
A household brand name that equips international athletes with footwear, apparel, and more, Nike is thriving. Its revenues are expected to reach $26.7 million this year, and Nike’s 36 percent market share is nearly equal to that of longtime industry leader Adidas, which has a 38 percent share. Nike is the only sportswear company that has seen its worldwide market share increase since 2008.
Part of the company’s success stems from continual product innovation, which includes the development of Nike Plus products. Designed to measure and track athletes’ workout stats, the Nike Plus devices sync with a mobile app to record figures online. The tools create a virtual kinship among Nike product users, who can visit the online community to play games and compare progress charts.
Nike also stages face-to-face events to help strengthen those relationships while creating buzz for new products. For example, the “Fast Is Faster Field Day,” a promotion for the then-new Nike Plus FuelBands in New York during the much buzzed-about N.F.L. draft in 2012. Held in locations around the city, the promotion invited Nike fans to test out the new product by participating in two separate physical contests, and students were brought in from the Public Schools Athletic League to take part in football-focused activities.
The consumers and students joined together at a final location, where star players such as New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy were on hand to play tag football and pose for photos. The professional athletes also helped give out awards to participants with the fastest times.
Other recent promotions for Nike Plus products include the Nike Fuel House in Chicago, a pop-up in the summer of 2012 with free group workouts, basketball games, and a running club. The activation, of course, also let consumers pick up Nike Plus products, which continue to see strong sales.