Nike+ Paint with your Feet

This innovative software uses Nike+ GPS data to create stunning custom visuals. Tracking a runner’s speed and style, the software produces abstract maps and visualizations of runs throughout the city. At a lunch event for Nike+2 City Pack series, participants played with the software and printed images of their runs as posters and as designs on custom Nike shoe boxes.

Via YesYesNo

Nike Shoe Aquarium

The ‘Abuku’ Nike Shoe Aquarium by W+K Tokyo Lab is part of ‘Nike 78′ - Using sport as inspiration, challenge the function of a pair of Nike Shoes.

Nike GRID made running into gaming

Last month, w+k and Nike took London by storm with a real-time running game. Entitled Nike GRID, the event playfully extended of the brand’s massively successful Nike+ campaign:

Nike GRID uses the now almost defunct iconic London telephone box to track a runner’s progress at designated Nike branded locations. After registering online, players run between two phoneboxes and punch in their unique user id number at each, logging their run and earning them points online.

The more runs, the more points earned for that postcode. The person with the most points in each area claims the crown of that postcode, badges are also awarded for speed, stamina and insider knowledge of the streets.

(via Contagious Magazine)

The idea is concisely summed up in this video:

(Note: the w+k London Blog provides further background, including strategic thinking and details about GRID execution.)

Two interesting bits about the GRID:

1 – Gamer motivation. By integrating a time-sensitive gaming element, Nike drove user participation. Over 3,000 runs were logged in 24hrs.

2 – Technology as an enabler. Rather than running the campaign through a service like FourSquare, which remains inaccessible to many, the campaign utilized technology that any player could access. Technology enabled more participation instead of limiting it.

Exclusive Nike content, if you “Like”

Nike and W+K’s World Cup campaign kick-off features an interesting use of the Facebook “Like” button:

Nike today kicked off its FIFA World Cup campaign with a 10-minute film on Facebook featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney and other top soccer stars.
The video, viewable only when visitors click the “Like” button, includes a three-minute advertisement, called “Write the Future,” with some of those same players.

(via AdWeek, emphasis added)

Nike’s move to add value to the “Like” button is mutually beneficial. For the brand, the promise of exclusive content encourages users to connect with the Nike campaign. For users, the content provides a neat reward for publicizing the campaign to their news feeds.

Check out the ad shown before the short film below:

What other added value content can be given to reward fans for “Liking” brands? Are there ways to directly reward users who Like products on a brand’s site?

Nike iD iPhone app

Design your next pair of Nike’s via the Nike iD iPhone app.

Blurring offline + online – Nike Chalkbot

Nike’s new Livestrong campaign for the Tour de France includes an awesome offline/online component called the ‘Chalkbot’, built by DeepLocal and StandardRobot.

The idea behind Livestrong is the Battle against Cancer, and Lance Armstrong is the public face of the campaign. At the Tour de France this year, Nike + Livestrong are encouraging the public to chalk messages of support for the fight against cancer, to send in a personal message that gets chalked onto the road by a Robot they’ve built for this purpose – the Chalkbot.

The idea of messages chalked up on the road follows from the tradition by spectators at the Tour de France, of writing messages of encouragement for the competing cyclists.

To submit a message, you can do so via the site WearYellow.com or Tweet or text your 40-character messages to be chalked on the roads in France.
Your message must start with “It’s about…” and once you’ve submitted a message you receive an email with a link to a map showing where it’s been chalked.

Great stuff!