“They had Elton John and Whitney Houston making millions,” he said. Coke’s five-year offer did not, according to Falk. Gatorade owner Quaker Oats made an offer that fit those parameters. Falk said he told both sides he wanted a 10-year deal at seven figures per year. When it came time to bid, Jordan and Falk decided to go with a sealed-bid process. Gatorade and Schmidt (above, far left) signed Jordan in 1991 and quickly filmed the iconic “Be Like Mike” campaign (below). “The creative wasn’t very imaginative, and Michael was one of 30 or so Coke endorsers,” said David Falk, then Jordan’s agent. Gatorade offered Jordan an average of $1.4 million a year over a decade to be Gatorade’s first and only endorser. Everyone agrees on the motivating force: MJ was one of dozens of stars in Coke’s constellation of endorsers. There are dozens of stories about how Gatorade snatched Jordan from Coca-Cola. Michael Jordan’s 23-year relationship with Gatorade has been around so long and supported by such artful advertising that most people forget what was at the heart of the deal: Gatorade stole Jordan from Coke.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |