More than forty years ago, in 1984, Nike signed one of the most successful celebrity branding deals in history. After signing with Michael Jordan and launching one of the most profitable lines of basketball clothing, the Jordan brand generated almost 13% of Nike’s total annual revenue.
Since then, we have not yet seen any celebrity branding collaboration to reach such an incredible performance. Actually, in present times, what we often come across are influencer deals and marketing campaigns that seem to be the go-to for most international brands that search to promote their clothes.
The Michael Jordan’s Iconic Deal Was Also An Influencer Collab?
The best way to address this matter is by looking at the impact Michael Jordan had on Nike’s reputation, comparing it to today’s influencer deals, and establishing which recipe is better. Looking at that partnership, we can only think that even if the term “influencer” was not a thing at that time, the metrics are similar. This will help us clarify if celebrity branding is another form of influencer deal.
By definition, an influencer is a person who is capable of inspiring other people and guiding them into performing certain actions. In today’s capitalism, thousands and thousands of companies take advantage of the current social media status and promote their products through influencers of all types.
In 1984, was Michael Jordan capable of inspiring, influencing, or guiding people’s actions? Of course, he was. And not only that. Even at that time, Michael had a massive international impact, which is why the timing was perfect for Nike to start this partnership. Even in present times, when Michael Jordan is no longer playing, the brand is flourishing.
So not even that collab could be viewed as an influencer partnership, but it is one of the most successful business moves that had a celebrity involved in it in history.
Other Successful Celebrity Brand Product Lines
- LeBron James with Nike: LeBron managed to obtain a good deal with Nike as well. In 2003, Nike launched a special line of basketball shoes called “LeBron.”
- Cristiano Ronaldo with Nike: Another successful product line Nike managed to launch was in partnership with Cristiano, and now, the CR7 line releases not only footwear but also lifestyle apparel.
- Kanye West with Adidas: You definitely know how notorious the “Yeezy” brand is. Adidas joined the club and signed a special partnership with Kanye that led to the creation of one of the most revolutionary streetwear and sneaker lines.
How Do Brands Partner With Celebrities Today?
We will definitely see more celebrity product lines in the future, but it is definitely not the most used method for brands to promote their products. The rise of influencer culture was in some ways inevitable, especially since it coincided with the decline of traditional advertising techniques.
The last 25 years were full of so many collaborations, partnerships, and marketing campaigns we would need weeks to count. For example, take a look at Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty product line that launched in 2017. This is her personal brand and the main promotional channel used to showcase and sell the products was social media.
In its first 40 days after launch, Fenty Beauty generated more than $100 million in sales, showing everybody in the industry how things should be done. Moreover, a celebrity will no longer need a big company to partner with in order to build billion-dollar brands. Celebrities can now engage with their fanbases online.
Celebrities Joined The Digital World
Did you think it just ends there? Celebrities can use their immense audiences to promote any kind of product. When the digital world took over, celebrities were no longer the faces of certain brands or had to play a role in commercials. They are influencers, and when smart marketing comes into play, the outcome is huge.
Let’s take a look at some examples where celebrities were part of the most creative marketing campaigns, promoting services and products you would never think of.
- Cristiano Ronaldo with Poker Stars – In 2015, Cristiano signed with Poker Stars and became one of their most influential brand ambassadors. Even if other international celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Mike Tyson, or Paris Hilton decided to endorse casino-related products, this niche is still controversial, and many influencers and known personas avoid this type of collaboration.
Considering how influential a football player like Cristiano Ronaldo is, imagine the impact and CTR a no deposit free spins campaign would have under such circumstances.
- Travis Scott and Fortnite – Get ready for this one because, in the digital marketing world, this collab is called “multi-vertical.” Travis partnered with Epic Games in an attempt to promote one of the largest in-game experiences ever. 27 million players attended and played Fortnite during the event, which lasted only five days.
Players were able to use in-game currency (Vbucks) to buy the Travis Scott avatar, but the event was huge and the artist sold a lot of merch using his own online shop. Not to mention the viewership this event had on streaming platforms like YouTube or Twitch.
Where Are We Now?
In present times, we can expect literally anything. The future still has to give us the augmented reality experiences we are all waiting for. So, from partnerships that concluded in successful clothing lines to in-game digital events that players attended from different corners of the world at the same time, what do you think is the next big thing?