Nike have always been a radical company, out on the edge. Their business model created cheap shoes for the US. By running "sweatshops", detractors claimed. Supporters; that globalized factories contributed wealth to developing countries. Take your pick. But they can market. They do know trends.

Now, Nike have turned the basketball game, NBA2K6, into a fantastic, marketing billboard for their shoes. And, bigger picture, internet ordering tool. In the game, winning brings new levels to master, and new Nike shoes to design. There's tight integration to Nike ID. Real world, Nike ID is a design your own shoe tool. You design colors, logos, a look on a 3D shoe site. Then these shoes get delivered.

Nike thinks big. When Nike ID relaunched, cell phone users could design a shoe and see it on the Reuters billboard on Times Square, New York  But Nike has also placed its products into  games such as NBA Live, FIFA Street, NCAA Football; Gran Turismo 4 featured an unlockable car with Nike brand.

So do Nike now think games will drive change in consumer buying? ie Comfortable playing shoe maker in a videogame? Then, hey, buy the shoes online in the real cyber world. We know games are bigger annual revenue earners than the movies. Will games now also displace TV as key movers of taste amongst players; predominantly young adults?  Perhaps, this coming basketball season will tell.