Vitrue at SXSW

Stefan Olander – NIKE, Inc. - VP, Digital Sport
Fred Santarpia – VEVO - General Manager
Andrew Wilson – EVP and Head of EA Sports
Allyson Felix – Track and Field Athlete; Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist
Jimmy Fallon — Moderator

This may have been one of the most anticipated panels for me for two reasons.  The first is that I’ve always admired Nike and how they inspire their audience and move their communities.  The second is a little more obvious, his name is Jimmy Fallon.

I made sure to arrive 45 minutes early— the line still wrapped around the entire floor of the hotel.  But I had no reason to be surprised. The session starts with a roaring welcome for the panelists and Jimmy and kicks off with a fun introduction about what Nike is doing with their Nike+ program and the thoughts behind it. 

With Nike+, users can track their physical activity throughout the day and share with their friends.  It turns athletics into a social game.  The thought process from Nike is that if users are empowered with knowledge of how they are working out- they will increase their physical activity. Know more, do more.

When the conversation turned to athletics becoming a social game, Jimmy referenced the video game SIMS and how his avatar running on the treadmill in the virtual world was the most social exercise he had. Of course, laughs followed.  Once the panels began wrapping up, they started Q&A.  I honestly can’t remember this guys question, but it ended with him and Fallon facing off in a sprint race.  See video below for the hilarity.