Marketing High-End Sneakers

Evans on Marketing

7 years ago

In 1984, Nike revolutionized the sneaker market with the first Air Jordan. In its marketing high-end sneakers, Nike blew away the competition. Since then, prices have risen dramatically. After a short downturn in 2013, Air Jordan sales have charged back. AND by signing projected NBA superstar Zion Williamson, Nike’s plan for Air Jordans to keep booming in the future.

Click the image to read about Zion’s new Nike endorsement deal. And then read these posts (1, 2) for more on Nike’s recent company marketing prowess.

Air Jordan: Marketing High-End Sneakers

Recently, Business Insider presented two in-depth articles on the evolution of Air Jordan:

According to Askinasi:

“In 1984, Nike teamed up with Michael Jordan to launch Jordan Brand, a brand of shoes and athletic wear built around the player. At the time, Nike was a struggling brand selling running shoes with an idea to reinvent itself as a company for athletic stars.”

“Once Jordan was on board, he began wearing the brand’s shoes on the court. The first Nike shoe he wore in the NBA was the Nike Air Ship. The very first pair that he wore from his eponymous brand was called Air Jordan I. It caused a lot of commotion both on and off the court. Nike cofounder Phil Knight called the success of Air Jordan I ‘the perfect combination of quality product, marketing, and athlete endorsement.'”

“At first, Jordan was fined $5,000 for wearing the shoes, but instead of taking them off the court, Nike decided it was great exposure for the brand and chose to pay all of MJ’s fines so he could continue to wear the shoes.” Obviously, that was short-lived.

Now, look at this excellent video on the evolution of the Air Jordan.