Not expecting something quite so memorable, I recently came across this viral video for a company which sells ankle insurance – or, rather Nike selling ankle support with a comedic twist.

The host of the ‘infomercial’ is the president of the Ankle Insurance co., Kobe Bryant. Kobe also happens to be a LA Lakers shooting guard, US basketball Olympian and one of the most valued players in the NBA.

Not A Dramatisation.

BROKEN. ANKLES.

Avoid them with Ankle Insurance coverage, or more specifically the new Nike basketball ‘unorthodoxly low-cut shoes’, the Zoom Kobe IV.

Nike did a good job of creating this off-the-wall video which is gaining momentum online. Viral Video Chart reports 575,124 views, 195 blog posts and 1,192 comments since January 15.

Apart from providing a laugh, the video is designed to drive users to a dedicated website, titled notmybrokenankles.com. From here, users can read more on the very real dangers of broken ankles, view other shoes in the range, view the profiles of other NBA players, catch up on Nike inspired basketball news and even join the ‘Ballers Network’ which allows users to join other ‘ballers’, create teams and organise games at courts in their respective neighbourhoods.

Users can also compile claims (customised videos) to send to their on-court victims, to let them know about the new high risk coverage.

The site is extremely pretty and full of content a basketball fan would want, but it is a bit heavy on the ol’ resources. It seems Nike put a lot of work into this campaign and I’m sure it is paying off big time.