Assignment #2: Air Jordan XX3

Step One:
Jordan Brand Launches Air Jordan XX3: Celebrating 23 Years of a Legacy.
http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2008/01/08_Jordan23.html

Step Two:
Michael Jordan has just released the 23rd edition of the shoe that helped make him an international icon. Nike wrote a press release about the shoe on January 8, 2008 and it was just a day later that Vibe.com wrote an article about the new release of the legendary shoe.

The Vibe article, Air Jordan 23 by Linda Hobbs, spoke of the street credibility that the shoe gave each individual. It recalls of days when my generation would have a fresh pair of Jordans on at school and put them in the box at the end of the day to keep them nice and clean. According to the article the Jordan shoe has become classic; so classic as to compare it to the wearing of a fitted New York baseball cap. The article continues its praise of the shoe by announcing the Jordan xx3’s design ethos which uses only eco friendly materials. His Airness himself, Michael Jordan said, “The AIR JORDAN XX3 is deeply meaningful to me, as a celebration of both my life and career, The number 23 is obviously of great significance to me and the release of the XX3 is a pinnacle moment in the Brand’s history. I’m honored and humbled by the AIR JORDAN franchise’s loyal following after all these years. The release of this shoe is exciting and a dream come true for me.”

This article was very positive and gave the Jordan brand positive press through this article. They chose to focus on the feelings and emotions that go with buying and owning a pair of Jordans and recalled the emotions of what it was like wearing a pair of these shoes as a kid. They mentioned the eco friendly approach that Nike is now promoting, which really connects with our “global warming” society today. The Jordan brand should be very pleased with the release of this news story because it was most likely read by those people interested in the shoe. Vibe magazine is an entertainment magazine geared towards young people who enjoy hip-hop, sports, Hollywood, and fashion. Concluding the article, the author praised Michael Jordan by writing, “Jordan comes from a long line of athletes who have launched successful and unsuccessful kicks, but many are called— few are chosen.”


Jordan Brand Celebrates 23 Historic Years of AIR JORDAN Franchise in the ''Big Easy''
This article was written on February 16, 2008 during the NBA’s ALL-Star weekend. Jordan Brand had a special party to celebrate the release of the Jordan XX3 basketball shoe. The party included celebrities such as Gabrielle Union and Chris Tucker along with current and legendary basketball players such as, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Kevin Durant, and Magic Johnson. Michael Jordan took advantage of the occasion to celebrate this milestone in his career, which made this the most coveted party of All-Star weekend. Music and African dancing entertained the crowed as Jazz hits were mixed with new age beats by a live DJ.

This article was very positive and gave the new Jordan XX3 great promotion for its release. Since the article, the shoe has been released and is retailing for about $200. The article called the Air Jordans “the greatest basketball shoe ever,” which is believed by many basketball players and shoe enthusiast. This was a very timely release for the new shoe which made it possible for Carmelo Anthony, a member of Team Jordan, to don the Jordan XX3 during the All-Star game. There was nothing but great press for the Jordan Brand well as the release of the JordanXX3.

Step 3:
I thought that this was a very good project. I learned a lot about press releases and the effect that they can have, both negative and positive. I first had the intention of looking up a press release from a company I have worked closely with recently as an intern. I did find a couple recent press releases, but did not find any articles that were influenced by the press release. I then chose a larger company, Sprint Nextel, but non of their press releases were very interesting and it seemed as though they were writing press releases for everything that went on with the company. It was not uncommon to find a few press releases from Sprint Nextel each day. I realized that if too many press releases are done at one time then it’s more unlikely that a story be written about it. It’s kind of like the boy who cried wolf. He cried wolf so many times that when there really was a wolf no one believed him. The same goes with news. No one will look your way if everyday you cry “News! News!” Finally I remembered that Michael Jordan had just come out with his new shoe and was curious how many stories were produced from the press release.

I went to Nike.com and went to their press release section. I immediately found what I was looking for. There was a list of press release, including the one I was looking for. The title of the press release is, Jordan Brand Launches Air JordanXX3: Celebrating 23 Years of a Legacy. After I read the press release, I looked for articles inspired by the release on google. I found a list of articles including one by Vibe.com, an online version of their magazine. To my surprise, the Vibe article was written and posted a day after the press release. The article was clearly relevant to the press release. Quotes from the release were used in the article, which praised the Jordan Brand for its success in making a legendary basketball shoe.

The second article I read was about a month after the press release, but clearly used information from the press release in the article. This article however, added another element to the release of the Jordan XX3. The reason for the delay in publishing this article was because the writer wanted to include the party at All-Star weekend in the announcement of the new shoe. This was a very good way of using the information in the press release and holding onto it until it could become an even bigger story. Unlike the Vibe article, this article included visual descriptions of the event and the excitement at the party concerning the release of the Jordan XX3.
By the end of the assignment I was able to more fully understand the effectiveness of a press release and the strategies behind writing one. I was able to see how quotes were used and the importance of them being effective and believable. This press release was very good and sparked a lot of interest which will help the Jordan XX3 be successful as its predecessors have been.