Vaccaro’s vision not only changed sports marketing but also the world of sneakers
Companies have always spent huge amounts of money on famous athletes across sports, from cricket to swimming and motorsports. However, once upon a time, a company invested in a player who was a nobody. The investment still happened because one man believed that the nobody would become a legend in the world of basketball.
It was a college match, and 15 seconds were left on the clock. A 19-year-old Michael Jordan, who was then a nobody, launched a 16-foot shot and won the game for his team.
While everyone was impressed, marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro wanted to do something extraordinary.
As a marketing executive, Vaccaro went to his Nike bosses and asked them to spend their entire year's basketball endorsement budget on Michael Jordan, the nobody.
At Nike, Vaccaro’s boss, Phil Knight, wasn’t convinced until the last minute, but finally, he came through. Jordan was offered $250,000 a year for five years. He was also given a stake in his line of merchandise, which we know today as Jordan shoes.
The Jordans by Nike changed the way basketball is perceived worldwide and contributed to sneaker culture.
