Report From the e-Trenches

Back to Contents of Issue: February 2001


Quinn Taw, director of media and brand content at site builder FlyingColor Group, explains the firm's strategy for building the Nike Presto i-mode site.
by Daniel Scuka
The secret to building any mobile Web site, explains Taw, is to leverage a client's mobile site against their traditional Web site, and use each to drive traffic to the other. Also, remember that the site visitor is probably on the move; What can the site provide that the mobile surfer might need while out and about? Traditional brand building and image consciousness are important too. "We felt that Nike's Presto i-mode site should equal self-expression, and the creative strategy was to connect the shoe -- and its varied colors -- to emotions and the power of indie music in Japanese youth culture," he says. In addition to the complimentary wired Web site, Nike also used mainline media (transit and magazine ad placements) to boost the Presto campaign.

Taw says the Nike campaign was different because the firm choose i-mode plus a traditional Web site to communicate with their young, hip target; it ran as a "guerrilla" campaign with the messages, creative executions, promotional activity, and other media all integrated and pointing back to the Web sites; and the mobile site gathered visitors' i-mode email addresses and permission for future Nike marketing efforts. "The Presto i-mode site includes all the can currently be done on the i-mode network," says Taw.

FlyingColor isn't the first site builder to seize on music as the perfect content paradigm for the mobile Web, and connecting a brand to Tokyo's vibrant club culture is a tactic taken by many when the client is looking for increased brand recognition. Nike's mobile Presto site includes the usual product information and store maps, but also has links where visitors can listen to songs specially commissioned by Nike from several indie bands, play games to win the Nike enhanced CD (full versions of the songs plus video), access downloadable chakumelo and animations, and signup for a weekly newsletter.

And how does technology affect strategy? Keep in mind that later this year, with the launch of 3G high-speed mobile services, there'll be no need to have visitors vie to win a CD. Site owners will be able to provide streaming mobile and video right to the keitai.

NIKE'S PRESTO SITES
Mobile version
www.presto-i.com/i/html/home.html
Wired Web version
www.presto-i.com/index.html#
(Your browser will need Japanese language support.)

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