Nike’s Branded Storytelling

With the Olympics in full swing, Nike has gone all out to promote their vast new lineup of products and the innovative technology behind them.

But rather than rely solely on classic Nike advertising with hardcore athletes doing their thing to a rocking soundtrack, they've rounded out their advertising strategy with an impressive, in-depth collection of conversations with the people behind the Nike magic - product designers, engineers and scientists in the Nike Lab.

In introducing the new technology, Nike needed to take the time to explain the new ideas and achievements of the Flywire and Lunarlite.

This is a great example of providing marketing with meaning, as the Nike Lab site provides in-depth information and a compelling story to both inform and inspire the customer. Additionally, it touches on some of the key principles in developing a strong brand personality by delivering the kind of story that is unique, authentic and talkable.
Ed Cotton of BSSP has a good take on Nike's initiative: 

It's a reminder that all brands have the opportunity to tell much big stories because the media bandwidth available to do so is that much bigger and costs nothing. It's safe to assume that in the near future, these brand stories will have as much creative importance as advertising does today.

As companies wrestle with new forms of storytelling, Nike has touched on a great model for pulling back the curtain and letting customers behind the scenes to discover a piece of the Nike experience.