Filmmaker Casey Neistat would have us believe that he's taken a page straight from the Steve Miller playbook with his latest project for Nike. As the newly spun yarn goes, Nike gave Neistat an undisclosed pile of cash to make a film about the Nike+ Fuelband. Instead, [ahem!] Neistat spent the money taking his friends on a round-the-world adventure. Says TNW,

In a voyage that included France, Kenya, Egypt and numerous other countries, Neistat and Joseph are pictured doing everything from riding bikes to cliff diving. While it may not have been what Nike had in mind (or was it?), the YouTube video has the potential to be one of those viral greats that come along far too infrequently.

Now the obvious question – Did Nike know what they were getting into before they gave Neistat the cash? It’s possible. But the end result is fantastic nevertheless.

Agreed. The video is great. Round The World in 10 Days is an adventure most people would love to have, so the premise alone is likely to strike common chord and get a ton of video views.

The setup is pretty clever, too—that Neistat took a pile of cash from the man, said eff you and took his friends on a trip around the world. However, the result is exactly what Nike had in mind, otherwise we wouldn't be seeing this video and Neistat would be getting sued for breach of contract.

The video is an excellent reminder that if you want people to watch and share your branded content, "show the product, show the product, make the logo bigger" ain't the way to go. Props to Neistat for the idea and to Nike for letting him run with it. (Pun intended.)