Sign up for our newsletter and get the full breakdown of every episode sent straight to you.https://the505podcast.beehiiv.com/Nike turned a $3 million bet on a 21-year-old Michael Jordan into a $126 million first year. Then they did it again with Tiger, with LeBron, and built the most recognizable brand slogan on the planet. In this episode, we break down how Nike built a dynasty through athlete partnerships, storytelling, and bold bets and what went wrong when they stopped doing what made them great. Plus, we got to pitch our agency Blue Stripe at the Nike campus. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro1:04 - The bet on Michael Jordan2:32 - Air Jordan gets banned by the NBA (free marketing)4:16 - What brands can learn: find the diamond in the rough6:22 - Tiger Woods signs with Nike8:11 - Why long-term partnerships beat one-off deals9:28 - The LeBron James signing11:56 - Nike won on story, not money12:53 - Branding is all about pairing16:07 - Just Do It and Phil Knight meets Wieden+Kennedy17:08 - Wholesale partnerships and being everywhere19:49 - Posting consistently vs. posting every day22:32 - The fall begins: new CEO John Donahue23:10 - The direct-to-consumer pivot33:49 - Competition fills the vacuum: Hoka and On Running35:20 - The Kanye chapter39:33 - Quality slips and feeling corporate40:40 - 94% brand awareness but nobody's buying44:31 - The comeback: Elliott Hill takes over45:08 - Why you should promote internally46:35 - Getting back to your North Star47:17 - Nike returns to retail shelves1:05:41 - Post Pod DebriefIf you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/