On March 3, I gave a strong credit to the Nike football kits for the World Cup. They are made from 8 recycled plastic bottles and consequently Nike is making a bold statement by integrating the sustainable element to football. No doubt that it will be a great buzz during the World Cup in South Africa.

The swoosh did not overlook retail distribution though. The Federations shirts will be sold…………in a plastic bottle. I would hope that they have not used more bottles for jersey packaging than bottles to make those jerseys! A simple pull tab in the middle of the bottle hides the opening, and the federation shirt is yours. The idea is simple, inspirational and smart. We may wonder why using a plastic bottle to sell shirts made from plastic bottles. Well, as a marketer, I would argue that selling jersey made out of a plastic bottle IN a plastic bottle was the best marketing element to drive the consumer’s purchase. In addition, an interesting add on is a USB key which stores Nike press releases and HD pictures of the complete range. A cool way to provide a unique gift for clients: Marketing Lagniappe?

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