COMU3150 – Andi Amar Maruf Sulaiman – 47183207 – Air Jordan and Promotional Culture

Nike’s Air Jordan sneaker brand has transformed consumers’ perceptions of shoes from how they are typically worn to how much value a shoe can accrue to reach a certain price threshold. A few decades after the world began to notice what Michael Jordan wore to his basketball games, sneakers became a $79 billion industry and a fashion icon of our era. From athletic apparel to haute couture, sneakers have not only become cultural but also physical commodities (Ho, 2022). Even now, s sneaker’s commodities can be compared to Gold and any other big trading item in the market.

Nike capitalises on market interest and rising demand by manufacturing an increasing number of high-value partnership Air Jordan goods. Among these collaborations are Off-White, Dior, Travis Scott, StrangeLove, and many others that add value to the product and brand of Air Jordan Itself. Nike debuted the Air Jordan footwear in 1985 as part of an agreement with Michael Jordan, who played for the Chicago Bulls at the time. Nike sold $70 million worth of sneakers in just two months, a figure that increased after Jordan won Rookie of the Year that same year (Elizabeth, 2022).