Nike: Free to hit world stage

A television advertising campaign for sportswear brand Nike will make it all the way to the worldwide stage - hitting TV screens in 10 countries across the globe.
The commercial, shot atop a New Zealand mountain range by advertising agency Publicis Mojo Melbourne, will run in China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan as well as Australia and New Zealand.
The ads promote Nike's revolutionary new footwear range, Nike Free, which the brand has dubbed its greatest innovation since Air. The range was developed to replicate barefoot running where the shoe's sole is designed to match the contours of the athlete's bare foot in an attempt to create a more balance and controlled motion.
Mojo regional CD Darren Spiller said the campaign aimed to encapsulate the concept of reincarnating the consumer as "stronger, faster and better".
"In pushing yourself to train harder and run faster, you must often fight your inner demons, who are trying to sabotage your efforts and that's what we tried to capture. The campaign is based on the fundamental truth discovered during the concept development phase: that everyone, whether they're the average person in the street or a great athlete, wants to improve their performance and feel that they are striving to reach their full potential."
According to recent media reports, the race for market share of the $1.5 billion sporting goods category is now a two horse battle between Adidas and Nike these days, with Reebok's share over the past decade falling to an estimated 5%.
Nike is the clear market leader, capturing 25% of sales in a market expected to sell $650 million worth of athletic footwear to Australians this year.
Nike is banking on the new campaign to strengthen sales in an increasingly competitive market, which executives say have been strong in running shoes and women's training shoes in the past 12 month period.
Nike launched a limited number of Nike Free shoes in a handful of retailers in August last year to generate word-of-mouth excitement about the new product, and is now following up with the campaign. It hit Australian TV screens last month, and will make its debut overseas at varying times in the next quarter.