Jordan Brand Introduces the Jordan Melo M4: Carmelo Anthony’s New Signature Shoe

BEAVERTON, Ore., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., announced the launch of the Jordan Melo M4, a shoe inspired by Team Jordan athlete Carmelo Anthony. The Jordan Melo M4 is designed to elevate Carmelo’s world-class performance to an even higher level by helping to improve his quickness and agility throughout the entire 2007-2008 basketball season. Additionally, the Jordan Melo M4 will be supported by an integrated marketing campaign including a national television ad starring Carmelo Anthony, set to launch on Thanksgiving Day.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071120/LATU035)

“Immediately following last basketball season [Jordan Brand] footwear designer D’Wayne Edwards approached me with questions about my basketball goals for the 2007-2008 season and how I thought my next signature shoe could play a role in accomplishing all of them,” said Carmelo Anthony, Team Jordan athlete. “I knew I needed a shoe that would help me become quicker and more agile; that was lighter and had better traction. I wanted the shoe to be aggressive yet stylish at the same time.”

The design team at Jordan Brand outlined Anthony’s goals for the 2007-2008 season in four separate parts: the first and second halves of the NBA season, the NBA Playoffs and the 2008 Summer Olympics. In order to sustain speed, quickness and strength to operate at an All-Star level over the extended basketball season, Jordan Brand designed the Jordan Melo M4 to meet Melo’s needs while still being stylish both on and off the court. And to help withstand his heavy workload, the Jordan Melo M4 possesses improved technology, reduced weight, increased ankle support and a unique compression sock which acts as another layer of support for the long basketball season.

“We knew that the Jordan Melo M4 had to take Carmelo to the next level both on and off the court,” said D’Wayne Edwards, Footwear Design Director, Jordan Brand. “Based on his specific needs, we sought design inspiration from those things that were important to him including his heritage, family and sense of style. But wanting to create a shoe that improved his quickness and agility, we looked at the Jaguar, a jungle cat known for its sleekness, athletic prowess and power. From there, the Melo M4 was born.”

The design inspiration for the Jordan Melo M4 derives from Carmelo’s life on-and-off the court and the Jaguar, both the beautiful feline and the high-performance luxury car. The shoe represents power and strength much like the feline with its stealth-like precision. Additionally, the bottom of the outsole works similar to that of the jungle cat’s powerful paws providing better traction overall. The rest of the shoe handles like the luxury automobile. A perfed lining foam provides enhanced breathability, soft inside lining top cloth provides comfort, deep exposed midsole flex grooves and the heel and forefoot radius offers superior flexibility and handling, while the removable compression sock with molded collar and sculpted shank provide an adaptive fit for improved fit and support while playing.

The opportunity to walk in Carmelo Anthony’s shoes takes on a special meaning with the Jordan Melo M4. Several details were taken into consideration, turning the shoe into an amazing array of innovative artistic designs in homage to the life of Carmelo Anthony. These include an ‘M’ representing Melo, the number four (4) representing his 4th shoe within the Jordan Brand and other deeply personal aspects of Melo’s life such as his four tattoos that represent loyalty, dedication, respect and determination. Additional elements include the words “Uno” and “Cinco” on the left and right shoe respectively paying homage to his Puerto Rican heritage while cleverly and cryptically referring to the numbers “one” and “five” from his Denver Nuggets uniform, on which he wears the number fifteen (15).

“ENGINE”

The Jordan Melo M4 will be supported by an integrated marketing campaign headlined by a national television ad that breaks on Thanksgiving Day. The television spot titled “Engine” showcases Anthony in-training juxtaposed to on-the-court, moving from slow-motion to real time as sounds of a single engine train warms-up to full speed. The spot draws inspiration from a familiar children’s book but alters the iconic phrase, “I think I can,” to “I know I can,” illustrating Carmelo Anthony’s commitment, determination and confidence that hard work is rewarded while inspiring others to similarly strive for success. The :60 spot will air on CBS, ESPN, FOX and TNT.

“The campaign tagline for the Jordan Melo M4 is ‘I Know I Can’ and it speaks to Carmelo Anthony’s commitment to preparation and dedication for the 2007-2008 basketball season,” said Roman Vega, Brand Manager, Jordan Brand. “We are looking forward to watching Melo reap the benefits of his hard work throughout the season, playoffs and the 2008 Summer Olympics.”

Additional elements of campaign include a series of community, consumer and celebrity events. A provocative and inspiring online campaign found at http://www.jumpman23.com/ will coincide with the national ad launch allowing consumers to see exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Carmelo telling his story in his own words, along with the making of the Jordan Melo M4, in an intimate fashion. The following week on November 28, athletes, celebrities and influencers will join Anthony to celebrate the launch at a Hollywood black-carpet premiere of the Jordan Melo M4 at Hornburg Jaguar in Los Angeles, in keeping with the inspiration behind the shoe.

Jordan Brand is set to launch the Melo M4 nationally on Saturday, December 1, 2007 with a suggested retail price of $120. Retailer information is available at http://www.jumpman23.com/.

About Jordan Brand

A division of NIKE, Inc., Jordan Brand is a premium brand of footwear, apparel and accessories inspired by the dynamic legacy, vision and direct involvement of Michael Jordan. The Jordan Brand made its debut in 1997 and has grown into a complete collection of performance and lifestyle products for both men and women. The Jordan Brand remains active in the community by donating a portion of its proceeds to Jordan Fundamentals, an education grants program for teachers.

For more information on Jordan Brand, visit http://www.jumpman23.com/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071120/LATU035AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN4PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Jordan Brand

CONTACT: Terri Hines, +1-503-532-5862, Terri.Hines@NIKE.com, or DinushaGooneratne, +1-503-671-3117, Dinusha.Gooneratne@NIKE.com, both of JordanBrand

Web site: http://www.jumpman23.com/