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Great question, Tina. We honestly haven’t seen a paid campaign for Jordans… ever.

That’s clearly not because Nike’s hurting for cash — they made ~$50B in 2021. So why is it?  

Jordans are a household name.

They’ve been around for 30+ years — the first Air Jordans launched in 1985 —  and kickstarted (heh) sneakerhead culture. 

They don’t need paid promo in the same way a startup does.

Superstars promote them. 

Michael Jordan is the tip of the iceberg. The Jordan Brand also teams up with celebrities on limited edition Jordans — from Russell Westbrook to Travis Scott. 

Celebrities also just wear them on red carpets because they’re trendy. For free.

Exclusivity creates buzz. 

Nike often releases limited-edition Jordans on its SNKRS app — and they sell out fast. 

In fact, resellers often use checkout bots to buy up new releases in bulk before humans can complete their online orders.  

“Exclusivity is a driving force in popularity,” Rich Bird, owner of sneaker resale shop Home Court, told MarketerHire.

Our takeaway?

Jordans don’t need print ads anymore, thanks to the brand’s (and its fans’) star power. 

But creative this good still pays off, in earned Twitter traction (30K RTs!) and merch sales.