Thursday, October 29, 2015

Nike to Use Weather App to Sell Its Clothing

What if you could receive clothing recommendations based on local weather conditions? Nike is planning on doing this with a new ad campaign through the Weather Channel mobile app. Users of the app will be able to see ads from Nike that offer clothing best suited for the local weather.
This ad campaign is part of a new trend in advertising focused on mobile apps. According to the New York Times, Americans spend a majority of their time online using mobile apps. Because of this, companies like Nike are trying to increase their online sales by placing advertisements in the Weather Channel app. Many other companies like Starbucks and State Farm have tried similar approaches in order to boost their online presence. This new way of advertising is innovative because it uses the location tracking technology found in smartphones to create advertisements relevant for each customer. By tracking the location and weather conditions of mobile app users, Nike can offer products suited specifically for the customer at that moment in time. With this, Nike can offer products that are more relevant to the daily needs of customers and can easily grab their attention. By clicking on the advertisement, users will be taken to Nike’s website where they can purchase gear and clothing that has been offered to them based on their location’s weather. This allows for a quick and easy way for customers to find Nike products that cater to their needs. Through this, Nike hopes to boost its online sales by making its products more readily available to potential buyers. 
Though this could be a potentially great way for Nike to increase its sales, it may also raise some concerns among customers. Some may see the location tracking advertisements as an invasion of privacy as Nike can suggest products based on wherever they may be. This innovation may also lead to more companies tracking customers’ locations and using this data to their advantage. It is possible that many will see these potential developments as unethical. Many companies could be able to see where people are at all times if this technological trend continues. Though the article mentioned that there are currently no in-app ad blockers to deter these sort of advertisements yet, there could be a large demand for them in the future if more people want to better protect their privacy online.

Ember, Sydney. "Nike Embraces Weather App in Campaign to Sell Gear Suited to Local Conditions." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/business/nike-embraces-weather-app-in-campaign-to-sell-gear-suited-to-local-conditions.html

2 comments:

  1. I think that this new ad campaign for Nike is more of a convenience factor than anything else. Today, everyone is so tech savvy and equipped with performing acts through their smart phone that people will definitely use this. The only time I see this having a negative impact on Nike is if the weather in an area drastically changes. That is very rare, so I don’t see Nike facing any serious problems in the future. I don’t think many people will see this as invasion of privacy or unethical because so many apps that are doing well today ask for your current location. If this was one of the first apps asking for specific location then it would be a major problem. But a lot of apps ask for your current location, so I don’t see it having a negative impact on Nike because people have become a custom to it. Overall, I find this blog very interesting and am excited to see how it works out for Nike.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I found this to be a very interesting article, primarily because this demonstrates the next level of advertising. Nike being able to advertise specific products because of the weather demonstrates that not only are ads dependent on us, but they will most likely start to also depend on other variables. In Nike’s case, this variable happens to be the weather. Based on the weather, Nike is able to advertise specific products.
    This new program that Nike is launching is planning to be focused on mobile apps. This is a smart move for Nike. Choosing mobile apps rather than computer apps helps keep Nike’s technology state of the art, and this appeals to a majority of Nike’s demographic. Although Nike does dominate most of the clothing market, it’s demographic does tend to be towards younger people. This happens to be shown due to the fact that Nike is planning on bringing this form of advertisement to mobile phones, rather than other mediums of advertisement. Using mobile phones to streamline this advertising to customers will help Nike’s sales skyrocket. Not only will this be effective for sales, but due to the fact that programs such as Apple pay, Android pay, and other programs that expedite the billing process are available on smartphones, Nike will be able to sell its items quicker than ever!
    Although some people may believe that this may be a concern for Nike, I believe it is not. This feeling of concern may come from the fact that people are being tracked on their phones. The weather we get comes from our location. However, at the same time, mobile phones such as iPhones and Androids can turn location services off whenever the user feels like it. Also, this weather/clothes advertising service may not always depend on location services being on. It may be possible to open the app, tell it your zip code, or possible the county you are in, and it will tell you the weather of your current location. Because of this, location services will not need to be activated to use the app to find the weather, and purchase clothes accordingly.
    In conclusion, Nike coming out with a weather app to help sell clothing is a breakthrough idea. With the potential that technology has today, Nike should embrace this new program, and increase sales. This comes primarily from the ability customers will now have to buy clothes easily, by simply using Apple Pay, Android Pay, or any other third party ways to expedite the process of purchasing items.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.