A few weeks ago, I went to a running store to buy new running shoes. After a couple of tests I knew my perfect running shoes. It turned out to be the Nike Pegasus.
Unfortunately though, the store had only one pair left. And that pair had a color scheme that didn’t really match my taste (to put it mildly).
So I drove home, opened my laptop and fired up the Nike website.
Personalization to the extreme
There I learned that I could buy the Nike Pegasus shoes in various color schemes… and that I could customize my own pair of shoes:
With NIKEiD, I could customize almost everything from the width of the shoe, the cushioning, the type of sole, the top material, the color of the lining, the laces, the iconic swoosh all the way up to… the labels on the shoe tongues.
After a few minutes, I came up with the following result: a bold mixture of black and fluorescent yellow and… my first name on the shoe tongues. Personalization to the extreme!
I ordered ‘my’ shoes straight away.
Good communication is priceless
Ordering went smoothly, and in the following days Nike updated me regularly about the creation and the whereabouts of my new shoes:
Within 2 weeks I received my personalized shoes by mail. When I opened the box the shoes looked even better than on my computer screen. I couldn’t wait to try them out.
Nike goes the extra mile
So I did, but not before posting the following tweet:
Before leaving home for my test run, I received a reply from Nike wishing me the best of luck. And not just an automated reply… This was a reply from someone who had identified my new shoes as Nike Pegasus’ straight away!
@vanbael Hit the streets and let us know how many heads you turn in those Pegasus’.
— NIKEiD (@NIKEiD) November 13, 2013
This little personalized tweet gave me an extra boost to run faster than usual. And so I ended up sending this tweet later that evening:
@NIKEiD I think I just fell in love with a pair of shoes! My new Pegasus’ rock! Just ran my fastest 5K ever.
— Christophe Van Bael (@vanbael) November 13, 2013
Nice! Before hitting the shower I received a new tweet from @NIKEiD:
@vanbael We’re glad to hear it, Christophe. Keep up the hard work in your new iD’s.
— NIKEiD (@NIKEiD) November 13, 2013
Again a very personal tweet. This personal engagement felt great. Just great! I am one happy customer!
Nike rocks at customer engagement!
Nike may spend a fortune on marketing, but they truly rock at customer engagement. From the follow-up mails after the purchase to the tweets before and after my first run, Nike delivered an outstanding performance!
It seems that they use the emotional state of their customers (excitement about a new shoe or a great run) to build a relation on the personal level. That’s powerful stuff! Oh, and in case you’d wonder, they respond to negative tweets as well. Quickly and correctly. That’s great marketing too!
The moral of this story
Nike shows that marketing is more than a department. They delivered a great customer experience from start to end. They allowed me to personalize my shoe, they updated me on the whereabouts of my new shoes, they replied to my tweets… They combined great marketing with customer engagement.
And that’s smart, really smart. Because if you combine marketing with customer engagement you can convert customers into fans. And fans help you spread your message. Like I do right now. This is powerful stuff, and it is not that hard to accomplish.
Just do it!
And keep doing it. You will probably reap the benefits soon.
How do you make sure your customers spread your message?
I look forward to reading your answers and/or questions through the contact form below.
Marketing op maat van je bedrijf
Wil je aan de slag met de marketing voor je bedrijf? Contacteer ons voor meer informatie, we helpen je graag verder.
Een maand geleden startte Freya De Berti als Marketing Project Manager bij Lincelot. Hoog tijd voor een diepte-interview en een blik achter de schermen!
