In 1984, Chicago Bulls rookie Michael Jordan signed a five-year, $2.5 million deal with Nike. A year later, the sports giant unveiled the Air Jordan, a sneaker that launched a franchise and redefined athlete endorsements across basketball, entertainment, streetwear, and fashion.
Now, Jordan Brand is marking its 40th anniversary with a year-long marketing campaign loaded with activations, product launches, and ad spots designed to engage old fans and recruit new ones.
“The goal with ‘40 Years of Greatness’ was to bring back that emotive storytelling,” chief marketing officer (CMO) Caitlin Sargent told ADWEEK. “I would say the Jordan Brand is a feeling. It’s not about just selling shoes, it’s about this idea of selling hope.”
Its newest spot, which debuted on July 19, centers the Air Jordan 40 (AJ40), the latest basketball silhouette in the Air Jordan collection.
Created by Wieden+Kennedy, the two-minute ad depicts a pickup game between NBA and WNBA Jordan Brand athletes such as Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, and Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, who show no mercy to their average opponents.
Mid-game, the spot turns into a mini musical with the non-professional players singing their rendition of “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from the 1977 Broadway musical Annie.
The AJ40 launch marks the “culminating moment” for the brand’s “40 Years of Greatness” campaign, said Sargent. “The strategy on this one was making sure that we’re positioning the shoe for the next generation,” she said.
40 Years of Greatness
Having climbed the marketing ranks at parent company Nike since 2006, Sargent was promoted to Jordan Brand’s CMO in February 2024, a time she calls an “inflection point” for the brand as it pivoted its strategy “from transactional to emotive.”
Nike has been reworking its wider marketing strategy to regain its spark following years of sluggish sales. Jordan Brand has felt this pinch too. In the 12 months to May, it posted $7.3 billion in revenue, marking a 16% decrease year-over-year.
During its latest earnings call, chief executive officer (CEO) Elliott Hill said Nike brands will shift their focus from lifestyle marketing to performance wear through a new strategy called “Sport Offense.”
The push will drive distinction within its key sports, such as running, training, and basketball, through storytelling marketing efforts.
With its multi-pronged campaign, Jordan Brand is both celebrating its anniversary while ushering in its next 40 years to come.
“40 Years of Greatness” kicked off in December 2024 with a spot detailing the history of Michael Jordan debuting the Air Jordan 1 in-game.
Player-specific ads around athletes like Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić soon followed, along with “Unbannable,” an ad underscoring that “you can’t ban greatness” after Hurts was fined for wearing mismatched Jordan cleats during a game.
Edutainment ads around the Air Jordan 1 and product launches like the AJ40 and the re-release of classic models like the Air Jordan 1 “Shattered Backboard” (out August 23) have been at the center of Jordan Brand’s strategy to speak to its range of consumers, from NBA pros and high school athletes to casual sneakerheads. The brand has also created activations, like its Jordan Fam Fest at NBA All-Star Weekend in February.
“What was important was to make sure that we not only honor the past and bring the power of nostalgic storytelling, but we also acknowledge the present and our consumer today,” said Sargent.
Per Statista data from March 2024, Jordan Brand is popular among 46% of Gen Z consumers, with 34% owning a pair of Jordans. Now, the brand is banking on the next generation of athletes to boost sales.
“In years past, you would see some of our NBA athletes leading the charge,” she continued, “but what we’re most excited about is we also have up-and-coming high school athletes that are adopting the shoe [and] wearing it.”
“What we’re hearing from our youth athletes is that [the AJ40] is the shoe that they want to wear when they step on the court,” said Sargent.
To further its youth push, Jordan Brand launched its second global The One basketball tournament in May, uniting the world’s best one-on-one hoopers for games across 20 different cities.
The competition is open to boys and girls ages 15 to 18, and the final games will be held in New York City next month. The winners will also join the Jordan Brand family as ambassadors.
Sargent’s highest marker of success for ‘40 Years of Greatness’ will be brand strength and consumer sentiment. Looking ahead, her goal is to further position Jordan Brand as one with “dimension” beyond streetwear and basketball.
“When we look across all of our sports [like] American football, global football, golf, there’s so much [more coming] over this next year,” she said. “It feels like [2026] is going to be another breakout year for the brand where we’re delivering new dimension for the brand and welcoming new consumers.”
Jordan Brand’s 40th anniversary isn’t just a nostalgic victory lap. It’s a springboard into Nike’s broader “Sport Offense” strategy.
For Sargent and her team, success will be measured not just in sales, but in whether Jordan Brand can evolve from a streetwear and basketball icon into a cross-sport powerhouse for the next generation of consumers.
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