Recently, I took my 13 and 11-year-old kids to see “AIR,” a movie that I was excited to watch as Air Jordan 1’s have always been a significant source of inspiration for me.

I’ve always loved stories about challenger brands, and this movie was particularly interesting due to its cultural relevance. However, I wasn’t sure how my kids would react to a film where the action takes place during personal and business meetings, and where we don’t get to see Michael Jordan’s face throughout the whole movie.

The film tells the story of how Nike, at the time a clear third place in terms of market share, managed to change marketing as we know it by partnering with a young, talented, and controversial athlete in the 1980s.

Nike’s decision was bold and risky, but it paid off significantly. To filter some lessons from the movie and the story itself, I will use a book called “Eating the Big Fish” by Adam Morgan.

The first lesson is to embrace the power of cultural tension and not be afraid to take risks. Nike was willing to risk and embrace cultural tension by partnering with Jordan, portraying him as a rebellious, rule-breaking athlete that resonated with many young consumers. Nike even broke an NBA rule regarding the percentage of color the shoes could have and paid several fines.

These actions helped create a strong brand identity, which is the second lesson.

Nike and Michael Jordan built a brand identity that endured for decades by using the “Hero” and the “Outlaw” archetypes for their brand personality. This built consistency and made a compelling brand. Nike also tapped into basketball and street culture, creating functional and fashionable products that built an emotional connection with its consumers, attracting loyalty and new customers over time.

The third lesson is to use storytelling to create a narrative around your brand. The Air Jordan campaign was built around a narrative centered on Jordan’s rise from humble beginnings to sports superstar. This narrative helped create a sense of identity for the brand and resonated with consumers on a deeper level.

After leaving the movie theater, I asked my kids if they enjoyed the film and learned something from it. They were both excited and inspired, particularly by Matt Damon’s Sonny Vacaro’s final speech. They learned that you should never give up, put in all you have, learn as much as possible from the subject, be creative, experiment, and break some rules, because a rookie can change the game, and everything is possible if you «Just Do It!»

Overall, the Nike and Jordan partnership teaches us that embracing cultural tension, taking risks, creating a solid brand identity, being consistent and using storytelling to create a narrative marketing campaign around your brand are all critical elements of a successful marketing campaign.

By the way, after watching the movie, we visited the Nike Store and bought a fresh new pair of our favorite shoes.

Do you want your brand to become the next «Nike» of its industry? We can help.