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As if we couldn’t get enough of Nike, Nike comes at us again with its Awake mobile marketing campaign.  Mobile marketing is the new brainchild of advertising.  Why make the consumer put in any effort when the advertisements can come straight to you?  Mobile marketing is as straightforward as its name, marketing straight to a mobile device (such as a cell phone).  Essentially it’s marketing in motion.  In November 2009, the Mobile Marketing Association defined mobile marketing as “a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.”

Nike has tapped into the marketing of the future with its Air Max 360 National campaign, Awake.  The Air Max 360 was launched on January 21, 2006 showing off a new shoe design that utilized “Max Air” throughout the shoes’ midsole.  For those of you who are not proficient in “air talk,” the Nike Air Max shoes use a large air cushioning unit at the heel which is visible from the side of the midsole in most models.  Apparently the types of air don’t just stop there with Tube Air, Total Air, Tuned Air and Zoom Air – but I digress.

Awake features an all-star cast of Nike athletes who show a common passion for athletics through their commitment to training, no matter how early the hour.  While waking up might be a challenge for less-than-early-birds, they know the gym, court or pool is waiting to start their day.  The love for their chosen sports propels them to train to get better (http://newsblaze.com/story/2006011815194700001.mwir/topstory.html).  These all-stars include Maria Sharapova (WTA), Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees), Justin Gatlin (USA Track & Field), Tom Brady (New England Patriots) and Liu Xiang (Men’s Track and Field Olympic Gold Medalist.  The goal of Awake is to get everyone moving – just get out of bed and play a sport, leading to Nike’s ultimate message of “Just Do It.”

Nike incorporates mobile marketing into Awake by enticing customers to sign up for a wake-up call from a famous athlete, including the ones mentioned above.  This was an eight-week promotion encouraging consumers to visit NikeAir.com where they can register to receive a pre-recorded wake-up call to their cell phones from one of the athletes who appear in the television advertisement.  Registrants can choose the day, time and if they wish to receive a one-time call or multiple calls.

The target audience for the campaign is active people who enjoy sports.  The athletes featured in the television ad are the motivation for people to continue their dedication to athletics and exercise.  The Nike Air Max shoes continue to get lighter and edgier – appealing to a younger demographic of 16 to 24 year olds.  A consumer is able to customize their own Air Maxes, giving the user more control over their purchase.

Since Nike is positioned as a premium brand, selling well-designed and expensive products, it promotes its products through sponsorship agreements with celebrity athletes.  This appeals to the younger demographic because many in this range are athletes on sports teams in high school and college.  They already have the drive to face the challenge on the field but need the motivation to take it one step farther in training.  As Anson Dorance once said, “The vision of a champion is bent over, dripping in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when no one is watching.”  This vision applies perfectly to the desire that Nike wants to create with this campaign.

The effectiveness of this strategy was better than expected.  Eric Wheeler, Senior Partner with Ogilvy Interactive, and Gene Keenan, VP Mobile Services for Isobar International discussed the success of this campaign at the Mobile Marketing Forum in 2006.  The campaign managers saw single users setting up multiple calls and initially thought they were being used for prank phone calls, but they discovered that coaches and team managers were signing up their entire roster!  The eight-week promotion exceeded its total target participation by 300% by the end of the first week alone (http://www.christine.net/2006/11/top_mobile_mark.html).

This campaign showed a strong relevancy to the consumer and through the use of mobile marketing welcomed participation.  It was able to connect what could have been just another television campaign into something tangible for the consumers.  Essentially pro-athletes were available to any motivated athlete right at their fingertips!  Many users enjoyed this as can be seen on the chat forum, FatWal!et.com, where users expressed their excitement:  “Wow, a wake up call from Maria! I wonder if she’s in the middle of a serve when she calls?”  The truth is, she just might be.  Now it’s time for you to get out of bed and start limbering up – you have a date with the gym.

The High School equivalent of the Nike Awake commercial: