A Pretty Cool Pair of Kicks

I couldn’t help but notice the AP story today about the release of the Air Jordan XXIII shoes.

[Pause for the roaring round of applause.]

In case you are not one of the crazed and obsessed kids (or adults acting like kids) skipping school, work and even mugging to get your hands on a pair, let me give you a little background on this now “household” name of a shoe.

In the early 1980’s Nike was a struggling shoe company who was in serious need of a company and product makeover and they had their eye on rookie play Michael Jordan. Unlike other shoe companies, Nike was willing to risk a substantial amount of their marketing budget on this particular deal.

The differences didn’t stop with the budget alone. The new shoe line had a bold black and red design-a stark contrast to the white high-tops seen in the NBA. When the NBA banned the shoe from the league, Jordan wore them anyway, racking up to $5,000 per game in fines. (Nike was happy to pay these fines to keep the shoes in the public eye.)

Since 1985, the Air Jordan line has consistently been among the best selling basketball shoes and has gained a strong crowd of fans and collectors. With the release of the XXIII (Jordan’s iconic jersey number), many have rumored this shoe will be the line’s last.

Ever the savvy marketer, Jordan is keeping his lips sealed on that one, only teasing the media with “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

While I love the idea of ending the Air Jordan “reign” over the basketball shoe market with this legendary number, I highly doubt Nike is willing to lose this obviously valuable brand. (Nike won’t say what Jordan’s contract is worth but Lebron James’ deal is worth more than $90 million.)

I also think there would have been a bigger pr and advertising push if this were the last Air Jordan…but what do you think? Am I way off base?

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