Michael Jordan: A Marketer's Best Friend

The video of interest that I have chosen is titled, “Michael Jordan: The Most Well-Crafted Brand of our Generation (1984-2009)”. The video shows a collection of Michael Jordan commercials beginning with a commercial from rookie his year (1984) and ending in 2009, well after retirement. The different commercials range from advertising Jordan shoes to advertising Hane’s underwear. The commercials articulate how well Michael Jordan was able to build up his brand, “Air Jordan”. He began his advertising career with Nike and over the years built up a brand that included sponsorships from some of the most popular brands around the world including McDonalds, Gatorade, Hanes, Coke, and Wheaties. Michael Jordan was the first athlete to create such a well-known brand and his success in advertising will likely never be matched. The video shows several marketing techniques that aided in the growth of the Jordan brand and the growth of sports marketing as a whole.
As a marketing major, this video was particular interesting because it showed how sports and branding have become so intertwined over recent decades. Building a strong and well-known brand is vital for companies or organizations that are trying to attract a global audience. Some of the many ways companies accomplish this is by introducing fear and humor or by introducing celebrities into their advertising campaign. Companies that used Michael Jordan as celebrity endorser were able to expand their brand because of the Jordan name but also because they were able to use the right level of fear and humor to keep consumers engaged and interested in their products. Michael Jordan is such an interesting case, because as an individual, he was able to create brand awareness that has been unmatched by any other athlete. At the same time, he was able to help other companies such as Gatorade and Nike, expand their brands and become leaders in their respective product categories.