Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

Air Jordan's marketing environment has changed since the many years of this shoe brands release in 1989. Many different shoes companies used athletes to promote there shoe brand's but not until Nike decided to sponsor Michael Jordan, has made this all change. As time went on the hype new idea of a fashion brand shoe influenced by NBA stars has been increasing all over media till this day. For example, Lebron's, Kobe's, , Kevin Durant's and many more. Not to say there weren't any shoes that there weren't sponsored before Michael's time but there was just not as much hype as there is now. Air Jordan's are not only marketed to basketball players but also marketed to teenagers who enjoy fashion and trends. No matter what the race, when you walk down the street of New York City, 1 out of 5 teenagers you see are wearing Jordan's. Its not just a shoe for fashion it meets component lifestyles , you can wear them to walk, run, and play basketball. Many less fortunate people might not have the purchasing power to buy the top of line, in trend Jordan release's so the brand produced Jordan's for everybody that are cheaper and more affordable to buy in stores and online instead of waiting on line on release dates. Instead of $200-$250 for a pair of very limited shoes you may buy one for around $100 in the stores with unlimited pairs. Now that this trend that Air Jordan's has set, made a lot of new market competition with new branding of shoes coming out rapidly taking sales from the brand. So what Nike decided to do was re-release OG (orginial) pairs of jordans that released back in the 89-90's to attract old customers back into the brand instead of going else where.

(The Orginal the Retro 2016 of White Cement '89 w/Nike air tab) -- (The Retro of White Cement 2013)

Ch. 18- Social Media and Marketing

 Sole collector was a magazine company who turned their marketing for shoes into forums 

Nike Air Jordan's have been marketed from many years in different categories, and since social media has been a trending, so has the brand. It is only right that both of them collide and become one. There are many media sharing review sites that started over a decade ago such as, www.niketalk.com and www.solecollector.com, where people who are interested into shoes came together on the internet and discuss upcoming trends, releases, and market prices for shoes which turned into a social commerce website which also included the buying,selling and trading of the shoes. These forums included sticky thread's where people click and discuss,  buy, sell and trade specifically Air Jordan brand shoes only. As social media started to blow up, a lot of old and new sneaker heads have been switching over to Facebook, which is more convenient since a lot of these people are on Facebook everyday anyways. This creates new markets for consumers who use Facebook everyday but don't know and heard anything about Jordan's. There are countless numbers of Facebook groups out there discussing everyday about the newest trends and fads of Air Jordan's such as NDSBG, and BST market. This creates opinions for newer markets for what the brand should and should not do, It is also informing for the newcomers who are just learning about the shoes and why everybody has been going crazy for it all these years. For all the people who never heard about this so called "Shoe game" and don't know about these Facebook groups can learn more on their website http://news.nike.com/jordan-brand which only include basic background information and vague release information. The real information and details are provided by consumers in the non corporate social media groups and websites. Social media has expanded knowledge and speculation over this brand of shoes and are one of the very reasons why Air Jordan's are still so hip, and "hyped" today.

Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

As you may or may not know, Air Jordan's signature sneakers has came along way in time, and value. Each and every shoe made for Michael Jordan was dedicated to him from a unique experience he had or made during the life span of his career.  Nike has been using production development, market penetration and development as a marketing strategy, explaining why the shoes were important and what each and everyone of them represented. For a long time this has worked out because Michael Jordan was one of the top story players in the NBA during his time. Each and every experience, play or win that Jordan had was branded, marketed and craftily designed on the shoes, making the brand very production oriented. Just a couple of examples of his experiences not only marketed but presented into the shoe.

Not only is it marketed by what he accomplished in the certain pair of shoes but shoes that were created from his overall experiences in his career such as the Jordan XII. In 1997, the original shoe that Michael wore was just black and red, called the "Bred 12's". During that game Michael was sick, and still managed to play an amazing game, scoring 38 points bringing the Chicago bulls a win. Therefore over time the shoe was retro'd from Bred 12's to Flugames 12's. Over a crafted period of time, the flugames included a sick emoji which appeared in the middle of the shoes.

(1997 OG (original) , 2003 Retro , 2009 Retro )

As time went on, Nike's brand Air Jordan has intrigued a different market of consumers. Using market diversification, Air Jordan's were not only represented and promoted by basketball players, It had gotten into fashion industry where celebrities promoted the brand of shoes. Such as the OvO collection recently made and crafted a couple pairs of shoes for drake.

During all this time since the Air Jordan brand of shoes has started, it has collected a lot of hype in mass media. Lines and lines in front of the store due to releases that are sold out within hours of store opening. This has accumulated a lot of attention to the brand but also loses a lot of customers who aren't able to get the shoes. This causes a market that Nike doesn't control where the consumers set prices that value the shoe instead of the production because there are only limited pairs being released but more people who want the pair of shoes then there is in stores. So instead Nike Air Jordan has a marketing plan that has recently been set in play where they would bump up the price of the value of the shoe in stores, but increase the production on releases so everyone who wants can get a pair in the stores, where Nike sets its own reasonable price of value instead of an outrageous market price made up by consumers.

Ch. 1 - Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)

 Nike’s mission statement is "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world."

 Air Jordan is a brand of shoes and athletic clothing designed, owned, and produced for Michael Jordan by Nike's Jordan Brand subsidiary.

his shoes, informally referred to in the plural as Jordans, were first produced for Michael Jordan in 1984 and released for public consumption in 1985.
Since its introduction into the sports shoe market by Devon Mabry, the Air Jordan evolved from the original basketball shoes to models for different uses, including I-XXIII. Air Jordan currently sponsers 21 active NBA players, including Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Ray Allen, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony.

AIR JORDAN I

In 1984, after winning a national title at the University of North Carolina and a Gold Medal at the Olympic games in Los Angeles, Michael Jordan was selected 3rd overall by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Draft. That year Nike also signed Michael to a five-year endorsement contract worth a reported $2.5 million (plus royalties). There was initially some skepticism over the hefty contract being given to an unproven marketing commodity, but MJ was quick to prove the critics wrong.
In 1985, Nike gave Jordan and his signature line of sneakers and apparel a unique logo - clearly, this line was created to be very different from Nike's previous basketball efforts.
Designer Peter Moore was given the task of coming up with the first Air Jordan shoe. The Air Jordan 1 featured the Nike Swoosh on the mid panel and a newly designed wings logo on the upper ankle. The first Air Jordan was similar in design to other popular Nike models released in the 1980s such as the Air Force 1, Terminator and Dunk. The Air Jordan I featured a Nike Air unit for heel cushioning, padded foam ankle collars for additional protection and a toe overlay for added lockdown.
Although the AJ 1 lacked technology, the colors and cultural significance set the sneaker industry on its ear. The Air Jordan 1 paved the way for colorful basketball sneakers. It transformed the way people looked at athletic shoes. During the 1985 NBA season, Michael wore the Air Jordan 1, which retailed for $65 - at the time, the most expensive basketball shoe on the market. The AJ I Black/Red colorway was banned by the NBA because of rules regarding shoe colors; Jordan was fined $5,000 for every game he wore them (Nike gladly footed the bill, as the fines created even more buzz around the Air Jordan 1). MJ's rookie campaign resulted in an All-Star appearance, Rookie of the Year honors and leading the Bulls to the playoffs after a four-year absence. Michael wore the Air Jordan I Red/White/Black as he scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics in the 1986 playoffs. Although the Bulls ended up losing to the Larry Bird-led Celtics, Michael showed that he was one of the bright young stars in the NBA.
And there forth the journey of Air Jordans revolution began...........