Air Jordan and hip-hop icon, DJ Khaled, teamed up to create one of the brightest sneaker collaborations of 2023. However, this shoe quickly became the ultimate "could have been" story despite the hype surrounding the release. But what marketing practices attributed to its worldwide attention, and what pitfalls caused this sneaker to miss the mark? This marketing case study breaks down the DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 5 “Crimson Bliss,” its marketing campaign, and why this sneaker went from an instant sell out to sitting in outlets nationwide.
The Air Jordan 5 released in 1990, preceding one of the most iconic sneakers in the Jordan line, the Air Jordan 4. The silhouette provides additional padding and support around the ankle collar, a redesigned net system for improved breathability, and a translucent outsole - a new first within the Jordan collection.
Since its debut 34 years ago, the Air Jordan 5 has seen plenty of success from fashion, to sports, to even Hollywood. Whether it was Will Smith wearing them throughout the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, or the wildly successful collaboration with Virgil Abhloh and Off-White, the Air Jordan 5 is established as one of the most iconic sneaker silhouettes to date.
20 years later in 2010, DJ Khaled made his way into the pop culture scene with his fourth studio album Victory and his certified triple platinum song, “All I Do Is Win.” Khaled has become a sneaker mogul and icon with his hype sneaker collaborations, incredibly-extensive collection, and his partnership with Jordan Brand. Fortunately, there’s no sign of slowing down. DJ Khaled continues to win in both the music and sneaker spaces, and has now become one of the most successful DJ’s and music producers in the world.
Paying homage to his hometown, DJ Khaled uses a mix of pastel peaches and blues to represent the city of Miami and its vibrant atmosphere. Along with the plush, leather upper, the Air Jordan 5 has hints of blue along the midsole and along the back of the shoe in the “We The Best” text.
The most overlooked aspect of this sneaker is the quality. Compared to other Jordan 5s, DJ Khaled’s collaboration is the undisputed winner regarding leather quality and structure. In addition to the soft leather, the sneaker has a quilted liner that has the words “keep going” on the inside of the tongue. Finally, this sneaker reflects original qualities dating back to 1990 by maintaining the semi-translucent outsole.
But Khaled took it a step further. His Air Jordan 5 is the largest produced Nike collaboration sneaker in the brand’s history. This is a strong contrast compared to Khaled’s previous collaborations, which were often limited to his friends and family. His Air Jordan 3’s celebrated his three album releases, Grateful, Another One, and Father of Ashad. Needless to say, Khaled’s Air Jordan 5s had high expectations and were one of the most anticipated sneaker releases in 2023.
Outside of being a triple-platinum DJ, Khaled is also a world class marketer that made a splash in debuting his sneakers. Not only did he sit courtside of a nationally televised Miami HEAT game, but he also brought a matching pillow so his sneakers could rest comfortably off the hardwood. This caught the attention of media outlets like Sports Illustrated, Complex, HYPEBEAST, and even the National Basketball Association (NBA). But Khaled’s campaign goes beyond a matching pillow and a Heat game, there were other factors that attributed to his strategy.
- Self Promoted: DJ Khaled is a creator that will always stand behind his products, whether it be songs or sneakers. He is one of the only collaborators to consistently wear their own sneaker before AND after the release, a quality that is overlooked and often neglected by others. - Brand Consistency: The “Crimson Bliss” and the other four colorways all reflect Khaled’s personality. His energetic and vibrant mantra is contagious and present wherever he goes, and the sneaker further demonstrates his testament to always making a statement.- Pursued the Press: While the sneakers are loud enough to do the talking, Khaled didn’t hold back from promoting his shoe. Featured on Complex NTWRK ever-famous "Sneaker Shopping" series, show host, Joe La Puma, interviewed Khaled on his sneaker, and unveiled his new partnership with SNIPES at their newest flagship store in Miami. Not only does Complex rake in millions of views from this series, but it’s also a 10 minute advertisement for Khaled’s sneakers, store, and his entire brand. Now THAT is marketing at its finest.
Despite the explosive energy Khaled brings to his sneakers, there were a few practices that should be leveraged as lessons learned for his next launch.
- Lack of Exclusivity: Unlike his previous collaborations with Jordan Brand, this was DJ Khaled’s first general release. While the quality certainly delivered, sneakerheads crave limited stock and high resell prices above everything; and unfortunately, this sneaker possessed neither of those. Once the sneaker hit the outlet stores, any hype surrounding the sneaker quickly evaporated, and customer can still find this sneaker for under retail on resell platforms like StockX, Goat, and others. - Unaccepted by Target Market: Being a collaboration with a hip-hop icon on an Air Jordan 5, the obvious target market for this release was sneakerheads. Like any market, collectors and resellers go through waves of interest as it pertains to what sells the best. The attention wasn’t directed at Air Jordan 5’s or major collaborations, which led to the sneakers sitting on shelves. - Undesirable Silhouette and Timing: While popular, most sneakerheads would agree that the Air Jordan 5 is not the easiest sneaker to wear due to iits bulky structure and lack of hype. In addition, the sneaker market declined in 2023 due to economic stability and other outlying factors. The demand for sneakers flattened after a boom the previous two years, so customers were spending their $200 dollars elsewhere instead of buying sneakers.- Lack of Story: While this sneaker was loud and mimicked Miami vice colors, there wasn’t solidified story that resonated with the audience. In fact, its vibrant appearance begged for a story to be built. Since this collaboration is with DJ Khaled, Nike and Jordan could have taken this ad to unforeseeable heights that would have led to a sellout within within minutes.
Don’t be fooled by this fluke, major sneaker collaborations have a long-lasting record of selling out. We have seen this with Travis Scott and his collaboration with Jordan Brand; Virgil Abloh and Nike; Designer, Joe Fresh Goods, and his collaboration with New Balance; and even with entrepreneur Ronnie Fieg & KITH with ASICS Corporation. This list goes on and on, but what was different?
Take away the bright colors, big names, and major collaborations. The reason why sneakers sell out is built within the story telling and branding. The reason why Khaled’s Air Jordan 3’s are worth thousands of dollars aren’t just because of the infamous ‘friends and family’ branding, it’s also due to his hard work and success of his albums. The sneakers tell a dream, a mission, and a story. However, the Air Jordan 5s missed the storytelling aspect and, in turn, dealt with the repercussions. Nonetheless, Khaled is still winning, putting out music, and blessing his community one sneaker at a time. He doesn’t need the validation of a sell-out to win, he’s already doing that! Despite what sneakerheads thought of this release, they are eagerly waiting to see the next sneakers to come out of Khaled’s vault, which may come sooner than we think.