Bills Blog

It is often said that logos are what we see and brands are what we feel. Face it, brands are an extension of who we are and what we want people to think about us. They control us in many ways, both emotionally and rationally. It's all about reaching both the heart and the mind. The greatest example of exercising power over our collective psyches and wallets is Nike.

Over the past month, three separate news stories made me take deeper notice about the stranglehold that Nike has on the sports world - both real and assumed. It is as if Phil Knight, the guru behind the Nike swoosh, is actually a master puppeteer manipulating every move. Planned or unplanned, the strategy is utterly brilliant in both form and execution.

Nike dominates the sports category across every niche. For 25 years, Michael Jordan's Air Jordan shoes have reigned supreme across basketball courts both here and abroad. 2010 is the 25th anniversary for Air Jordan and Nike is bringing out a new pitchman - Dwayne Wade. Wade, albeit a great player, is not in Jordan's league. Might it have something to do with the fact that Wade was the main endorser for rival Converse? That was to the tune of $6 million a year. Might he be getting more coin from Knight, who probably has more than that in his sofa? Did I mention that the Air Jordan 2010 shoes will retail at $170.00! At that price, you ought to be able fly, with dunks included. The presence of Nike looms large in this deal.

With Michael Jordan turning 47 this year, he needed someone to carry on the Air Jordan brand halo. Yes, Dwayne Wade is a great choice, but Michael's son would even be better!! Enter Marcus Jordan, a freshmen guard on the University of Central Florida basketball team. I'm sure he has worn Air Jordan's since he took his first step. There are two sides to this story - he isn't nearly as good as his Dad and the University of Central Florida has a six-year, $3-million dollar contract with Adidas, plus, apparel, shoes and equipment for all their teams. A sweet deal for a Conference USA team. No way would Marcus wear a pair of lowly Adidas - he was promised he could wear Air Jordans. The deal was Ok'd by lower level Adidas reps; however senior level executives said no go and pulled the deal. There goes the $3 million in revenue for the University of Central Florida. Lots of publicity for Nike - now that's what I'm talking about! It appears scripted and planned. It's inevitable that in the near future Phil Knight and Nike will come swooshing in to the rescue.

Coming in on the heels of this story was the declaration or directive, depending on your perspective, that NBA superstar Lebron James called for the #23 to be retired by the league. Yes, the #23 that Michael Jordan wore throughout an illustrious career. It is an attempt from James to pay homage to a player who redefined the game, although Larry Bird and Magic Johnson may differ on this subject.

The issue I have is that James also mentioned that he is considering changing his uniform number from 23 to 6 as a testament to Jordan to start the charge to retire #23. Very noble, but you can't help thinking about the potential for #6 Lebron James jerseys flying off retail shelves in arenas and sporting goods stores across the NBA landscape. Did I mention they would be Nike jerseys seeing that Lebron is a "Nike athlete endorser?" I wonder if someone at Nike planted the "retire #23" seed with Lebron. Taken at face value you would say no, but upon further consideration it makes you think.

If sports and marketing is involved, you know that Nike is close by, if not the driving force. Check your closets and drawers. I'll bet you have a Nike swoosh in some form o apparel, shoes or equipment. Yes, we're all Nike brand puppets!