Jordan Brand, the Nike-co-owned footwear and apparel line that continues the legacy of basketball star and entrepreneur Michael Jordan, has released a campaign to inspire youth and celebrate women athletes.
The mission of Jordan Brand, which is one of the world’s most successful footwear brands, focuses on “flight” as it aims to support creative potential and influence style in relation to basketball, acting as a “bridge” between sport and culture.
This spot, which was released during the NBA All-Star Weekend in mid-February, is titled “Beyond” and features both a one-minute edit and a near three-minute edit as it focuses on the progress of an emerging basketball star as she remembers the hurdles and difficulties she has faced. Those include learning to swim, domestic issues and also feeling different from everyone else at school.
Her life experiences are shown briefly as she grows in confidence for her own abilities and skills on the basketball court during a high school game.
‘Beyond fear, Beyond doubt’
The film was created by Uncommon Creative Studio and developed by creative director Sanam Petri, with music directed by Teyana Taylor and vocals from Kaelynn Hayes.
Commenting on the spot via LinkedIn, Shannon Watkins, global CMO for Jordan Brand, said: “Beyond. Beyond is a love letter to youth globally—an invitation to soar—Beyond fear, Beyond doubt, Beyond those who’ve come before!”
On the Friday ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend, Jordan Brand hosted a Rising Stars mini tournament and followed that with an All-Star Draft Game the following Sunday where the teams wore the brand’s uniforms during the game.
The campaign was released just days before Jordan Brand announced its first NIL shoe deal with a high school athlete by signing five-star point guard Kiyomi McMiller. She is the second athlete to agree to an NIL deal with the brand, following the signing of UCLA’s Kiki Rice last year.
Last month, it was reported by Hypebeast that Jordan Brand had earned Nike $19 billion over the last five years.