Did you ever wonder how some of the greatest brands and ad campaigns got started? We’re not talking about the watered-down, manicured versions of a company’s origin story created by PR in consultation legal, but what really happened.
In the April movie release of “Air,” Matt Damon and Ben Affleck tell the story of how Nike convinced rookie Michael Jordan to become the face of the brand.
Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, a former high school basketball coach, who was determined to win Jordan’s endorsement, while bigger brands courted him. Affleck is Nike’s CEO Phil Knight, who gives his team the green light to do what it takes to sign him. Viola Davis turns in an academy award-winning performance as Jordan’s shrewd mother, who insists Nike give her son a percentage of every pair of Air Jordan’s sold. And Jason Bateman steals the film as Nike’s first Director of Marketing.
So give yourself a night off, and settle in to watch one of the greatest marketing stories of all time. “A shoe is just a shoe until my son steps into it.” – Deloris Jordan, Air 2023
Check out the official trailer here!