Nike Plus

Posted on October 23, 2007 by C Johnson
Advertising, Culture, Design

Last year, Nike and Apple released the “Nike Plus,” a product that caters to the legions of iPod toting runners everywhere and is not only a consummate example of what happens when technology and common sense find each other, but of how social networking communities are now driving the way major brands approach innovation.

The Nike Plus kit includes two important components: a sensor that runners place in the bottom of their special Nike Plus running shoes, and a receiver that the runner attaches to their iPod Nano. Then, as the runner starts their journey, their individual speed, distance and burned calories comes onto the Nano screen. Not simply stopping there, Nike and Apple decided to incorporate a special Nikeplus.com social networking site where runners can upload their data and mingle with other Nike Plus users around the world.

According to Time Magazine, approximately 500,000 runners from over 160 countries have signed up. Stefan Olander, the director of digital content for Nike, is quoted as saying “in the past, the product was the end point of the consumer experience. Now it’s the starting point.”

It’s an undeniable truth, and Nike’s open embracement of it has surely played a part in their capturing well over 50% of the total 3.6 billion dollar running shoe market last year.

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