AIR JORDANS
JUMP-MAN JORDANS
DESI 221: ALLOSIGHT Benedict Golo Word count: 1860 AIR JORDANS
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HISTORY
T
he history of basketball is full of iconic stars who have carved their names in the books. Made famous by the likes of Michael Jordan and Chuck Taylor, their shoes too still have many glossy-eyed fans around the world and have written themselves into history too. Mention for example Chucks or Jordan’s, and people know the shoe you are talking about the shoe and even what company (brand) designed them. (kicksguide)
The company’s brand management efforts focused on endorsing the best possible athletes and making the famous NIKE swoosh ubiquitous. NIKE was a highly centralized and extremely focused company. Management concentrated on a few core corporate functions, such as brand building and supply chain management. In addition, a dedicated sales force sold NIKE products to retailers or, in a limited number of countries, to distributors.
Originally basketball shoes were not the fashionable foot accessories of today. They were some of the earliest sport shoes. In 1908, less than 20 years after the invention of basketball, Converse introduced the first rubber-soled canvas uppers sneaker worn for basketball. During its 40 year reign as number one court footwear choice, Chucks graced the feet of many a basketball star including Pete Maravich, Julius Erving, and Magic Johnson, as well as Wilt Chamberlain who set the NBA scoring record in 1962 whilst wearing Chucks. (Converse)
1983 saw the launch of Nike’s Air Force One, the first of their air soled basketball shoes. This air technology propelled Nike in becoming the industry leader. The classic design of the shoe makes it a popular choice and it remains a best seller today. The following year, Michael Jordan burst onto the basketball scene in his own signature warm ups, ‘Nike Air Jordan’. With their bold black and red colours they immediately stood out on the court leading the NBA to ban the shoes, because they were ‘too colourful’ and did not conform to his team colours. Jordan was fined up to $5 000 each time he wore them. Nike exploited this publicity and added a big ‘X’ together with the word ‘banned’ across the shoes on advertisements. (wikipedia), (Nike), (Revelation)
Phil Knight founded the company that would evolve into NIKE, in 1964. The purpose of the company was to make high-performance athletic shoes for the U.S. market. The early 70’s saw Puma and Nike enter the basketball sneaker market. Nike entered with their leather Blazer in 1972. NIKE grew to dominate athletic footwear and apparel by following a consistent and logical strategy: capitalizing on the importance of sports in people’s lives and being identified with competition and victory in consumers’ minds (the company is named for the Greek goddess of Victory). (wikipedia), (theshoegame)
Another design later in 1986 was titled the Jordan II, but in 1988 where rumors started to fly that Jordan wanted to part ways with Nike. Nike reacted immediately and brought Tinker Hatfield to the rescue by designing the Air Jordan III to convince Mike to stay. Once Mike saw the III’s, impressing him so much that he decided to stay with the brand. The rest was history. The shoes went down to this day as arguably the greatest Air Jordan ever. (Mark Vancil)
❝Jordan was fined up to
$5 000 each time he wore them❞
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Alternative history After winning 1986-87 Slam Dunk competition at Seattle Colliseum, the Jordan logo changed to the familiar Jump-man logo of today, but when it came time to talk about the Air Jordan III, Michael was ready to bolt. Reaction to the Air Jordan II, hadn’t been stellar due in part to the high retail price, and designers Peter Moore and Rob Strasser had left Nike to start their own company. They began to court Jordan, hoping to develop the business around him. This was a turning point for the line a make it or break it moment. It was at this time that Tinker Hatfield stepped in to help the struggling shoe line. Immediately, Hatfield did something completely new and unheard of. His first instinct was to sit down and talk with Michael one on one, asking for his input about the design.
In the following years the brand had a huge impact as one of the most successful brands on fighting the establishment. There were no models for what happened at Nike, and certainly nothing close to what had been created with the Brand Jump-man Jordan. Soon the market saw a heated jostling between Jump-man Jordan, Nike and Reebok for the market share leader position. Reebok reacted to the success of Nike’s Air by releasing The Pump with its innovative technology, which allowed air to be pumped into the shoe by ‘pumping’ a certain part of the shoe. The air-war continued with Nike in turn launching their The Air Pressure shoe, but this failed to make much impact. However, the young new hip Jump-man Jordan’s continued its journey toward dominating the scene.
A very tense time was upon both Hatfield and Jordan, mixing business to designing a shoe like this. Jordan had never had anyone ask his opinion until that time. Ultimately, though, it was their excellent teamwork that saw it through. It’s reported that eventually the process of designing the shoes and matching apparel was what eventually drew Jordan in and helped reinforce his commitment to branch out.
Michael’s advertisement impact was so immense, that he gained the commercial deals needed to succeed in the USeconomic market. Jordan showed the same hunger and drive as he did on the court, wanting to be all-time Endorsement King: “The Jordan Effect”. He wasn’t just satisfied with having his own brand and earning a lot of money through commercial deals. Michael wanted to have control in many areas. “I don’t believe in following. I believe in leading”. (Nike.com)
At Jordan’s request the partnership he had with Nike was terminated and the Air Jordan III brand did not see the day of light. The headlines read, ‘Basketball up and coming star Michael Jordan set to release his own line of sneakers in the early 1990’s away from the power house Nike’. It was a threequarter cut basketball shoe made of high quality, lighter than average materials. This non-standard approach to the process of designing basketball shoes led “Jump man Jordan” rocketing off the charts with its popularity, and his partnership with Tinker was born.
Everyone wanted the latest pair of Jump-man Jordans as they represented the pinnacle of basketball shoes. Nike, once a powerhouse, became a company struggling just to get by each year. Their concept of the running shoe was slowly exhausting itself year by year and it seemed like it was just a matter of time before they went out of business. They needed something to give them the much-needed boost that could get them back in the game.
❝I don’t believe in following. I believe in leading❞
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jumpman-air-jordan-photo-shoot-poster At their lowest point Nike tried to rerelease a shoe, which would give them an advantage in the American athleticfootwear market world, the Air Jordan 1 was a partnership, which end many years ago. Air Jordan Shoes were a part of the Nike, Inc family. With the rerelease of the Air Jordan 1 and Jordan’s second retirement, both Hatfield and Jordan stepped back from the Jump-man Jordan line while other designers took the reigns to continue the legacy. Nike did not expect Michael to unveil a new marketing plan and Jordan showed marked his change; the new Jordan Brand released the Jump-man Jordan III, Jordan Team, and Jordan Trainers. From this point on, Jordan Brand products no longer stood in the shadows of Nike and its Swoosh. The company’s goal was to get ahead by understanding its customers better, banking on its suddenly popular vintage models, and strategically setting prices just beneath its main competitor’s top line. With all of this, other major company’s were dominating American sales, such as Adidas and Reebok. Back in the distance, but gaining ground were Jordan’s. These challengers opened up new fronts in the sneaker wars. Nike proudly put the technology in the heels of its basketball, running and cross-training lines. They were supposed to cause a big sensation, but customers did not follow Nike’s plan. Customers failed to fall in love with them, which affected Nike’s sales. Nike built its reputation on the idea that technologically advanced sneakers would be considered cool; even if that technology was irrelevant to the way most people used its sneakers.
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The products that came to define the company were hightech, wow-factor, ultramodern sneakers that sold for $100 or more. This strategy would have helped Nike become a company that grossed billions in the market, but their business execution was wrong for its time. Nike’s market share, which peaked in the 80’s and most of the 90’s had dropped a couple of percentage points every year since. In the company’s latest earnings report, which showed a strong overall profit, footwear sales in the United States were down in a lager percent. Nike’s loss was their competitors gain. Jordan’s had a long way to go but they were gaining momentum. It was being swamped by Reebok’s quick initiative on aesthetically appealing shoes. They needed to respond dramatically and forcefully. Losing ground to Reebok during this time, it was the celebrity endorsements that appealed to the consumers’ sense of belonging and “hipness”. Jordan became a self-fulfilling image prophecy: if you want to be hip, wear Jordan’s; if you are hip, you are probably wearing Jordan’s. It could be argued that the Jordan’s campaign was not only about sneakers but was also its own renaissance. No longer content to be the second choice, the Jordan brand wanted to expand its operation to target every American, regardless of age, gender or physical-fitness level its major goal to convince Americans that wearing Jordan’s for every part of your life was smart (the shoes were designed for comfort) and hip (everyone else was wearing them and you too could belong to this group.)
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1988 Slam Dunk Contest, Air Jordan 3 Air Jordan shoes have consistently been among the best selling basketball shoes since their creation in 1985. The Jordan brand is a household name and people of all ages and social strata line up eagerly for the release of the latest model. Some of this success can be attributed to the fact that the shoes, from the Jordan III to the most recent model, have always started with their namesake, Michael Jordan. The designers take his ideas, hobbies, and life into account and incorporate these feelings into the shoes. All in all I think, it is obvious that Michael Jordan is a perfect example of someone who fulfilled his personal American Dream, through hard work and a constant strive to to improve his current situation. Throughout his life Michael Jordan was searching for new frontier to conquer. When he reached a goal, he immediately began striving to achieve the next. A number of Jordans will be designed to resemble the likes of cars and more. No matter what happens to the signature Jordan line, it’s a good bet that the brand and its tradition of quality, high fashion basketball and athletic shoes will continue long after Jordan himself. He had a vision: not to be bigger than the shoe, but create a linear coexistence.
The Original Nike Air Jordan III Black/Cement/1988 screen-shot AIR JORDANS
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