On Weibo, he has cooperated with well-known e-sports players xiye and cat god, which is behind Jordan's careful attempts in the face of trends and entertainment infiltration into the sports industry. More importantly, after 20 years as an independent brand, Jordan has reached a fork in the road, and it needs to solve the problem of how to seize new markets in the future.

On November 9, neither Russell Westbrook nor Carmelo Anthony appeared, and the picture on the official Weibo of the Jodan brand appeared in a non-traditional sense of the "sports icon" - Su Hanwei, who is more well-known in the e-sports circle, ID:xiye (兮夜) wearing Jordan brand products appeared on Weibo headlines.

As a member of Team E, he has just beaten rookie in the all-star voting in the LPL division of "League of Legends", becoming the vote king of the mid-laner position, and has been on the hot search list of Weibo topics.

However, this cooperation is not a signing and sponsorship. Jordan replied to Lazy Bear Sports that the cooperation on Weibo was a one-time exposure.

Immediately afterwards, on the official Weibo of the next day, there was a Weibo of the cat god of the QGHAPPY team showing Jordan products.

At this time, Jordan has not announced what the next steps will be for esports in the future. But the attempt suggests that Nike-owned companies are coveting esports, a popular sport that is gaining a cult following — and the young people behind it.

Linking products to pop culture and sportsmanship to attract young people has always been the brand's forte.

Since becoming an independent brand in September 1997, this iconic brand has also been moving between pop culture and sports culture due to its unique cultural scarcity. Although some non-sports celebrities will wear Jordan products as a trendy item, basketball-related equipment has always been the core of Jordan's products, and the spokesperson has always been well-known athletes.

But partnering with new young esports players is a sign that the company is looking for change.

The reason is that the company, like its parent company, Nike, faces stiffer competition. In the first eight months of 2017, Adidas' market share soared from 6.6% to 11.3%, although the Jordan brand's share of the U.S. market rose slightly, from 9.4% to 9.5%, according to market analyst firm NPD Group. Although Nike still dominates the U.S. sneaker market by more than 35%, the Jordan brand was lost to Adidas in second place, falling to third place.

Since Jordan's inception, the company has grown smoothly because of its unique brand endorsement.

Jordan became an independent brand 20 years ago, which is undoubtedly a phenomenal event. From the launch of the first pair of Air Jordans in 1984 to the brand's own family, after more than 10 years of accumulation, the Jordan Brand has had a huge innate advantage from the beginning.

Product superiority is the greatest strength of the Jordan brand, and the accumulation of this advantage began with the first generation of Air Jordan sneakers.

"As a shoe for the best athletes in the world, Jordan's shoes are as advanced as possible. But his sneakers are more complex and made of better materials. Tink Hatfield, a well-known designer who has designed many legendary sneakers for Jordan, including the AJ 3 in 1988, once commented.

Xu Fei (pseudonym), a domestic sneaker media person, told Lazy Bear that the 90s of the last century can be said to be the most prosperous period of the sneaker design industry, and many works of that era are the holy relics sought after by sneakerheads today. Xu Fei said: "The Air Jordan series, which was born during that period, not only symbolizes the highest level of basketball shoes, but also integrates basketball culture and the spirit of Jordan. ”

Jordan's personal charm has also established a solid foundation for the brand to gain a foothold in the market.

Eddie Jones was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1997, and his shoe contract with Nike ended around that time, with Adidas, Reebok, Puma and FILA all offering an olive branch to Jones. But after receiving a call from Jordan himself, Jones did not hesitate to make the decision to join the Jordan brand.

"When the best player on the planet has a pair of shoes in his hand, hopefully you'll join him. I would say that you will not hesitate to join. Eddie Jones said.

The popularity of Jordan sneakers is not limited to fans and sneakerheads, NBA players are the main force that will make the brand popular in the early days. In a way, the Jordan brand has taken a hunger marketing strategy from the beginning. According to Michael Finley, who is also a first-generation Jordan brand player, in the early days, the only way for other players to get a pair of Jordan shoes was to ask for a brand signatory. "Before the game, even the referee would comment on my shoes." Finley said.

Hua Ye, a well-known equipment expert in China, also believes that the early success of the Jordan brand is the result of a combination of factors. In his opinion, the sneakers of the early Jordan brand were better than other basketball brands in terms of quality, design, and performance.

In other words, to date, Jordan products have shown absolute advantages in performance, and cultural scarcity has maximized the advantages of this brand, and these absolute advantages and Jordan's idol halo have given it the capital to carry out hunger marketing, and these competitive combinations have finally led to the Jordan series of sneaker products becoming the object of unattainable profits of other products.

But the above-mentioned collaboration with esports on Weibo, as well as the low-key publicity to the outside world, suggests that Jordan is cautiously exploring new markets and the ultimate question of how to interpret the brand's ethos — whether an emerging sports icon may not be able to run or jump well, whether this new idol fits the definition of "idol" and "legend" among young people, and whether wearing the best sneakers can provide the best sports experience.

The changes caused by the pan-sport trend have influenced the core and strength of Jordan's fame.

In the more fierce market competition, the decline in market share and share may make the advantages defined by Jordan shrink a little bit at some levels.

In an interview with Footwear News, NPD Group analyst Matt Powell said, "Adidas has risen so quickly and taken the second market share, which is quite a sizable victory." If you had asked me two years ago if that would have happened, I would have said never. ”

And the weakness of the Jordan brand has also dragged down sports retailers like Foot Locker and Finish Line. Richard Johnson, CEO of Foot Locker, said sales of Jordan's sneakers and apparel had "slowed down significantly." In response to Johnson's statement, Morgan Stanley analysts said, "The risk is that the Jordan brand was placed in the 'brand problem' that did not exist in the past, and now it is in front of Nike." ”

The weakness of the Jordan brand is not limited to the United States. Both Xu Fei and Hua Ye said that the popularity of the Jordan brand in China has declined significantly. To put it another way, in the past, you had to compete with scalpers to buy Jordan's sneakers, but now, Jordan's sneakers are getting easier and easier to buy, and even AJ's original sneakers will be discounted. "For example, some of the recent AJ13s, I personally think they are pretty good. As a result, there are discounts in both physical stores in China and the United States, and the price on the Internet is about RMB 1,100, which was unimaginable before. Hua Ye said.