Nike, Gatorade Juggle Jordan Ads Sports Superstar’s Retirement From Baseball Triggers Scramble

Michael Jordan’s decision to quit baseball is driving advertisers to juggle their plans for getting commercial mileage out of the highest-paid advertising spokesman in sports.

Nike Inc. said Friday it will shelve a commercial that debuted only a week ago saluting the basketball superstar’s efforts to reach the big leagues in baseball. But Gatorade Co. accelerated the debut of its new ad featuring Jordan on a mythical but suddenly apt search for the meaning of life.

Sneaker marketer Nike hired film director Spike Lee and recruited some of baseball’s biggest names including Ken Griffey Jr. and Hall of Famers Stan Musial and Willie Mays for the ad in which they watched Jordan practice.

“He’s trying,” the sports celebrities said in the spot, aimed at reinforcing Nike’s advertising theme “Just Do It.”

But Nike spokesman Tom Feuer said the company decided to shelve the ad after Jordan said he was quitting baseball because it was no longer relevant.

Feuer said the commercial is getting plenty of exposure anyway in news accounts of the possibility that Jordan will soon resume his basketball career with the Chicago Bulls. “It hasn’t been a waste of money,” he said.

The fast-breaking developments involving Jordan drove Gatorade to capitalize on the chance for wider exposure of its new ad.

Bill Schmidt, a top marketing executive for the sports drink, said the company would run the ad on Sunday’s NBA broadcasts rather than hold off until April as earlier planned.

The ad was shot three weeks ago and showed Jordan running through the desert and into the mountains to a temple where he meets a guru who recognizes that he has come to discover the meaning of life.

“Life is a sport, drink it up,” the guru says.

“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” Jordan replies.

Jordan makes an estimated $31 million a year from commercials and other endorsement deals, which Sports Marketing Letter publisher Brian Murphy says is more than twice the take of any other sports figure.

Among his other deals are commercial contracts for McDonald’s, Wheaties, Ball Park Franks and Hanes underwear.

“It doesn’t affect our plans,” said Kathryn Newton, a spokeswoman for General Mills Inc. which has been running a commercial since last fall with Jordan endorsing the new taste formulation for Wheaties.

Jordan’s endorsement appeal appeared to have been little affected by his surprise decision in the fall of 1993 to retire after leading the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships.

Some of the companies who had him under contract capitalized on the career switch to baseball in commercials.

Ball Park Franks, for example, poked fun at the media hysteria over it with an ad in which speculation erupted that he was going to buy a baseball stadium when someone overheard his plan to by a “Ball Park.” He wound up buying a hot dog.

Last fall, Hanes featured Jordan in a commercial in which he stood in a ballpark in street clothes and noted he had changed teams and sports.

“Change is good, as long as it’s Hanes,” he said in the ad that showed the variety of colors and styles of its underwear.

Sidney Falken, director of marketing for Hanes, said Jordan’s real appeal is his likability and said that is unaffected by what sport he plays.

Nike had been hoping to use the commercial with Jordan practicing baseball through the spring. The ad, shot in November, reunited Jordan with Lee in his role as a fervent fan of Jordan. They appeared in several “Spike and Mike” ads for Nike between 1988 and 1990.

“Whatever makes Michael happy makes Nike happy,” Feuer said. “I am sure we will do some new spots.”