Nike and Kobe Bryant are closely associated. He joined the company in 2003 and stayed with them till he retired. But he was an Adidas athlete for six years before he joined with the heavyweights of American fashion. Bryant not only came to represent the company, but he also provided Gary Stokan with the concept of using only one quotation to promote the brand.
Kobe Bryant statue unveiled recently
The CEO of Peach Bowl Inc. and a former Adidas executive told stories about the legendary Lakers player in an interview with 11Alive. Then Stokan disclosed how a casual discussion they had with Bryant influenced their marketing plan. He uttered:
“When I was talking to Kobe, I said, ‘How does it feel to be a teenager coming from high school into the NBA?’ And he said, ‘This is a dream.’ And so, in that global marketing campaign, I used that dream theme in the commercial to launch him. Because it was a dream.”
Kobe Bryant and his relation with Adidas
Bryant appeared in an Adidas Elevation EQT shoe commercial on his debut as an athlete. In it, the teenage guard is seen playing pickup basketball with a few other players while sitting behind a plastic cover in the rain. He is seen showing them the moves he would do if the weather hadn’t stopped their game. The scene turns to him performing maneuvers precisely as he explains while he is bragging about what he could do on the court.
For the brand, Bryant’s tenure with Adidas was ideal. In addition to being one of the best players in the league while wearing their shoes, he assisted the Lakers in winning three NBA titles. But while they were happy with him, the guard wasn’t as much with them.
It resulted in a messy divorce, after which the celebrity dealt the brand its fatal blow.
