The Jordan brand is owned by Nike (owned by the Knight family), as, at the time, the company was building its strategy to work with athletes to launch shows that could inspire consumers. The partnership with Michale Jordan started in 1987 with the launch of the classic Jordan 1, which sealed the collaboration between Nike and Jordan. In 2022, Jordan generated over $5 billion in revenue within Nike’s footwear empire.
Jordan’s incredible success also explains the success of Nike as a company.
Indeed, the Jordan brand, over the years, worked as an incredible propeller for the overall Nike brand.
The story of Jordan’s brand has been one of the most incredible modern successes, which none yet has been able to replicate.
Since Jordan’s success, various athletes, artists, and brands have tried to replicate this success.
For instance, Under Armour tried to create a successful sports line with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which while successful, it’s not as close as successful as Jordan.
Another example is Kanye West’s for Adidas, with the Yeezy line.
While the collaboration has been incredibly successful, creating something as close as Jordan’s success, the collaboration ended abruptly.
That shows how hard it’s to build a successful brand within a more prominent brand, how hard it is to transform a partnership into a lasting business, and even how hard it’s to enable both the company and the partner/contributor, to be extremely satisfied with the partnership.
In short, Nike, in some way, managed to find the perfect balance, and a sweet spot, between its brand and Michael Jordan, transforming an unknown brand into an iconic one!
Read: Jordan Business Model.
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