Nike started back in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by track athlete Phillip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman. In 1978 the name was switched to Nike, a highly significant name. In ancient Greek mythology, Nike was the goddess of victory and she personified triumph throughout the ages of the ancient Greek culture. Since the beginning, Nike has personified victory and triumph in the sports equipment industry, just like their namesake.

In May of 2003, Nike launched its new Nike+iPod Sports kit, designed to encourage and motivate their customers to triumph over their running obstacles, to achieve their physical fitness goals and be victorious. The Nike+iPod Sports kit includes a Nano Apple iPod, a transmitter, a piezoelectric accelerometer and a special shoe from Nike that all work together to motivate you through your workouts and training program. The entire package coordinates with a fun and easy to use website, http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/ where users can download their workouts and participate in the online Nike+iPod community. The customer response has been enthusiastic, to say the least!

Rock'n the Runs

The "My Runs" section of the website is where you log in your workout. After buying your Nike+iPod Sports kit you record your information on the little chip that goes in the shoe adding in things like your weight and age. It's an extremely user-friendly, easy-to-use set up, even if technology usually leaves you baffled. With your information all uploaded, you slip the chip back into the shoe, plug the transmitter into the iPod and you're ready to go! It couldn't be any easier.

When you go on a run you can listen to your music on the iPod and a voice (you choose male or female) periodically will inform you of how fast you're going, how far you have gone, how many calories you've burned, etc. When you get home from your workout, all you do is plug the transmitter into the computer while on the website and you can download all the statistics of your workout: how far you ran, how many calories you burned, how fast you went...everything you ever wanted to know about your workout! The workout log keeps track of all this information and will help you keep track of your progress and how you are doing on the fitness/running goals you've set. In this section you can also map out your favorite routes so that other people can find new places to run, or you can find routes that others in your area already use and love.

Innovation+Motivation

The Challenges section is one of the coolest and most motivating things we've ever come across with regards to working out, and it's really great for bringing out the competitor in every runner. Here you can challenge other runners to competitions, such as "First to Fifty Miles", "Fastest 2 Miles for Beginners" or the "Most Miles Logged over 100 Days." There's a challenge out there for anyone and everyone--from beginners to seasoned runners. As the challenges progress, it's easy to track how you're doing compared with other challengers and you can even post messages to them in a little section where you're encouraged to "talk some trash." Messages like "Not running everyday is like a slap in the face! Feel it!" and others asking for tips and tricks from everything to shoes, workout snacks, when to run, etc. really help motivate participants to run longer and more often.

Other features such as "The Distance Club," the "World Runs," and the "Events" section motivate runners even more by helping them to know that they're not alone, whether they've logged five miles or five thousand miles. These features also allow community members to check up on each other's progress and post encouraging messages. The Nike+iPod Sports Kit is fostering a running community across the globe!

What's the Difference?

So, there are lots of pedometers and other running aids out there on the market. What exactly makes Nike+ so different and, well, better? The following are comments from actual Nike+ customers. Here are their thoughts on what makes this sports kit the best running companion on the market:

Accuracy-- "There is a well-established relationship between foot contact time and pace, and the Nike+iPod sensor uses this principle to measure your current speed, multiplying that by the time spent at a given pace to calculate your distance. This involves neither 'average' gait, nor 'stride length' - and is consequently WAY more accurate over a variety of paces and terrains than any pedometer! The Sport Kit is very accurate right out of the box (certainly more so than a car's odometer!) and can be calibrated if you want to make it even more accurate."          

Battery Life-- "The quoted battery life is ‘over 1000hrs.' This means that a good marathon runner could run a marathon, every day, for over a year before the battery in the sensor would be used up! (How many pair of running shoes would that be?) For a normal 20-mile/week runner, it lasts over 6 years (and 6500 miles!) -- plenty long for a $29 purchase! Not having a replaceable battery also means the sensor is simple and waterproof."

Simplicity-- "This is nothing short of amazing, and a super deal at $29. Mine just arrived this evening, took it out for a quick treadmill workout, then downloaded, or should I say uploaded the data to Nike. The graph and goal features on the Nike site make charting progress a breeze, and it's very encouraging to see the results on the screen, not just in memory. The days of how far did I run, at what pace, and how long are history...Think of the simplicity of the iPod, now matched with your workout routine."

Changing the World--One Runner at a Time

Nike has found a way to help their customers be happier through positive motivation. The Nike+iPod Sports Kit helps customer set challenging goals and helps them to achieve those goals--all in a very affordable and easy-to-use way. "But my company doesn't deal with goals and motivation," you may say. But your customers are trying to do jobs--functional jobs, emotional jobs and social jobs. Once you learn what those jobs are and figure out how to help your customers do those jobs, you'll be providing a meaningful brand experience just like Nike, and your company will be well on its way to making the world a better place, one runner... or customer at a time.