Irving will immerse himself in Asian basketball culture while traveling to Japan, Taiwan and China. Check back daily for new photos and videos.
Source: Nike News – Kyrie Irving Tours Asia with Nike Basketball
This is actually a very big deal for the Swoosh as the Kyrie remains the top selling basketball shoe for Nike. Asia, in particular Kyrie’s first stop in Tokyo boasts 30 million people and a culture that absolutely loves the NBA and basketball. As Nike’s appeal begins to decrease in the US it’s imperative that the basketball segment grows internationally to maintain Nike’s desired growth.
I’ve said that basketball promotion has to become more personal to regain any ground in the current retro and casual inspired market. My primary thought on how to increase engagement and interest in hoops shoes was that Nike has to take the gloss and shine away from their premier guys. The campaigns can’t be all about the overproduced videos. We have to get to know the players (as much as they are willing to allow access) via video. In this press release we actually get a “snapchat” styled livestream from Kyrie. It’s the same thing that KD has been doing with his livestreaming on YouTube.
Nike will be documenting and Kyrie will be sharing parts of his trip via social and video during this tour. This is a smart move Nike, very smart. Use the source link to see more pics and videos.