AdAge.com looks at Nike's new "Art of Speed" blog on gawker.com that it calls a public experiment that other marketers will watch closely.

The Art of Speed, which appeared earlier this month, showcases the work of 15 innovative filmmakers to interpret the idea of speed -- a branding concept Nike is pushing leading up to the Olympics. It was masterminded by interactive shop RG/A, which developed the site, the trailer and the introduction of nikelab.com. While R/GA is responsible for the overall Art of Speed campaign, creative for the blog is handled by Gawker's creative team.

The article points out that Art of Speed lacks the typical personal voice and diary-like qualities that would normally earn the moniker "blog." But that apparently is not necessarily a problem, according to Colleen DeCourcy, executive creative director at online communications agency Organic, as long as gawker retains its credibility. Go figure:

Gawker's credibility is what really matters. In some circles, Gawker has more authenticity than Nike. That's why blogs really work for advertisers, because of the credibility of the blog.

Also, according to the article Nike is not the only net-savvy marketer trying to take advantage of the blog upswing. Microsoft is working on MSN Blogbot, which presents relevant blogs to consumers in response to search queries, said Becky Emmett, an MSN spokeswoman. And Oxygen Media launched a blog to promote its new show Good Girls Don't.

I had a look at it earlier today. It sucks. No, really.

The conclusion is ponderous:

Whether blogs will develop into a happening medium for big brands depends on whether they can figure out how to use the sites in the same spirit readers do.

And Ms. DeCourcy strikes gold with this one:

Marketers can't really take part in the dialogue on the blog because it would be inauthentic. It's like plastic surgery: You can tell fake conversations.

I think I like her.

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