Perception of Brand Image – Michael Jordan Case Study

Arjun Chaudhuri

Brand Image is the perception of a brand of merchandise by a consumer. Advertising is often used to make consumers aware of a product’s special low price or its benefits. But an even more important function of advertising is to create an image that consumers associate with a product, known as the brand image. The brand image goes far beyond the functional characteristics of the product. For example, a soft drink may have a particular taste that is one of its benefits. But when consumers think of it, they not only think of its taste, but they may also associate it with high energy, extreme action, unconventional behavior, and youth. All of those meanings have been added to the product by advertising. Consumers frequently buy the product not only for its functional characteristics but also because they want to be identified with the image associated with the brand.

However, every market has its own perception of what the brand image is. What may appear as damaging to brand image in one market may not be the case for a market such as India, where allegations of fraud extend to government and business.

Reebok India is an athletic shoe and apparel company that manufactures and markets its products, and develops innovative advertising campaigns to drive substantial growth.

The 21 May 2012 first information report (FIR) registered by the Gurgaon Police alleges financial irregularities at Rs. 11.3 crore against a former sales manager (institutional sales), and the investigation of the alleged Reebok scam by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office, of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, GOI, into the setting up of ghost distributors for Reebok products, was earlier perceived by analysts as affecting the Brand Image of Reebok India. This has however, not been the case in 2013, as Reebok International has contracted DDB Worldwide as its lead creative agency for digital, social and advertising campaigns to redefine its shoe and apparel product line, specific to the fitness category, in the retail market of worldwide, including India.

The shoe and apparel industry has developed with celebrities endorsing and promoting shoes and apparel companies such as Nike and Reebok. The relative success of one overtaking the other has lied in the choice of the celebrity selected to endorse and promote the company and its products.

Let’s examine the case of Michael Jordan and Nike. When Michael Jordan joined the NBA in 1984, basketball's popularity was already on the rise, thanks to two great stars—Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics. But observers believe that Michael Jordan was the driving force that kept basketball’s appeal fresh after Johnson and Bird retired. The Chicago Bulls’ domination of the NBA under Michael Jordan’s leadership captured the imagination of many people, and his athletic skills, charisma, and competitive drive created new basketball fans.

Jordan was especially influential in the sportswear industry, starting with Nike's introduction of the famous line of Air Jordan basketball shoes in 1984. The partnership between Jordan and Nike became so successful that, before the 1997-98 seasons, Nike created a separate business unit known as the JORDAN brand to market footwear and apparel that Jordan himself helped design.

Which celebrity the creative agency of DDB Worldwide select to endorse and promote the brand image of Reebok India in the year 2013 to revitalize its sales in the Indian market will be keenly observed and its effectiveness micro-measured by Financial Managers and Advertising & Promotional professionals.