Ekin: Nike Brand Evangelists

heyitsnoah:

Buried in this article about Nike’s digital strategy is an interesting tidbit about the company’s culture:

Ekins are official company storytellers employed to evangelise about the Nike brand and its sports technology. Before being unleashed on the world, Ekins are required to undergo an almost military-like training regime comprising a nine-day rookie camp at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon and a full day’s running at the Hayward field track where Bill Bowerman worked as a track coach. Almost unbelievably, as a further sign of their devotion to the brand, each Ekin is then invited to have the Nike ‘swoosh’ tattooed on their ankle ahead of their ‘graduation’.

I’m pretty fascinated by the ways different companies ensure their culture is passed on. It seems to be a pretty central part of the long-term success of an organization.

Via: Ekin: Nike Brand Evangelists // NoahBrier.com

My immediate thought when reading this was whether the value of being able to share the Nike ankle tattoo story was greater than the positive impact of a dedicated evangelist force, when it comes to Nike’s branding.

Is it more important to have a select few with that level of dedication, or to be perceived as a company that creates something which can inspire that level of dedication?

heyitsnoah