adidas and Samsung have recently launched the running training handset “miCoach” that takes on the Nike+ training system – a product line jointly developed, launched and marketed by Nike and Apple - as it features comparable functionalities like the Nike+iPod Sport kit.

The “miCoach” system is build around a Samsung/adidas branded mobile phone and comes - in addition to equipment like a compatible apparel line and a training website - with several sports features like a heart rate monitor and a stride sensor chip to fit all running shoes.

The main differences to the Nike+ training system is that “miCoach” works with all kind of running shoes and that it is based on a mobile phone instead of a mp3 player (iPod). “miCoach” was launched last month and from the microsite information it seems that it is available for about 400 Euro in Germany, UK, Russia, Spain and Switzerland. Soon it will also be launched in Italy, Ukraine and the Netherlands. In Germany, the set is sold at adidas and Samsung stores and at the o2 online store.

adidas and Samsung have jointly worked on the “miCoach” for almost two years. While adidas provided expertise in the area of sports and developed the monitoring and website training system, Samsung developed the matching mobile phone.

Print ad

Both partners promote the joint product, but the communication measures are quite different. Samsung’s “miCoach” print ad (see above) focuses on the mobile phone, while adidas is putting the training system in the focus of its measures. These differences can been seen best on the two individual microsites that were developed for “miCoach”. While both websites have the same features for the training program, Samsung’s microsite (see below) concentrates on the mobile phone and the adidas training website focuses on the training system with no visibile integration of the Samsung logo at all. Samsung and adidas even use slightly different “miCoach” logos.

Microsite www.micoach.samsungmobile.com

Microsite www.micoach.com

In the joint commercial the adidas logo as well as the adidas microsite is used:

This is not adidas first co-operation of this kind. In 2005, adidas already launched a training product in collaboration with Polar, a producer of heart rate monitors, that is comparable with “miCoach”. The technology of the Polar product and “miCoach” is probably quite similar.

http://www.adidas-polar.com/phase5/index.html
Press release: adidas and Polar introduce the world’s first completely integrated training system

As the Samsung and adidas co-operation was announced as a long-term strategic partnership, it remains to be seen what other products the co-operation will bring to market. Eventually, the continuation of this partnership will probably depend on how successful “miCoach” will be.

For the press release see the adidas website