Nike World Basketball Festival | Jordan Brand #RiseAbove Experience

We all know that the Jordan Brand puts out the best classic styles. For over a decade now they have dominated streetwear with hit after hit after hit. Whether it be the Black and Cement Jordan IV, the Black Metallic Jordan V, the Infrared Jordan VI or any other cult classic the brand keeps us laced up in dope product that once aided the greatest athlete of all time, Michael Jordan. The problem is that the consumer is now only seeing the brand for its retro product and not relating with its performance product.

The Jordan Brand is now in an effort to fix this notion and remind everyone that they are the original basketball performance brand. To do that they are taking it back to the streets with the #RiseAbove truck, a traveling interactive experience that connects with the consumers at a grassroots level to show them how their newest performance product, the Jordan Superfly; is the ultimate in basketball footwear.

On Saturday in connection with the World Basketball Festival in Washington DC, I took part in the interactive experience in the parking lot of DTLR, a footwear chain that resides in DC. The truck is a rolling display of their newest performance shoe, the Superfly. You can view every colorway and see the shoe deconstructed to really get an idea of what the shoe is going to do for you, it also illustrates how light the shoe is, 13.2 ounces.

In effort to bring the product straight to you, Jordan Brand workers are there to explain the performance features of the shoe. As you enter the area you sign up to wear test the product. Once the sign up is finished you then are handed your pair to lace up and then rise up. As you will be testing the strengths of your legs to see how high your vertical is. The highest vertical has been going home with prizes that range from Jordan water bottles and t-shirts to pairs of Jordan Brand shoes.

For me what I walked away from the experience, other than a water bottle; with an excitement to see the brand taking their performance story to the street and telling it first hand to the consumers that are going to use their product. This type of story telling creates an interaction will allow the brand to reestablish themselves with the basketball community as more than just an icon in streetwear. It brings a connection to a product and takes it from trying on a shoe to experiencing a shoe.

Follow the Jordan Brand on Twitter to see when the truck will be in your area as it is traveling from city to city across the country.