Execs said Jordan's personality allowed Nike to develop better creative around himNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
With interest in Michael Jordan being renewed due to ESPN’s “The Last Dance” series, former Nike Dir of Sports Marketing Fred Schreyer earlier this week reflected on his time working with Jordan while at the apparel giant. During an appearance on John Canzano's "The Bald Faced Truth" podcast, Schreyer noted signing Jordan was a “huge investment by Nike and seen as a huge get” by the company. Schreyer: “Nike is such a behemoth now and is so transcendent and so successful people don’t … know that Reebok had actually passed Nike mid-80’s in total revenues.” Schreyer said Jordan was “clearly a big part of what Nike was doing” and “athletes weren’t used in marketing to near the same extent they are now.” Schreyer: “Michael was huge.” He noted that Jordan was a “great asset to work with, so the people at Nike were able to develop great things around him” from a creative perspective. Nike is “really good at tapping into the athlete’s personality and projecting the athlete and representing and presenting them in a way that really compliments the style” ("The Bald Faced Truth," 4/22).
