Andrea Montolivo |
Chicago (USA) (EFE).- In 1998 Hans George was one of the 20 Nike workers chosen to promote the new brand ‘Jordan’. From the first moment he was struck by Michael Jordan’s businessman mentality, his clear ideas and his interest in the use of color, materials and graphics. In an interview with EFE on the occasion of the Bulls legend’s 60th birthday, George tells why ‘MJ’ was not only unique on the track, but also in business.
Hans George managed the ‘Jordan’ brand from 1998 to 2003, as an apparel manager, in his successful 24-year career at Nike. He shaped ‘MJ’s’ ideas of style and helped boost the notoriety of a brand now worth close to $5 billion.
He crowned his dream of working for Nike in 1996 and became a senior manager at the Oregon house until 2020, in which, in addition to ‘Jordan’, he also led the basketball area.
Q: How did Jordan approach business?
A: The great thing about working with him was that he was very clear about how he wanted his products. This does not happen with all athletes, some do not know and you have to help them, but he learned immediately, he knew what he wanted and how to talk about his products.
Q: What aspects of your products did you look at?
A: He was very interested in the colors, the graphics, the choice of materials. The first thing I noticed about him was that he had very clear ideas, it was easy to understand him. Many athletes have friends or style experts who advise them, but he took care of himself and did not want anyone to get involved.
Q: Your leadership on the track is well known. What attitude did he have with his collaborators in business?
A: He did a great job, he made you feel part of the team. He always congratulated those who were part of his team. That was not immediate, but when he trusted you, he took great care of the group.
I remember that we met once in the Bahamas. I was with my wife, and Michael told her that her husband did a great job. So is Michael.
Q: How is the Jordan brand different from Nike?
A: If you notice, kids didn’t play basketball in Jordan’s shoes much, they used them to go out. If you used them on the track, you had to be very good. You couldn’t cheat if you were wearing the shoes of the best in the world.
Also, when they were released, their sneakers broke NBA rules, because they were red and black and not all white. That’s why Nike took care of all the fines. Their products put style first and then ‘performance’.
Nike products, on the other hand, are made above all for athletes, they have to be efficient. First the ‘performance’ and then the style.
Q: You fueled the growth of the ‘Jordan’ brand. How did your work start?
A: I worked at Nike from 1996 to 2020. I was initially chosen to be one of 20 people to open a new line, the Jordan brand, which is now worth close to $5 billion.
I was a clothing manager from 1998 to 2003 and worked with a team of designers to get Michael’s ideas on how he wanted his products to look while also making them appeal to young people. Every two or three months we would meet to show them their products. We had meetings in Santa Barbara, in the Bahamas, in Utah before the Finals against the Jazz, in Washington when he left to play for the Wizards.
Question: How was your first meeting with Jordan?
Answer: My first meeting with him was in Chicago, when he was shooting his famous ‘spot’ on the number of missed shots and the way he learned from them. We met at Soldier Field and from there we met every two or three months to talk about the products.