Like plenty of other kids around the world in the mid 80’s and early 90’s, my room was wallpapered with pictures of number #23. Big glossy NBA posters, pages torn from Sports Illustrated, action shots from newspapers. They all made it up there but my favourite images were always the Nike created ones. Starting with the humorous Mars Blackmon campaign my fascination with the everything Jordan grew during my teenage years. I still have a slightly tattered Wings poster rolled up awaiting plaque mounting for the new office space. My all time favourite poster is on display in my current digs, framed with anti-glare glass and offering daily inspiration.

Since those early days Nike and eventually Brand Jordan has captured the hearts and wallets of millions of basketball enthusiasts across the world.  A project that began with a young company putting their name on the line with an unproven rookie who didn’t even like their product has become an empire of shoes, apparel, equipment worth hundreds of millions to a parent company that has become one of the biggest global brands in history . So, what’s the secret to success for a company built around an athlete that (officially) retired from the sport six years ago?

Authenticity

We mentioned that Michael initially didn’t care for Nike. He had always worn Adidas or Converse and was only persuaded by agent David Falk to join the company after they promised to develop his own line of shoes. The first Air Jordan’s broke the mold for basketball shoes. In a market where the choices were typically white or beige, the black and red Air Jordan I’s created so much controversy they were initially banned from the NBA. Jordan defiantly kept wearing them resulting in a $5,000 fine per game, happily paid for by Nike. The two mavericks couldn’t have scripted better publicity for their new product but it was born out of the character of the company and the individual. Neither was about to let someone else tell them what to do. At the same time they both kept doing what they do best. Make great products and put up amazing numbers on the basketball court.

The turning point for both Jordan and Nike came with the Air Jordan III. When the original shoe designers left to start their own company Nike brought in the now legendary Tinker Hatfield to come up with a new concept.  Tinker stunned management by demanding that Jordan himself be involved in the shoe’s design and technology. The shoes became infused with Michael’s own persona, something no other product could ever hope to duplicate. Nothing is more authentic than the best basketball player in the world designing his own shoes.

Creativity & Innovation

There’s no denying that it helps to have the best player in the game as your pitchman. Jordan’s talent was rivaled only by his own commitment to being the best. The lethal combination of drive, skills and focus made him unbeatable in his prime. What most people forget is that Michael was also the most creative athlete in any sport at the time and almost entirely responsible for the look and feel of this entire generation of basketball players. From baggy shorts to black socks and sneakers, Jordan set trends on the floor. Nike took full advantage of this and combined with their own marketing prowess, created products that had never before been seen in the marketplace. Shoe designs were inspired by things beyond the game. Jet airplanes, high fashion, distant cultures. The resulting shoes and apparel had an amazing crossover appeal. Basketball players wore them because they wanted to Be Like Mike. Non basketball players wore them because they looked cool.

Shoes were inspired by everything from fighter planes (Air Jordan V's) to tuxedos (Air Jordan XI's)

There’s no question that athletes can sell products. Combine an athlete with some strategic creative thinking and you start to move beyond selling product into creating a following, a culture and eventually a brand. Despite his amazing skills on the floor, part of the struggle LeBron James is having in even coming close to matching the marketing power of the Jordan brand could be in the fact that he’s not really doing anything truly innovative in terms of his own personal brand. Michael was compared to the great players that came before him, just as LeBron is compared to Jordan. The difference is that Jordan was clearly marking new territory beyond his skills on the basketball court.

Personal Story

The power of narrative is one aspect of human experience that transcends all boundaries. An American made Hollywood blockbuster like Titanic can become the highest grossing film of all time across the globe because the story of love and tragedy resonates with people from all walks of life. We’ve all experienced and we can all relate to it. Story is as old as human existence and if there was a formula for how to impact people at the most fundamental level, great storytelling would be the key ingredient.

The best brands know this and find a way to make a connection between their product or service and their audience by creating a compelling narrative. Nike and Wieden and Kennedy have done an amazing job at this over the years. Starting with Mars and Michael, the Jordan Brand story has evolved over the past twenty years. The intriguing thing about the story is the way the creative team has established a mythology about the greatest player ever, a basketball god to many, while also making the god appear mortal that even non basketball fans are drawn to the story. Two ads from 1996 and 1997, shortly after Jordan’s return to basketball, are examples of 30 second story telling that spoke to the hearts and minds regular joes everywhere. In fact, Failure and Older are found as frequently on business and inspirational blogs as on sneaker head websites.

Failure

Older

Even more remarkable has been the brand’s ability to sustain their relevance with the generation that actually grew up watching Michael play while increasing their market share and popularity with a new generation of consumers. Nike’s strategy of bringing the next best athletes and their stories from a variety of sports into the Jordan Brand family has allowed the company to expand into new markets. Their stranglehold on the basketball shoes and apparel market continues by signing the top names in the game and giving them signature Jordan brand shoes. W+K’s commercial for the Air Jordan XX’, which gave goosebumps to the those of us who watched these moves in their original performance, sums it up best. The legend himself looks on in approval as the story continues with the next generation of basketball players.

Let Your Game Speak

Credits
Client: Nike
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
Creative Directors: Jeff Williams, Alberto Ponte
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff, Susan Hoffman
Direector: David Fincher

Under Armour races to the football field to debut the fastest generation of football cleats, the UA Fierce. This spot fuses futuristic science fiction with supersonic speed to create a cinematic experience for the eyes, ears and mind.

Check it out here, via Motionographer.