In my recent ebook I explained why Nike has unlimited potential and how they are correctly utilizing long-form content:
Nike’s Consumer Direct Offense, Amazon & StockX: The Disruption of Sneaker Retail
This morning Nike launched a video for the most coveted sneaker in the culture, the Concord 11. The shoe won’t have any trouble selling out, but Nike never relies on expectations. They cement the interest by delivering marketing and this YouTube video is part of the strategy of long-form content that the brand has taken to using with every item they create. I discovered the video on Nike News. Others probably discovered the video via the notification button on YouTube. The video features influencers, athletes, and entertainers expressing why the shoe is important. What’s interesting however are the small things you may have overlooked in watching the video. At 1 minute what could be so interesting in how the brand delivered this bit of marketing?
- Unlike most brands Nike understands the power of indexing. The video was included on the Nike News page. This allows for when a search to take place on Google that the post will lead the person Googling to Nike’s platform. They also uploaded the video natively to YouTube and not just Facebook. Google owns YouTube. All videos are now given the lead of search on the page. As a matter of fact when you search on Google or Bing now there has been a VIDEO tab added. Video is extremely important.
- Jordan Brand uses the vertical video format. You probably didn’t notice this at all. The video is meant to be watched on a phone where discovery of content has increased considerably. The video, which is obviously professionally done, looks like anyone could have grabbed the collection of clips and created the vid. The organic manner in which it is presented is vital to the romanticism of the moment.
- The clip shows Michael losing and actually creates a completely different moment for Nick Anderson who has been immortalized in his missed free throws. The redemptive quality isn’t for this generation who doesn’t even know who Nick Anderson is. This nails the cross generational nature of sneaker culture. The shoe dropped in 95-96. While the shoe is being marketed to younger people, you better believe this is a model that will be bought by 40 and 50 somethings who remember the moment when MJ returned and then learned as Tinker states in the video.
- The video is a history lesson taught by… a kid? Sneaker culture is purely emotional. There really isn’t a reason to own more than one pair of kicks, but the history associated with a pair has to be delivered. The kid narrating the video wasn’t even born when MJ played in these, but he’s telling the story to his peers. This is vital. Jordan is a legacy brand for a player who stopped playing almost twenty years ago. Without the history of the 45 this generation wouldn’t feel that this shoe is important.
Jordan Brand does what other brands fail to do and what retailers fail to understand. Just because you know something will work, that doesn’t mean you rest on your laurels. This is a fast paced world and at any moment people can forget who you are. It’s been 23 years since the XI dropped and as soon as I saw this commercial I immediately went back to my freshman year in college playing at San Diego City College. My teammates intentionally ripped their Reeboks (our team shoes) so they could wear the Jordan 11 on the court. This shoe inspires connection and because of that Jordan only has to hit the reminder button to make sure you remember.
