The Story
The only thing runners like as much as running is talking about running. That's why Nike partnered with WeChat to extend the reach of its Nike+ Run Club to the Chinese market. By tapping into China's no. 1 social platform, Nike hoped to attract new users to the club, establishing running communities throughout the country and transforming talk – the so-called enemy of action – into the best running partner ever.
The message is the medium. Instead of creating yet another app or social network, Nike simply created a WeChat account runners could chat with – exactly as they did with their co-runners every single day. The difference? Nike+ Run Club replied not with just another message, but with action points to push your run such as run routes and crews. Runners received lists of run crews to join, based on their location and data and optimised running routes based on their location.
