Dive Brief:
- Nike is sponsoring Portland's new bike-share program, which is set to roll out 1,000 orange bikes with shoebox-like baskets in July.
- The hometown brand will pay $10 million to sponsor the “Biketown” program’s first five years.
- About 60 cities operate bikeshares in the United States, offering an eco-friendly, health-conscious option for people to get around.
Dive Insight:
Nike is engaging in a high-profile out-of-home sponsorship by giving its longtime headquarters, Portland, $10 million to launch a bike-share program. “Biketown” will feature 1,000 durable bicycles painted Nike orange and adorned with baskets resembling the Nike shoebox, complete with a swoosh logo.
New York City-based companies will operate the program and supply the bicycles. Nonetheless, the sponsorship reinforces Nike’s “Just Do It” active-lifestyle-for-everyone positioning and plants its flag squarely in the hometown market. Nike and sporting apparel competitor Under Armour battled over the latter’s sponsorship of a Portland city park in September.
About 60 cities in the United States operate bike shares. While many are underwritten by the municipalities themselves, others are supported by firms eager to support healthy lifestyles. Boston’s bikeshare, for example, is sponsored by shoe manufacturer New Balance, and health insurer SelectHealth underwrites Salt Lake City’s.
