Jumpman23- The Appeal Of Advertising

Jumpman23

Michael Jordan has star power that bridges age, race, and socioeconomic class. Nike understands this aspect of the popular superstar and decided to give him his own clothing line named Jumpman23. It is the most popular form of sports apparel available and the white logo that adorns each article of apparel is known worldwide. Michael Jordan is arguably the most loved and respected athlete of this generation, thus the ad for this company depicted in ESPN The Magazine takes advantage of his immense popularity. In an attempt to expand the companies influence Jumpman23 uses professional baseball player Derrick Jeter to send its message and promote its apparel. In the essay "Absolution for Sale," Charity Miller writes, "We live in a world of images. Among the most persuasive and insistent of these images are those directed at us by advertising. These images often do more then simply try to persuade us to buy a particular product or use a particular service. More subtly, they influence us by appealing to our desires or exploiting our emotions." The image of Jeter training alone in a gym clothed head to toe in Michael Jordan's clothing line combine with a poem above describing his intentions. This scene portrays the hard work and dedication that will eventually lead to success as things an athlete of any level should expect while wearing the clothing. Michael Jordan takes advantage of his legend on the basketball court and his appeal worldwide to create a line of apparel that demands the same work ethic from those who wear it. Its success is in Jumpman23's ability to interest buyers no matter what age, race, or sport.

The advertisement gives the impression that success does not come easily. To reach a goal there is a lot of hard work that goes into the process. This is how Jeter is portrayed in the picture. He is alone, in a dark gym surrounded by mirrors training with a thirty-five pound weight. He stares at his reflection in the mirror, deep in concentration, and highly motivated. The "light at the end of the tunnel" whether it be a world championship or simply a playground victory takes time, effort, and dedication and he is in the course of working towards that goal. Part of why the ad does not show him on the field, or celebrating a victory is because it wants to capture the countless hours he spent working to get to that level. It shows the process and time that must be put into a task in an effort to achieve results and become the best. This is no more apparent than in the poem that is written on the top right of the ad:

"The more I train, the faster I swing. The faster I swing, the harder I hit. The harder I hit, the more runs I score. The more runs I score, the better my stats. The better my stats, the higher the expectations. The higher the expectations, the greater the pressure. The greater the pressure, the more I train."

The beauty of this ad is how it eventually returns to the beginning line. It all comes down to training harder and pushing yourself to the limit. The more you train, the better you will play, and this in turn will cause you to train harder in order to continue to play better. It seems that this cycle of events is what is going through the mind of Jeter and is his main motivation. Jeter is a major star in professional sports, he is a team leader, adored by fans, and is constantly competing at the highest level. Playing in New York is said to be very difficult and thus, the better his stats, the more pressure he will feel from fans with high expectations which will in turn cause him to continue to train harder in what looks to be an endless cycle. While this poem is certainly relevant to all of the professional athletes who endorse this clothing line, it is also directed to the young kids everywhere who look up to these stars. It is applicable for everyone from high school baseball players, to college football players, to the young kids playing basketball on the neighborhood courts. To become the best, and achieve great things, there is a lot of work that, while it is not the most glamorous part of the sport is essential in moving towards the end goal. This is the message Jumpman23 looks to send out, to audiences of all ages and ability levels.

An athlete would simply have to stare down at the Jordan logo that is visible on each piece of clothing in order to be inspired. The white logo which depicts a man flying through the air with a basketball in one hand describes what made Jordan so great. No words are needed to tell the reader what company the clothing is representing; the