When Nike stepped onto the basketball hardwood for the first time, it was in the All Court—a universal multi-sport court shoe built to serve every type of athlete in a wide range of sports. As the first piece of footwear manufactured in China to carry a Swoosh, the All Court became the foundation for a nonstop pursuit of building the best product possible within the sport of Basketball. Followed by the Blazer and it’s introduction to the NBA by a small hand-selected group of players, the Nike name would quickly come to stand for disruption and innovation. Courts, arenas and playgrounds would see iteration after iteration of new takes on how to serve the wide range of player needs and ultimately amplify styles of play creating communities of players who could connect over a style of play or passion for a product versus what uniform you wear. From the AF1’s use of Air to the ongoing innovation-packed Hyperdunk, Nike footwear has embodied the sports changing athletes and provided stories that celebrate and unify us through a common culture of basketball.
In the 1980’s, the now established Nike story of constant evolution was being delivered loud and clear through a stream of basketball products that found new and innovative ways to serve groups of players with each season. While the previous model in the sport had been to provide a product that met the needs of all athletes, Nike would change the game plan and in the spirit of listening to the voice of the athlete, began segmenting products to support and lean into the various styles of play that a new breed of hoop heroes were becoming known for. To help consumers align with the products, style and attitude the concept of Flight, Force and Uptempo would provide the framework for performance as well as add a new dimension of aligning stylistically similar groups of players with each product category, creating defined differentiation that allowed players to identify with the category’s elite athletes featured in the supporting marketing content. The powerful, high-impact play of rising superstar Charles Barkley would become the embodiment of the Force mindset with an aggressive style of play that required Max cushioning and gave “crashing the boards” new meaning when shattered backboards became synonymous with the versatile forwards dominant approach to the game.
While product innovation was driving the growing dominance of the Nike brand within basketball, Michael Jordan put on a Bulls jersey, laced up a pair of red and white Air Ships and began his journey to transform the game. A new kind of athlete who’s impact was felt immediately, would begin another transformation when he finished his rookie season in the now iconic red white and black AJ 1’s. It was clear that something special was happening and the rise of Michael Jordan ushered in a shift for how Nike marketing could build a symbiotic relationship with a game-changing athlete. With the birth of Air Jordan, Nike would begin a run of player-driven marketing, resulting in an idea so compelling and far reaching that it ultimately became a stand alone pillar within Nike Inc: Brand Jordan. The idea would soon transcend basketball itself and begin to create a community of players, fans and collectors who organized themselves around a vision of greatness.
