The Banned Launch

Controversy can actually help your launch. Did you know that the first Air Jordans were actually banned by the NBA? At the time, all players wore white shoes. The Jordan 1s were black and red. So the NBA banned Michael Jordan from wearing them. Doing so would result in a $5000 fine — per game! So what did Nike do? They paid the fines. And Michael wore the shoes. They then air a TV commercial introducing them as the “Banned Shoe.” It said: “The NBA can tell you …. but they can’t stop you from wearing them”. As you’d expect, this made them wildly popular. The most successful sneaker launch of all time. It became about more than just the shoe. Buying them meant “sticking it to the man.” → Check out Nike’s “Banned Shoe” commercial