred. The piece has the feel of Gatorade's recent "G" campaign and does an excellent job playing off the passion Canadiens have for the game of hockey. Not to mention, plenty of terrific subtle branding plays... Check it out below:
Nike - "Fast is Never Enough"
Nike recently released "Fast is Never Enough" a captivating soccer piece that profiles the 20-year old English sensation Theo Walcott. The viral, in support of Nike's football partnership with Arsenal FC and its global football apparel, is a heart-thumping advert designed to get soccer fans around the globe excited for another year of the English Premier League. The piece does an excellent job mixing game highlights and slow motion tricks with the sound of an adrenaline-filled pep talk. Check it out below:
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Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 11:14PM 
