Michael Jordan redefined branding for professional athletes through the creation of the Jordan brand with Nike.
Before signing with Nike, Jordan had heard pitches from every major athletic brand, but Nike was the only one that wanted to build an entire brand around Jordan and to tailor the styles and designs to what Jordan wanted. This was a first in the realm of sports branding (Duffy 61-62).
Prior to Jordan, tennis and golf pros were the only pro athletes with their own brands and only because they competed as individuals (Jelen).
Other NBA athletes had been contracted to wear certain models of sneakers, but these models were not uniquely designed for a specific athlete (Miner 97).
During the 1980s, both Larry Bird and Magic Johnson wore specific Converses, but they were not named after them (Miner 97).
Jordan Redefines Athlete Endorsements
The release of the Jordan brand redefined athlete endorsements for the future (Kunkel).
Many believe that Jordan and Nike set the standard for the athlete and product endorsement relationship for every future deal. Jordan believed in the power of professional athletes to influence brands. If an athlete is well respected and has name recognition, then the athlete has earned the right to be endorsed by major brands and companies (Duffy 75).
Jordan paved the way for other sponsored athletes, and companies learned the power of athletes as endorsers of a product (Kunkel).
This can be seen through the vast amount of companies and brands Jordan partnered with during his career (Kunkel).
These partnerships included:
Michael Jordan and Nike brought the power of athletic endorsement to new heights (Duffy 88).
“The Jordan brand is the
-Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike
perfect combination of quality product, marketing and athlete endorsement” (Duffy 67).