Last month, Dwyane Wade held a summit with his numerous endorsement partners to formulate his marketing game plan for the current season. The Florida Sun Sentinel just posted a solid interview with Wade, asking him about his thoughts on the transfer within the Nike, Inc. organization from Converse to Jordan Brand, what shoes he’ll be wearing this NBA season, and whether or not he’ll have his own signature shoe at Jordan Brand (Flash: Wade deflects, but you can bank it’s already in the works…). Continue reading for the full interview transcript with Dwyane Wade.
With Dwyane Wade making the switch within the Nike, Inc. portfolio this past July from Converse to Jordan Brand, it left behind a sudden vacuum in WADE-branded Converse product, including the WADE 5 Signature Shoe and WADE Team Lines. The strategy shift seems to have come from above, and as we noted in our Nike Q1 Earnings Conf Call post a few weeks back, Nike CEO Mark Parker emphasized a “complete offense” in relation to its basketball business with a 3-tiered tactic involving Converse, Nike, and Jordan Brand – each allowing the consumer an access point into the overall Nike umbrella. The goal obviously would be to keep Converse at the entry level $80-and-under category, Nike hitting all ranges, and Jordan Brand blowing out the upper end, with what we can assume to be a high price point “Jordan Flash” shoe in the near future and Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul products filling out a similar space underneath. With all that said, will the Converse WADE 5 eventually release in a stripped down and de-badged form? Converse has said they are still weighing their options with the shoe. For now, you can check out images of what the WADE 5 could have been. Continue reading for more photos.
Jordan Brand has launched their newest “Become Legendary” campaign featuring Team Jordan athletes Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and Derek Jeter. The new ad, entitled “SLAP“, takes the viewer on a fast-paced, team-based collage following each athlete in full-tilt practice mode in their respective sports. “Success isn’t something that just comes naturally,” says Andy Whiteside, Jordan Brand Associate Brand Manager. “You have to work hard and you have to earn it.” The concept for the new spots is an alternate take on the team-mentality – that everyone fills an individual role within a group and that practice is the first step to ultimate success. Look for more segments soon in the third season of the “Become Legendary” campaign.
