“His Airness”: Michael Jordan “There is Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us.”-Magic Johnson (Wikipedia 10). Michael Jordan is a retired American professional basketball player. Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player ever (Jordan 1). He also became one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation with sponsors including Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Gatorade, McDonald’s, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac, Wheaties, Hanes, and MCI. Jordan has had a long relationship with Gatorade, appearing in over 20 commercials for the company since 1991 (Wikipedia 1, 10).
During his sophomore year in college he was named College player of the year. Throughout his carrier he was given the nickname “Air Jordan” for his ability to “Fly through the lane to make a shot.” When he came into the NBA he immediately started to become great at basketball. He was the third pick in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. The two people who were picked ahead of him were Hakeem Olajuwon who was drafted by the Houston rockets and Sam Bowie who was picked by the Portland Trailblazers. In the 1984 Olympics Jordan won the gold medal.
Vans: Skating on Air Case Analysis Cory Ritchie Executive Summary Doug Pallidini, a former VP Marketing at Vans, Inc. sums it all in his statement, “In my 20 years of marketing, Vans is probably the closest I have seen to the true definition of a brand as it expresses an emotional connection between consumers and a product. Despite some really awful decisions over the 40 years, Vans has been able to maintain an amazing emotional connection with its customers”. Vans, Inc, a $400 Million company (in 2002), holds about 45% market share in its dominant product category – skate shoes for pro and casual customers, but had struggled to expand outside its established footprint. Vans had experimented with various promotional activities that paid-off very well in terms of superior brand recognition. The Triple Crown Series, the Warped Tour, and the Skate Parks continue to be huge successes.
He's one of the reasons why companies such as Nike make a lot of investments. Jordan's shoe brand is one of the most purchased product today. He also became an idol to many people, especially to kids and teens, giving a reason to follow his footsteps of becoming a great basketball star. He went out there and played for the "Dream Team," a basketball team for the Olympics. The team obtained the gold medals with ease.
“Ideological predispositions and social practices that make up styles and lifestyles are constructed in large measure from symbolic and material resources of the commercial market”2 “The American athletic sport shoe, 'Nike' have became a stunning economic, symbolic and cultural success of worldwide proportions by the 1990's”,3 A huge contributor to this success was, Michael Jordan ,a black American basketball player. This was almost two decades ago and very little has change.
The NBA’s popularity and wealth increased dramatically by the time Michael Jordan had been drafted by the Bulls. Through new technologies Michael Jordan and NBA games could be seen around the world. The NBA became a global television goldmine because it was able to capitalize off of Jordan’s global recognition and popularity. Before Michael Jordan had been a Chicago bull the franchise’s wealth had been a meager nineteen million, which number quickly grew to over one hundred and ninety million in a matter of years. The NBA was not the only company to capitalize off of the Michael Jordan phenomenon, corporations such as Nike and Coca-Cola made billions worldwide off of Jordan.
Like most NBA players, James and Bryant had amazing high school careers. James attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, where he became a starter during his freshman year for the Fighting Irish. Averaging 21 points and 6 rebounds, James led SVSM to a 23-1 record and a Division III state title (Freedman 35). After earning the Gatorade National Player of the Year his junior year,
Company Summary Zappos.com is the world's largest online shoe store. Founded in 1999, Zappos was born out of the vision that 30% of all retail transactions in the U.S. will be online and consumers will buy from the company with the best service and the best selection (“About Zappos,” n.d.). The goal was to create a web site that offered the best brands, styles, colors, sizes, and widths of shoes. It has the world’s largest selection of shoes, and its service includes free returns. Seventy-five percent of its business comes from repeat customers, despite the fact that its prices are far from the lowest.
When came time to play his former school, Wellpinit, he started his first game. He scored only three points, but shut down his best friend/ best enemy, Rowdy. Reardan went on to beat Wellpinit by 44 points. Sherman Alexie has been noted for his love of basketball as a player, and a fan. He happens to be a huge fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and even testified for the then Seattle Supersonics to stay in Seattle until there lease at the KeyArena in Seattle was to expire in the year 2010.
Not surprisingly, Bryant was offered scholarships to almost every major college and university in the country. Not only was he a brilliant basketball player, he was also a good student, scoring an above-average 1,100 on his Scholastic Aptitude Test. Bryant and his parents remained coy about his future, however. They realized that they faced a momentous decision: whether to bypass college completely and go straight into the NBA draft. Vanessa met Kobe Bryant in November 1999.