This project addressed the question: How did the introduction of the Jordan brand through Nike impact the commercialization, marketing, and branding of professional sports in the late 20th century and early 21st century?
This project’s main findings are:
- The launch of the Air Jordan 1 in 1984 far exceeded expectations and put Nike and the Jordan brand on the path of domination in the athletic apparel and footwork market.
- The Jordan brand proved that athletes could be commercialized and could be used by companies to make money. Jordan stood out from others in the sports world because of how much money his brand yielded; the Jordan brand showed the true earning potential of sports deals. The amount of money that Jordan made for Nike had never been seen before.
- Jordan showed that athletes could be mass consumed products of popular culture and were incredibly valuable for companies and brand names.
- Nike forever changed sports marketing by using Jordan’s personality and character to create a brand. Consumers flocked to the Jordan brand because they felt a connection to the NBA player. Marketing was now more about selling the athlete than just selling a product with an athlete’s name on it.
- Michael Jordan was the first athlete to have a brand named after him. Jordan was a trend setter in sports branding, and many other athletes have now followed in his footsteps.
- Jordan paved the way for the future of endorsements and sponsorships for athletes. He showed that athletes were not only great partners for athletic brands but could be endorsed by any company that could attach an athlete’s well known recognition to a product. The NBA star can be credited with opening the door to endorsements for many athletes.
- The Jordan brand truly created the category of sports collaborations. Jordan showed the marketing power of taking two athletes or brand names and combining them into one. The Jordan brand was able to do this by establishing a legacy of a collaboration with Jordan being the ultimate measure of success in the world of sports marketing and commercialization. Collaborations can also cross sports, as these partnerships draw in consumers from both markets, and these cross-sport collaborations became synonymous with the Jordan brand.
- The Jordan Effect has had a pronounced impact on professional athletes, and it has reached virtually every professional modern day sport.
- In the professional soccer sphere, the Jordan Effect has created massive endorsement deals, new branding and marketing strategies, and innovative cross-sport collaborations. It also has caused the sport to become much more commercialized than ever before. This could be seen through the massive PSG x Jordan collaboration, which opened the door to a new age of strategic partnerships in pro soccer.
- The Jordan Effect forever changed the marketing and branding of college football. The partnership with Michigan football showed the earning potential and media recognition of collaborating with a big name like Jordan. College football has become ever more commercialized and will continue to see partnerships with big brands after the success of Michigan’s deal with Nike.
- Maya Moore broke down barriers by becoming the first female basketball player to sign a deal with the Jordan brand. It showed other females athletes that they are worthy of large deals and collaborations and are just as marketable as male athletes.
- The Jordan Effect brought attention to the WNBA through the collaboration of Jordan x Maya Moore. This showed the potential of the Jordan brand to bring recognition to a national sports league just by tying his name to a player within the league. That is a true testament to the marketing power of the Jordan brand, a power that no other brand in the athletic industry can truly match.
The Jordan brand revolutionized the commercialization, marketing, and branding of professional sports. The marketing game has never been the same since Jordan entered the playing field in 1984.
