Apple x Nike

Let’s face it: most people don’t get too excited about the idea of a 5-mile run. But what if you could run totally hands-free, with a watch cheering you on while you listen to your favorite songs and pretend that they’re the soundtrack to the epic movie of your life? In that case, you might do another mile just to keep daydreaming. 

Apple and Nike go together like music and exercise, which is why their co-branded products have a way of making you feel like an Olympic athlete on a winning streak.

Their first collaboration happened long before the rise of wearable fitness technology. In 2006, the brands developed a sports kit that allowed you to personalize your running workouts. It came with a small chip to place inside your Nike sneakers that would connect to your iPod Nano and track your steps, speed, and calories burned. It also let you set running goals and curate songs to match your desired tempo. 

The kit was innovative for its time, but we’ve clearly come a long way. The brands’ next big announcement was a sportier version of the Apple Watch we all know and love. 

The Apple Watch Nike was made with runners in mind. It has a slip-resistant band and a big neon watch face that moves in response to your body, so you can see your time and distance without triggering a migraine. It also syncs up automatically to the Nike+ Run Club App, which is basically a personal running coach and cheerleading squad.

These may seem like minor differences, but when it comes to running, even a small improvement can change your entire experience.

Making wearable technology specifically for athletes was a strategic move since sports and fitness are becoming a bigger part of people's lives. This was true when the watch came out in 2016, and it’s even more true now. 

Partnering with Apple gave Nike instant access to the world of tech. It’s a lot easier to build fitness-tracking technology when you have Apple’s reputation and skillset by your side.

For Apple, teaming up with the world's biggest sporting brand gave them an opportunity to embrace a new purpose for their technology. Making fitness-tracking more customizable, motivational, and enjoyable allowed Apple to connect with their athletic customers on a more personal level.

While we haven’t heard of any new Apple  x Nike wearables, this partnership is far from over. Their next adventure involves a whole new vertical: feature films. With Apple’s aesthetically pleasing technology and Nike’s knack for motivation, these films are sure to inspire the athlete in all of us. 

Apple and Nike’s intuitive partnership is a great example of how you can capture a shared audience by leveraging brands’ unique and overlapping strengths.