Yesterday afternoon Mark Parker, President & CEO, NIKE, took the stage in New York City to unveil an ‘unprecedented breadth of innovation’ that includes:
- Nike Air VaporMax, the latest expression of a global icon;
- Nike Anti-Clog Traction, a mud-beating polymer;
- Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, which introduces the future of sport-informed adaptive lacing; and
- the new Nike+ app, a personalized service for athletes, and more.
According to a company release, ‘These products represent Nike’s unrelenting drive to not only exceed expectations but also inspire all athletes by manifesting the unimaginable.’
The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is the payoff of significant research into digital, electrical and mechanical engineering. Powered by an underfoot-lacing mechanism, the shoe proposes ‘a ground-breaking solution to individual idiosyncrasies in lacing and fit preferences’.
That means the undue pressure caused by tight tying and slippage resulting from loose laces are seen to be relics of the past. ‘Precise, consistent, personalized lockdown can now be manually adjusted on the go.’
The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is also just one of Nike’s significant statements inaugurating the ‘Era of Personalized Performance’ introduced by Mark Parker. The new Nike+, which provides an all-access pass to athletic potential, aims to similarly characterize this period.
“We are surrounded by technology and data, but for athletes to truly achieve their potential they require something richer and more meaningful. They don’t need a dashboard; they need a relationship,” Parker said.
Connecting Nike’s sport knowledge with its footwear and apparel offerings, Nike+ translates the ‘plus’ to ‘personal’, providing members with customized guidance, support and a host of tailored resources.
Dynamic coaching and training programs help improve a full gamut of activity — such as a runner’s times, a weightlifter’s strength and a yogi’s flexibility. In person, Nike+ Run Club and Nike+ Training Club sessions bring communities of athletes together for shared inspiration and motivation, whether in intimate neighbourhood sessions or at international events.
This engagement also applies to new athletes. Nike’s suite of digital products welcomes them with starter programs as well as shoe and product suggestions. As such, Nike+ is aiming to realize a universal truth in sport: community is a potent motivator.
“We have the most personal solutions to today’s most common challenges,” asserted Parker. “We know athletes better than anyone else. Today, for the first time, all athletes can benefit from that expertise.”
In June, the ‘best of Nike will be linked by the new Nike+ app’ — billed as a virtual golden ticket to the company’s most coveted products and events via one seamless sign-on. Beyond running and training clubs, Nike+ connects to a full-range of digital products, including NIKEiD.
With this in mind, the new app also features ‘refreshed thinking about shopping’. It introduces personalized shops for members, filled with tailored product recommendations, including reserved shoes dialled to their interests.
According to Nike, it serves every step of athletic life: from competition to training to sport style. ‘It means an evolution of how the best and brightest product in the world reaches athletes.’
Nike adds that it knows that, ‘when personal service meets personalized product, true magic can occur, as exemplified by the greatest athletic performances of the past few decades — from legendary sprints in Atlanta to record-breaking performances last summer in Beijing.’
The company continued, ‘Each of these achievements resets the bar of expectation. And each time Nike rises to the call with its next stage of invention.’
