Description of Air Jordan

The Air Jordan is one of the most recgonized and admired brands of basketball shoes in the world. It is produced by Nike inc. under their subbrand Jordan brand line. The Air Jordan line was first launched in 1985 during Micheal Jordans rookie basketball season. It instantly became the industrtys best selling basketball shoe. Unlike the traditional white basketball shoe at the time, the Air Jordan I was released in a black and red colorway that violated the nba's uniform regulations. Consequently, the league banned the shoes and finned micheal jordan $5000 each time he wore them. Twenty-six years and Twenty-six styles released later, Air Jordan is still one of the most popular basketball sneakers. One of the most regonized feature of the Air Jordan is the iconic jumpman logo which features a figure of a man soaring through the air with a basketball in his left hand. The logo was designed by tinker hatfield who aslo designed the Air Jordan III through the Air Jordan XV. In the article Jordan on Jordan, Micheal Jordan himself explains "I just stood on the floor, jumped up and spread my legs and they took the picture." With this simple gesture the Air jordan logo was created.

Product Quality
As Spike Lee once said, Its gotta be the shoes!" ; The Air Jordan since day one has been in inovator in design and quality. Nike markets the Air Jordan as a tool for becoming the greatest basketball player of all time. In 1988 Tinker Hatfield drastically changed the perception of the basketball shoe by designing the Air Jordan III. It featured a unique elepant print and it was the first Air Jordan to carry the jumpman logo. The inovations did not stop there, Air Jordan IV had a plastic coated mesh that made the shoe lighter and breathable: a never before seen diesign on a basketball shoe. According to Nicekicks.com the Air jordan XII was the most durrable out of the jordan series. It also provided the most ankle support witch in turn kept micheal jordan fresh and injury free throught his 1996-97 season. Untill this day Air Jordan continues to produce High quality basketball shoes. On febuary 19, 2011 the Air jordan 2011 will be released. Acording to designer tinker hatfield, AJ 2011 will be lighter, form fitting to the foot internaly and is still very protective on the outside. The Air Jordan 2011 also features interchangeable midsoles, alowing consumers the option to choose two diffrent midsoles that cater thier style of play.

Product Line
After twenty six years of innovation, the Air Jordan line is considered a legacy amongst consumers. The Air Jordans were inspired, catered, and created for

Micheal Jordan. Micheal jordan himself used and played in Air Jordans I through to XIV. Although he retired in 2003 the Air Jordan brand line continued to be a popular choice for consumers and there are now twenty-six different styles to choose from. No other basketball sneaker has created as much anticipation and obsession as the Air Jordan. Many stores will open at midnight on the day of an Air Jordan release. Air Jordan collectors or "sneakerheads" as thier called will stand in line at midnight and often times the shoes will sell out in minutes. (nicekicks). The first Air Jordans were priced at $65; after great success, Nike saw the opportunity to raise prices. Today new Air Jordans are sold for prices ranging from $120 to $230(come on, mike). Due to the fact that Air jordans often sell out the day of their release, consumers tend to buy more than one pair and resell them on sites such as ebay and amazon. Air Jordan's have been sold on these sites for over $1000. After Micheal Jordan retired, the air jordan line needed someone new to be the face of Air Jordan. The Air jordan 2010 and the Air Jordan 2011 are endorsed by D'wayne Wade; the shooting gaurd for the Miami Heat.

Product Class
The Air jordan's can be classified in more than one class. The fact that consumers can spend time and effort in comparing diffrent basketball shoes makes the Air Jordan a shopping product. Also the Air Jordan is a product that consumers sees as diffrent and feel the need to inspect for quality and suitablity makes it a heterogeneous shopping product. Although consumers have a wide variety in chosing a basketball shoe they like, many "sneakerheads" have a great obsession with Air Jordans. They are willing to go great legths and pay large amounts to get theses sneakers. According to willaim perrault author of essentilas of marketing the Air Jordan can be classafied as a specialty product. (Teens Race for Air Jordan Sneakers, as Beaverton, Ore., Store Profits) (jordan Brand Launches the AIR JORDAN XX3: Celebrating 23 Years of a Legacy) (Michael Jordan and Nike launch Jordan sub-brand) http://www.nba.com/jordan/hoop_mjonmj.html http://www.nicekicks.com/air-jordans/air-jordan-12/ (The Business of Sports (A Special Report); Bottom Lines: As sports melds into pop culture, the people who design shoes for famous athletes are becoming stars in their own right?) (Come on, Mike)