I’m a big fan of Nike and their marketing savvyness (not sure if that is a word, but I do like it). I like adidas products better and their marketing is great too, but obviously Nike was one of the first companies to truly shake up the traditional marketing scene.

So recently Nike did it again with the introduction of a new shoe designed specifically for American Indians in an effort to promote physical fitness with this population which is known for having high obesity rates. The new shoe is called the Air Native N7 and has a larger fit to match the larger foots of American Indians. It has a very cool design that is culturally fitting and is being distributed to tribal wellness programs and schools nationwide at very low costs. And the N7 name is connected to the seventh generation theory that some tribes follow, looking back three generations for wisdom and three generations ahead for their legacy.

Nike went an awesome step further by announcing that all of the profits from the shoes are being reinvested in health programs for American Indians as well. The company announced that they checked out the feet of Indians from more than 70 tribes and found that they all have much wider and taller foots than the average shoe accommodates. For example, the average shoe width of the population was three width sizes larger than the standard Nike shoe.

This is a great example of a creative way a company truly believes in the need to help society in whatever way it can and does something about it, and truly doesn’t try to find a way to make lots of money at the same time. Go Nike!