Nike’s Lightning strikes!
Lightning is a line of sports shoes for children. Exclusively designed for the little growing up feet.
Background:
The World Health Organization recommends intense play and activity for children. They recommend in the least 60 minutes of Moderate to Vigorous physical activity daily and also mention that more of it will lead to additional health benefits. They also recommend that the exercises must be aerobic and bone loading aimed to increase the muscle tone. This recommendation is specific to children in the age group of 5 – 17 years.
Increasing body weight has been an area of serious concern globally and specifically in the developed countries. This aspect of living was swept under the carpet for a long time and now has popped up as a serious issue that cannot be under the carpet any longer. People with body mass index (BMI) of over 30 are classified as obese. It is estimated that there are fourteen million Australians who are obese, and Australia is considered one of the fattest nations and that the prevalence of obesity has almost increased 100% in the last two decades! There have been a number of fallouts due to increasing body weight. Life style diseases like diabetes have increased severely increasing medical costs dramatically in the last two decades or so. A number of contributory factors have identified – including the digital technology, increasing popularity of social networking sites, lack of incentives to go outside among a variety of other factors.
In a study by the Government of Victoria’s Department of Human Service has indicated something very disturbing – one-third of children in the age range of 5 – 19 years would be overweight and / or obese by 2025. This is actually shocking. They have also made a prediction of BMI for various age groups (shown):
The same study report has gone further to indicate the percentages of the prevalence as shown below:
Obesity and overweight have a severe impact on the health of individuals that could lead to Type-II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This will increase in disease burden and the cost of medical care in Australia.
Physical activity is known to contribute to good health in people. According to one more study that was conducted in 2011-12 pre-schoolers and toddlers spent six hours in physical activity, and 83 minutes in sedentary activities. It also went further to record that children between the ages of 5 – 17 years spent 91 minutes in physical activity and 136 minutes in screen based activity and decreasing physical activity with age. Based on all these inputs the Department of Health – Government of Australia has made recommendations for physical activity for children – the same moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as recommended by WHO and has even created a very exciting looking communique for this purpose (shown)
The opportunity:
This is a great opportunity for Nike to make inroads into the market and take a pie of that sedentary and screen-oriented children. Nike can also be seen to be contributing to the national health, and this is a something that is important for the company.
The primary line for this campaign would be:
“Bringing Fun Back into Growing up!”
Nike will present the Lightning shoes like designer shoes, predominantly designed for the age group of 5- 17 years with the aim of Bringing Fun Back into Growing up and encouraging them to put the shoes on, feel the spring in the air and go out and have fun. Tell them it is important to have fun outdoors. It is important make friends outside of the screen-world. It is important to go for that jog, skate, gym or whatever that will make them healthy. And all it takes is just one hour of activity. Tell them that physical activity makes them feel good. Tell them that Lightning is cool and needed! Ensure initial acceptance and buy in to create peer pressure in that age group. National sporting heroes especially those who have won acclaim in the international arena – Olympics, international cricket, soccer can be used to endorse the importance of having fun outdoors and how Nike lightning has helped them do it. This element of fun needs to be the focus while using physical activity as the props in the back ground.
The “having fun element” running around, swinging, climbing trees et, al., can be part of the fun activities, for the launch a Special activity festival around the country is planned as part of the launch campaign. It is proposed to launch the shoes at five important cities simultaneous announcing the launch of Lightning using bill boards and print media advertisements. The outdoor media and print media will be complemented with the use of TV and internet for the first three months of the campaign. Print media will be stopped at the end of 90 days of the campaign.
After the 90 days focussed activities for school children in terms of pre-Christmas physical activity competitions that will include a variety of events including, but not limited to track and field events will be conducted at an individual school, city and finally in the new at the national level. All the participants in the school events will be given 20% discount coupons and winners will be given 25% discount coupons. Non-participating students will be given the option of walking into the store and on purchase of Lightning; a free gift hamper will be given. The winners at the city level – those going to the National level will be given a few set of lightning shoes. Interviews will be conducted to set the tone of excitement at the events, and the same will be beamed on TV and on the internet.
These activities will generate a lot of enthusiasm among the children, and they will start pestering their parents for a pair of Lightning shoes for either the Christmas or New Year. This is bound to ensure meeting of the revenue targets from this line of products for Nike.
Bibliography
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). 4364.0.55.004 - Australian Health Survey: Physical Activity, 2011-12 . Melbourne: Australian Bureau of Statistics.
modi. (2013, August 6). Obesity in Australia - Facts and figures. Retrieved from modi - breakthrough treatments for Obesity and Diabetes: http://www.modi.monash.edu.au/obesity-facts-figures/obesity-in-australia/
World Health Organization. (2014). Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Health ACtivity and Health. Retrieved from who: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_young_people/en/
