While the perception of elite sportsmen, and women, is that they exist beyond the realms of normality it is often forgotten that at one stage they were a fan. Just like those that cheer and follow them from the stands these supporters are the nucleus of all sporting activities and we are all one in some way.
That said not all of us are able to engage with the sporting elite and experience the perks that the status entails. Noting this theme the partnership between Nike and the NBA, which was announced in 2015, has allowed the concept of NikeConnect to come to fruition. The activation is one that bridges the physicality of apparel with the digital sphere via the NikeConnect app.
Hidden within the Nike NBA jerseys jock tag the connect coding enables wearers to become immersed in a world of personalised content, sneaker exclusives and playlists relevant to the icons of their team via their smartphone. Yet marriage of technology and apparel also breathes life into social elements such as GIFS to share and invites to game days for active users.
With this being the first-time Nike have demonstrated the capability for accessing premium content through clothing it does ask the question whether we are we soon to see the concept expand to other sports that have definitive Nike affiliations. By touching the end user Nike have demonstrated the importance of having fans interact instead of simply ‘watching’ from the side lines – an enticing prospect for all sports fans.
The NikeConnect app is available for both Android and iOS 11 (iPhone 7 or newer; Android devices with NFC capability) globally. The Nike NBA Connected Jerseys launch September 29 in store and at nike.com/nba.
NIKE.com
