Offer Consumers a Meaningful Service†

Understand What Your Target Needs, Deliver It and Stick With It

Advertising Age, July 28, 2008 — It's just common sense that if you give a little, you'll usually get a little in return. But to paraphrase President Harry S. Truman, that (inadvertent) font of marketing wisdom, "If common sense were so common, more [marketers] would have it." Marketing is nothing more or less than an exchange of value. The better the value the marketer provides, the more time and attention they'll usually get back from their target. If the value delivered by the marketer is exceptional, then the consumer will pay back the marketer with loyalty and brand evangelism in good times and bad.

Nike's 'Just Do It' Slogan Turns 20†

Epic 'Courage' Campaign Aims to Recharge Inspirational Message

Advertising Age, July 17, 2008 — Nike's "Just Do It" theme is 20 years old, and the marketer is planning a push of Olympian proportions to commemorate its anniversary.

The company is planning an epic global campaign titled "Courage," with 60- and 30-second spots to begin airing in the U.S. on Aug. 8, the day of the Olympic Summer Games' opening ceremonies, while a micro-site, nike.com/courage, goes live today.

Adidas Bets Big on Beijing†

Wall Street Journal, July 3, 2008 — When it comes to China, sportswear giant Adidas AG thinks bigger is better.

At midnight Friday, the company will open its biggest store in the world here. The long, glass-clad rectangular building reflects Adidas's ambition to use China as a battleground to overtake rival Nike Inc.

Mobile Photos, SMS Used to Customize Nike Footwear

MarketingVox, June 27, 2008 — Nike has launched NIKE PHOTOiD, which enables European users to make customized shoes out of mobile photos. "Street Canvas," an AKQA ad promoting the campaign, depicts a user shooting graffiti, texting the image to Nike, and receiving a link to a customized pair of Air Force Ones, superimposed over the user's photo.

Make Your Marketing Useful, Like Samsung and Charmin†

Take a Small Chunck Out of Those Billion-Dollar Budgets and Help Provide a Free, Helpful Service

Advertising Age, May 26, 2008 — After about half an hour of staring at the space where a plane should've been, we're granted the announcement we knew was coming: The 3:30 p.m. out of LAX is now the 4:50 p.m., which we all know means it's really the 6-something p.m. There's a brief period of eye-rolling before everyone goes back to their business, which in my case means huddling with a dozen other worshippers around the Samsung totem pole to which our BlackBerries and laptops are attached.

If you have the misfortune to run the gauntlet of America's airports with any regularity, you're all too familiar with this scene and may even know the totem I'm referring to. It's an eight-foot, electrical charging station with a little shelf about halfway up its length where devices rest and... continue reading

On the Run

Forbes, February 11, 2008 — In a sweltering, claustrophobic chamber the size of a storage closet, a sweat-glazed man in a running top pounds away on a treadmill in the Nike Sports Research Lab in Beaverton, Ore. Wires attached to thermal sensors sprout from his body. Heat lamps beat down on him. Moist air blasts through an overhead vent.

Quality over Green: Nike's New Air Jordan

The latest in the popular line of basketball shoes hits stores as part of Nike's sustainable design line. But the company is hyping performance, not green

BusinessWeek, January 25, 2008 — Nike's (NKE) new Air Jordan XX3 sneaker, which arrives in stores on Jan. 25, won't have a trace of the color green on it. Rather, the limited-edition shoe will be available in the color combination of white, blue, and gray. And although the shoe was made with earth-friendly materials, and even inspired the invention of a sewing machine to help manufacture footwear with fewer chemical glues, the company is not focusing on the "green" aspect of the sneaker.

Athletes' New Game: Their Own Web Ads†

Low-Budget Spots Put Stars in Control Of Their Marketing

Wall Street Journal, January 17, 2008 — Basketball star Chris Bosh, known for his power and finesse around the basket, is trying out a new off-court move. Mr. Bosh, with help from his girlfriend and brother, recently wrote and shot his own Web commercial. The ad, in which Mr. Bosh takes on the persona of a Texas-fried used-car salesman to ask fans to vote him into the National Basketball Association's All-Star Game, has become something of an underground hit, racking up more than 376,000 viewings on YouTube.

To Sharpen Nike's Edge, CEO Taps 'Influencers'†

House Built by Athletes Hires a Tattoo Artist; Mr. Parker and the Twins

Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2007 — Nike's iconic co-founder Philip H. Knight built the company by sealing endorsement deals with sports heroes such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. But under current Chief Executive Mark Parker, Nike is also depending on lesser-known figures — like a Los Angeles tattoo artist known as Mister Cartoon.