Nike tries a new medium for advertising: Web logs

IHT.com: "Gawker Media, a small company that publishes Web logs on culture and politics, like Gawker and Wonkette, has begun blogging on behalf of major advertisers. The established Gawker Media sites receive from 400,000 to 700,000 visitors each month, according to Denton, but Nike executives said the important point was quality, not quantity.

The company's first paid blog is for Nike. Called Art of Speed, the blog will spend about a month showcasing a series of 15 short films on the theme of speed, all commissioned by Nike. Gawker Media Contract Productions, a new division of Gawker Media, will supply layout, commentary, links and other features. Terms were not disclosed.

Although Nike did not exercise editorial control beyond contributing the 15 films, bloggers said they wondered whether bought-and-paid-for content could succeed in the idiosyncratic world of Web logs, where an independent and acerbic streak - particularly when it comes to mainstream media - is highly valued.

Steve Hall, the publisher of Adrants, a blog about the ad industry, said Nike would benefit. "Is Nike going to see a massive increase in revenue and market share from this? No," he said. "Are they going to generate some good feelings and low-level buzz? Yes."