Ch. 17 Advertising & Public Relations

The effect that the Jordan Brand has had on the world of advertising is very historical.  One of the most clever ways the Jordan Brand use to advertise their brand was on a TV show called "Fresh Prince Of Bel Air" which starred Will Smith.  In the video above Smith can be seen in a Air Jordan jacket and sneakers.  Also at the end of the video Smith is seen mocking the Jordan Brand with his own line of shoes called the "Air Smiths". This product advertising drew many sneaker fans and fans of the shoe to dress like Will Smith so they would go out and buy thee exact same Air Jordan sweat suit and sneakers he had on.  This advertising technique help Air Jordan sales to reach high level throughout the 90's.  

(Michael Jordan & Spike Lee a.k.a Mars Blackmon)

An advertising campaign that the Jordan Brand still uses is the legendary Mars Blackmon commercial campaign.  It started in the 80's when the Jordan Brand teamed up with Spike Lee to create a character who was Air Jordan crazy.  This character Mars Blackmon would appear in various Air Jordan commercial reciting his classic "do you know" line asking do people know why Michael Jordan was so great.  These commercials would become a fan favorite among Jordan fans. 

Another very clever and smart way the Jordan Brand advertised there Brand was when they teamed up with Looney Tunes stars Bugs Bunny in various commercials (such as one seen above).  As a kid when I seen this commercial I begged my mom to buy me these shoes because Bugs Bunny was wearing them.  Another way the Jordan Brand took advertising to the next level was when they did the movie "Space Jam" with the Looney Tunes. This movies featured Michael Jordan playing basketball with the Looney Tunes while wearing his Air Jordan shoes throughout the movie.  This attracted more demand for the shoes by young children because their favorite cartoon characters were seen playing basketball with their favorite basketball player.

Space Jam 

These days Jordan does very little to any advertising.  Most of the advertising is done by them just releasing photo's and release dates of upcoming shoes and apparel to different sneaker blogs on the internet.  These sneaker blogs are host to millions of sneaker fans who check the sites daily for future shoe updates.  This new form of advertising is great for the Jordan Brand because the demand for the shoe's are at a all time high with fans camping out in front of stores or paying double the retail price for the Air Jordan shoes.  

  

Ch. 15 Retailing

(Product, Place, Promotion, Presentation)

One of the only things that's missing from the Jordan Brand footwear & apparel empire is a retail store. Foot Locker's "House Of Hoops" store which is located on 268 West 125th Street in New York fills in that void with a very wide, extensive and exclusive variety of Air Jordans and other  footwear & apparel. This store is one of thee most famous stores known to all Air Jordan fans.  House Of Hoops is another retail chain store under Foot Locker's corporations which includes others stores such as Champ Sports, Lady Foot Locker,  Kids Foot Locker, Footaction USA and Eastbay.com.  There are a chain of House Of Hoops stores around the country.  The Jordan Brand's electronic retailing is a growing wider with each release.  Now instead of consumer's camping out in front of "House Of Hoops" or "Foot Locker" consumers can stay in the comfort of their own home and order straight from the companies website.  This also gives them a chance to read customer reviews on how well the shoes may be which may also lead them to purchase other items.

(Product, Place, Promotion, Presentation)

The "House Of Hoops" on 125th is a one floor store but it is very spacious.  Seen in the picture above and to the right are the four of the six P's (product, place, promotion, presentation) on display when you walk in the store. Shoe's and clothing are properly displayed to shoe sneaker fans this is the place to get your latest gear for the Jordan Brand . The last two P's (price and personnel) occurred when I was approached by a House Of Hoops referee who in the last picture below helped me with all the information I need to know about the Air Jordans from the price of the shoe which is on a sticker inside the shoes to the quickstrike limited edition.

(Price & Personnel)

 

Ch. 6 Consumer Decision Making

(The photo below shows consumers camping out for air jordan sneakers)

Fan's and sneaker lovers the decision making process of purchasing a new pair of Air Jordans is a simple yes.  When a new pair of Air Jordans are released the want and demand for them are incredible.  Consumers have no problem camping outside of stores for two and three days even the whole week just to satisfy the want for the shoe.  Fans of the Jordan Brand spend a lot of time with the involvement of decide which shoe to choose.  They follow up on how the shoe looks, the quality of the shoe, how limited the release will be.  For sneaker lovers the Jordan Brand is the number one sneaker for the culture.  Its the most sought after sneaker for the culture.  The recognition sneakers lovers receive for having a new pair of Air Jordans is abundant because people see the shoe as a badge of honor among sneaker lovers.  Consumers love how the Air Jordans bring them so much great attention from the culture around them.  Aspiring basketball players who look up to be just like Michael Jordan seek to purchase Air Jordans because they feel the shoe will motivate them become more "Like Mike".  This myth is untrue but for most fans it drives them to buy the shoe because the self conscience feeling makes them feel like they are Michael Jordan.  A big issue that comes up in the consumers decision making process is the price of the shoes.  Most people complain that the shoe is too expensive because it cost $160 and it goes up almost every year.  With this issue consumers are left with other options such as other shoe companies that offer other shoes for less. 

Ch. 5 Developing a Global Vision

Michael Jordans is a global phenome in the game so without question the brand he built is just as popular.  Fans all around the world anticipate the release of his sneakers just as much as fans in the United States.  Once a year the Jordan Brand holds a basketball competition for the youth called "Jordan Brand Classic International Game".  The international players battle a group of New York City High School All-Stars in packed a arena in front of basketball fans and also basketball scouts.  Each year in order to pick the players the Jordan Brand invites the 40 top players from around the world for a fierce three day training camp with basketball experts.  The prospects compete for one of the 10 MVP awards and a chance to play in the "Jordan Brand Classic International Game".  The Jordan Brand is connecting with more international fans and players because people from around the world anticipate this annual game.  This annual game is The Jordan Brand's biggest global promotional tool for the company.  The game is shown global on ESPN and the arena where the game is held is transformed into everything Air Jordan.  The arena banners, and everything you can think of has the Jordan logo on it.  The most of the commercials shown during the presentation of the game are Air Jordan shoe commercials.  Players are supplied with the latest Air Jordan shoes and are not allowed to wear any other brand of shoes during the game.