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Nike's mobile video series targets younger women with millennial themes

Nike is airing a mobile video series in a bid to connect with younger women through a format and subject matter popular with the demographic while using Snapchat ads and a digital hub to attract viewers. 

The footwear brand is hoping to gain popularity with women in digital episodic videos, which feature two sisters competing in a New Year?s Day bet centered on fitness and social health. Nike?s advertisements on digital publication Refinery29?s Snapchat Discover platform continue its attempt to draw in its key audience, millennial women. 

"Nike understands that consumers have many choices when they are choosing where to get their workout gear," said Shuli Lowy, marketing director at Ping Mobile. "The brand?s plan of action has always been to not only focus on building quality workout gear but to also become an involved participant in consumers' workout experience.

"Early on Nike built several apps providing tracking and fitness tools for consumers," she said. "The brand has also put an emphasis on producing content to keep consumers engaged. 

"Short video series such as this one make consumers think of Nike not just as a company that sells sport equipment and apparel, but more so as a center for everything related to fitness."

Margot vs. Lily

The two bet each other on New Year?s that could not live in the other?s shoes, meaning the YouTube star will have to seek new friends and the lazy girl has to create her own online fitness series. As fitness YouTube channels are growing with popularity for millennial women, Nike is hoping to appeal to them through its fictional characters. 

Nike?s series is airing today, and will be available on the YouTube channel NikeWomen. Nike.com/BetterForIt features a variety of content on the campaign such as social media integration and fitness shopping, and is also available on mobile. 


Subscribers of Nike?s fitness newsletter for women had early access to the episodes through the emails, which allowed the brand to gain more followers.  

Just do it
Nike also modernized high school sports with a mobile application that acts as a digital athletic competition for students to win a chance to attend The Opening at Nike's headquarters (see more). 

Dutch navigation manufacturer TomTom also furthered its partnership with footwear and apparel giant Nike by integrating the Nike+ mobile apps into its Multi-Sport GPS Sport Watches (see more). 

"The production of a mobile video series is a great way to draw consumers into an experience," Ms. Lowy said. "The trailer shows two characters who are going through relatable fitness and health struggles while also embodying a light, humorous, and entertaining tone. 

"Any video which is meant to engage consumers must be sharable on a mobile device," she said. "While a large percentage of video is consumed on a mobile devices, the need to have a video on mobile becomes exponentially more important when the video is intended as a brand engagement tool.

"Marketers want their content to be shared and distributed to others; that is done primarily through social media. The majority of social media consumption occurs on a mobile device, making mobile a particularly important place for the content."