In order to justify the expense of editing a video, we needed to reach critical mass and insure substantial exposure towards our young, urban, male demographic (ages 12-24). If enough people didn’t see it, it wasn’t going to achieve our communication or marketing goals. Therefore, we secured 12 occasions over BET, MTV2 and NBA.com TV at no charge, which would deliver over 7.5 million consumers.The success of this effort was also measured by delivering the right audience, so we targeted 185,000 influencers through direct mail, the Internet and street team distribution. The media group was charged with the nearly impossible task of supporting a special edition of the Air Jordan XVI, Brand Jordan’s flagship product, with less than $50,000. Upon reviewing the spots and the outtakes for the Much Respect campaign, we figured there was enough to creatively extend the campaign in a culturally relevant manner—to create a music video and run it on music television as a music video, not as a paid advertisement. Media set about obtaining the actual video and usage rights through Rawkus Records, Mos Def’s label, for the track, “Umi Says,” that was used in the commercial. We covered off talent negotiations with Mos Def and his agent and secured media placement, all at no cost. To enhance the exclusivity of the event, we enlisted world champion boxer Roy Jones Jr., one of the premier Jordan athletes featured in the campaign, to make a 20-minute guest appearance on Tigger’s Rap City on BET to debut the video.

For Brand Jordan, it is critical that our communications are delivered to sports and entertainment influencers and tastemakers. If they do not perceive our communication as authentic, credible and worthy of Brand Jordan, we will do more harm than good. Consequently, we created something special for them: 85,000 mini-CDs, each containing the Much Respect video and a hyperlink to jumpman23.com. Distribution focused on core customers, high schools, colleges, DJs, clubs, lounges, concerts and shows in the major urban markets of New York, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.The video was an instant hit and it became the most requested video for the week it aired. Due to the amount of requests and the video’s popularity, we received over three times the number of occasions (40) that we initially planned. The website produced an additional 100,000 downloads of the Much Respect video.

Our $50,000 investment produced a return of 16 million exposures and the Air Jordan XVI special edition sold out. This program would have cost us ten times that amount if it were treated as a traditional media solution. Our emphasis on accountability and results produced an extraordinarily relevant and effective program. The media team created and implemented this concept going far beyond the traditional roles of a media department. Execution not only included the placement (at no charge) on appropriate networks like MTV2 and BET and developing mini-CDs, but also included negotiating usage rights with the music company for the original video, talent fees with the artist (Mos Def), and brokering Brand Jordan athlete, Roy Jones Jr., on BET’s Rap City for 20 minutes to debut the premiere of the Brand Jordan Much Respect video. For many years in the United States, the separation of advertising and editorial is akin to church and state. However, with the economies of television changing and the media landscape fragmenting, the notion of “branded entertainment” has become quite popular. Major advertisers have paid millions of dollars for what amounts to expensive, product-placement programs.What makes the Much Respect video special is that we were able to develop a cost effective, creative media solution. The video, which was a fusion of the original music video and our commercial creative, ran as programming—a genuine music video. For the week that it aired, it became the most requested video of the week! We created a $500,000+ program for a $50,000 investment that reached 16 million people in culturally relevant, targeted media. Consequently, the product we were supporting (Air Jordan XVI) sold out. If accountability is the route back to economic growth and prosperity, then the Much Respect video is surely a winner!

The media team created and implemented this concept going far beyond the traditional roles of a media department. Execution not only included the placement (at no charge) on appropriate networks like MTV2 and BET and developing mini-CDs, but also included negotiating usage rights with the music company for the original video, talent fees with the artist (Mos Def), and brokering Brand Jordan athlete, Roy Jones Jr., on BET’s Rap City for 20 minutes to debut the premiere of the Brand Jordan Much Respect video.