With the Super Bowl LVIII taking place on February 11, Sunday, the excitement surrounding the event has reached a new high. The occasion has served as a prime spot for TV commercials over the years while profiting millions of dollars on the back of it. Thus, Nike once leveraged the exposure as they collaborated with Michael Jordan in the 1990s to promote one of their basketball shoes.
In 1993, the former Chicago Bulls star was featured in an advertisement named ‘Hare Jordan’ to promote the Air Jordan 7s. He appeared to rescue Bugs Bunny from a group of oppressors on the basketball court while wearing the newly launched shoes. The 5x MVP teamed up with the iconic Looney Tunes character as the duo took their revenge in a cartoonish manner before walking off the court together.
It marked the first-ever collaboration between MJ and Bugs Bunny as the latter declared, “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship”. Just three years after that, they again joined forces during the shooting of the iconic movie, Space Jam. In 1996, the fictional character relied on the superstardom of ‘Black Jesus’ to rescue himself from aliens.
Thus, this particular Nike commercial set a new benchmark for its competitors. Jim Riswold, an avid Looney Tunes fan, masterminded the advertisement disrupting the form of endorsement marketing. Previously in his career, he had also achieved this remarkable feat after producing the ‘It’s Gotta Be The Shoes’ commercial with Mars Blackmon.
So, the Super Bowl XXVIII advertisement only enriched the library of the organization as it capitalized on the popularity of the iconic kids’ show. The shoe’s design also captured the features of the Bugs Bunny character while relying on the appeal of Jordan. The combination of branding and setup paid off wonderfully for Nike as it served its purpose in the event.
Nike was not the only company to count on Michael Jordan
Alongside the shoe brand, McDonald’s aimed to trust the popularity of the New York-born during the Super Bowl XXVIII. Their commercial named, ‘The Showdown’ featured the Bulls guard and Larry Bird as they competed for a Big Mac. The NBA icons displayed their plethora of scoring skills as they attempted unanticipated shots from within and outside the arena.
The marketing event took place only a year after the organization had introduced a meal to pay tribute to the 6x champion. The value named McJordan Special celebrated the 6ft 6″ star as its sales increased in the Chicago region. Right before that, Coca-Cola had also come on board as the partnership allegedly paid him $800,000 by the mid-1980s.
Thus, Nike’s efforts made immense sense while looking at it through a bigger lens. While the others were promoting their products through overreliance on Jordan, they adopted an innovative approach. Looking back, their decision benefited them massively as the shoes gained a symbolic status soon after.
