Sonny's Cozy Tavern

Social insights for successful brands come from real people in real places. Sonny's Cozy Tavern is one of those places. It's like every small-town beer joint across the country. The kind of place where you can learn more in a couple of hours by sitting with the characters at the bar than you could ever hope to learn in a hundred consumer focus groups. Good brands start at Sonny's.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Error Jordan by Nike


So, Michael Jordan's son, Marcus, is a freshman basketball player at Central Florida University (CFU).  CFU has a brand licensing contract with Adidas.  That means that the school, the coaches and the players all agreed that the players wear only Adidas shoes during games.  Apparently, all players except Marcus Jordan.

After agreeing to play at the school, knowing that they were in an Adidas contract, he's decided that he's only wearing his dad's Nike Air Jordans.  His decision to break the contract will cost the school its $2 million partnership with Adidas.

Lots of questions here:
Marcus Jordan, just a rich spoiled kid?
Why would the school/coach allow this and not just kick him off the team?
Is it a carefully orchestrated PR/merchandising move by MJ and Nike?
Should MJ/Nike step in and pick up the check for lost revenue?

Ethics and trust are a big part of brand partnerships.  How would you handle this?
- Butch


 
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