Latest Nike Marketing Campaign Recommends Running Barefoot?
Nike's Lance Armstrong, LaDainian Tomlinson, Brandi Chastain and Freddy Adu
Share Thoughts on Revolutionary Nike FREE Shoes
May 24, 2005, 01:00 ET from NIKE, Inc.
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BEAVERTON, Ore., May 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today Nike (NYSE: NKE)
recommends that athletes start training like they're barefoot. In one of the
company's largest spring marketing campaigns, Nike will present the
revolutionary new Nike FREE shoe and educate athletes on the benefits of
barefoot training.
(Photos: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050524/CGTU026-a
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Nike learned from legendary coach Vin Lananna and the Stanford Track Team
that barefoot training was being used more commonly to strengthen and reawaken
athletes' feet. It was through this insight that Nike's Sport Research Lab
initiated the design for the company's first shoe with Nike FREE technology.
The new lightweight and flexible design of Nike FREE combines nature with
technology to simulate the act of running barefoot on grass helping to
strengthen muscles, prevent injury and improve overall athletic performance
for a multitude of sports.
"I've been spending a lot of time in the gym this year and wearing the
Nike FREE shoe. I've focused on core training, a lot of balance work and
flexibility and one-legged stuff. It's been incredible to see how much harder
the work outs are when wearing Nike FREE," explains 6-time Tour de France
Champion Lance Armstrong as he prepares for his final Tour.
"The Nike FREE shoe has helped me in training and strengthening my feet,
enabling me to be more balanced and being able to cut more quickly," says San
Diego Chargers Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson.
"For me, I've followed the program that came with the shoes, the walking
and then gradual running and then everyday training. Nike FREE has allowed me
to see that I can raise my game to the next level, " said US Women's National
Team Soccer icon Brandi Chastain.
"This shoe is unbelievable. It feels like you are not wearing anything on
your feet, but it gives you a lot of support," said rising soccer star Freddy
Adu. "I'm wearing the shoe to do virtually all my training and exercises."
Football star Tom Brady, tennis champions Serena Williams and Maria
Sharapova, running greats Paula Radcliff, Ana Guevara, Sean Crawford, Dathan
Ritzenhein, Alan Webb and Adam Goucher, are among the many athletes using Nike
FREE as part of their training.
Nike FREE running comes to life in the new Nike advertising spot, "Run
Barefoot". The new commercial, featuring Webb, Ritzenhein and Goucher
recreates the famous beach-running scene from the 1981 movie "Chariots of
Fire", as a group of men run barefoot on the beach wearing uniform white
shorts and shirts. Shot along California's Pismo Beach, the runners begin
passing items from a cityscape along the beach -- a parking meter, a mailbox,
a taxi, a fire escape, a stoplight -- before the lead runner appears at a city
street corner wearing Nike FREE. It closes with the tagline, "Run Barefoot"
and directs athletes to nikefree.com. Both a 30-second and a 60-second spot
have been created. The spot will launch on FOX's "American Idol", Tuesday, May
24.
The new line includes four new shoes for running and cross training: The
Nike Free Women's Runner 5.0, Nike Free Men's Runner 5.0, Nike Free Freedom
Mid 5.0 and Nike Free Trainer 5.0. The Nike FREE line will continue to
develop into other areas of sport during the next six months, including Trail,
Walking and Kids. In addition, just in time for the Tour de France, Nike is
introducing a Lance-inspired Nike FREE shoe with signature yellow band, are
part of the 10//2 Collection, which gives $1 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation
for every article sold.
The Nike FREE 5.0 was awarded the 2005 Outside Magazine Gear of the Year
award for the Road Running Shoe category.
NIKE, Inc. based in Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading designer,
marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment
and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly
owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and
distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey
Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan(R),
which designs, markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and
accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes
action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter
Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for
the value retail channel.
SOURCE NIKE, Inc.
