Another post about Nike but they have been making more moves when it comes to what they are doing next with Nike+ and FuelBands.  In a release made just before Christmas they have really gone for the jugular when it comes to gamification.

Since the FuelBand was released this time last year, to great fanfare, they have been adding new features to keep consumers hooked.  The gamifying of everyday activities is something that has been around us for a couple of years and been done with varying degrees of success.  Our pals at We Play have written a series on gamification (in case you are interested and like to find out more).

Back to Nike – the game is powered by the user’s everyday movement and uses NikeFuel to track and monitor progress. Based on the difficulty level that the user chooses, they’re challenged to earn a specific amount of NikeFuel to move to the next level. Each mission and level is played against the clock and utilizes any device that collects NikeFuel, including the Nike+ FuelBand.

During each mission the user meets a Nike athlete — Calvin Johnson, Allyson Felix, Alex Morgan or Neymar Jr. — who provides advice and suggests innovative products to help the player battle the elements and get to the next mission.

After each mission, users can sync the Nike+ device to track their progress. If they haven’t reached their goal, they can replay the mission.

NikeFuel Missions is available to play now at www.nike.com/missions

Here is a typically cool Nike video to go along with the launch…

Nike has taken management of its social media marketing in-house and away from its digital advertising agencies in an effort to get closer to its fans.

The company’s internal social media teams will now manage all online communities from its Portland, Oregon headquarters after previously outsourcing the responsibility to agencies such as AKQA, Wieden & Kennedy, Mindshare and R/GA.

It follows a review by Nike’s senior director for social media and community Musa Tariq who pushed for the brand to assume full control of its social media offering following his arrival from Burberry last October.

The move, which is thought to taken place in November, is part of a broader effort from the business to gain a deeper understanding as to how its consumers interact with the brand on its owned social networks such as Nike Plus as well as on third party platforms.

Rival sports brands are also looking at effective ways to gain a more detailed understanding of their social media fanbase. Puma is working with an agency to reach young football fans on Twitter and Facebook, while Reebok has opted to conduct its own audit of all its social media profiles after declining offers from agencies.

Digital marketing experts observe that the role of agencies in managing social media is changing as marketers become more comfortable with developing their own strategies.

Roger Warner, director at social media agency Beyond, says: “Three years ago most brands didn’t really have a clear understanding of the impact social media would have on internal resources or their marketing strategies. Fast-forward and there are now roles in marketing departments focused solely on sharing and publishing content all the time. The smarter agencies have figured out that their value in the mix is on the idea rather than the day-to-day community management.”

Nike is putting more marketing muscle behind its digital initiatives, claiming that online channels are more valuable to its business strategy than traditional advertising. In the US alone, Nike has reduced spend on television and print advertisements by 40 per cent over the last three years, while its global marketing budget has steadily risen over the same period as the brand invests more in digital initiatives.

Nike declined to comment on the move. A spokesman for the business adds: “We never comment on speculation about our future plans so we won’t be able to confirm or deny.”

Article from Marketing Week