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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 - Intro
1:04 - The bet on Michael Jordan
2:32 - Air Jordan gets banned by the NBA (free marketing)
4:16 - What brands can learn: find the diamond in the rough
6:22 - Tiger Woods signs with Nike
8:11 - Why long-term partnerships beat one-off deals
9:28 - The LeBron James signing
11:56 - Nike won on story, not money
12:53 - Branding is all about pairing
16:07 - Just Do It and Phil Knight meets Wieden+Kennedy
17:08 - Wholesale partnerships and being everywhere
19:49 - Posting consistently vs. posting every day
22:32 - The fall begins: new CEO John Donahue
23:10 - The direct-to-consumer pivot
33:49 - Competition fills the vacuum: Hoka and On Running
35:20 - The Kanye chapter
39:33 - Quality slips and feeling corporate
40:40 - 94% brand awareness but nobody's buying
44:31 - The comeback: Elliott Hill takes over
45:08 - Why you should promote internally
46:35 - Getting back to your North Star
47:17 - Nike returns to retail shelves
1:05:41 - Post Pod Debrief

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