It may have been difficult for Nike to conceive of any jock being able to do more for its company than Michael Jordan . In the tardy eighties and 1990s , the Chicago Bulls star was omnipresent , helping turn theirAir Jordanline of sneakers into a squeaky refrain in school hallways and gym around the area . Even well , the fellowship had scored big with “ Just Do It , ” an advertising sloganintroducedin 1988 that became part of the public lexicon .
There was just one yield . In spite of Jordan ’s grow popularity and their innovative ad , Nike was still in second topographic point behind Reebok . No other jock on their roll could seemingly bridge the gap . Not even their newfangled cross - training skid endorsed by lawn tennis pro John McEnroe was light excitement in the way the company had hop .
In 1989 , two major event vary all of that : An advertising copywriter wasstruckwith breathing in , and two - sport jock Bo Jackson slammed a first - inning home base run during the Major League Baseball All - Star Game . The ad man ’s idea was to portray Jackson as being able-bodied to do just about anything . Jackson went onward and evidence him right .
Bo Jackson was an idealistic spokesperson for Nike ’s new pedigree of cross - training stoolie . The Auburn University graduate was make waves as a rarified two - sport pro athlete ; he was playing baseball game for the Kansas City Royals and football for the Los Angeles Raiders . former commercials boast Jackson sampling other sporting activity like riding a bike . “ Now , when ’s that Tour de France ? ” he asked . In another , he dunked a hoops and pondered the potential of “ Air Bo . ”
At a Portland bar near Nike ’s military headquarters one eventide , Nike frailty president of marketing Tom Clarke and Jim Riswold of advertizement representation Wieden + Kennedy wereponderinghow substantially to use Jackson going forrader . Clarke wanted to devote the bulk of their budget for the cross - trainers to an advert effort featuring the jock . The two started lob ideas about other multitude refer Bo — Bo Derek , Beau Brummell , Little Bo Peep , and Bo Diddley , among others .
The last one stuck with Riswold . He think of a phrase—“Bo , you do n’t get it on Diddley”—and expire home to log Z’s on it . When he woke up the next morning , he was capable to sketch out an entire commercial-grade premise in minutes . Riswold visualize a smudge in which Jackson would try his hand at other sports , punctuating each with a “ Bo Knows ” proclamation . Jackson soon substantiate the one thing he ca n’t do is play guitar with Bo Diddley , the legendary player .
It took longer to shoot the commercial than to think of it . The office was shot over the course of a calendar month , with the crew going to California , Florida , and Kansas to shoot cameo with other athletes including Jordan , McEnroe , and Wayne Gretzky — all of whom Nike had under personal appearance contract bridge .
Fearing Jackson might hurt himself trying to skate , the production film him from the knee up slide around in socks at a University of Kansas gym rather than on water ice . But not all attempts at circumspection were successful . When director Joe Pytka grew discomfited that Jackson kept lead off - camera and implored him to move in a straight line , Jackson steamrolled both the equipment and Pytka , who had to tend to a bloody nose before go on .
In portraying any other jock this way , the campaign may have come off as stretching credulity . But Jackson had already beenimprovinghis game in all areas , hitting a 515 - foot home running play during a leap preparation winnings over the Boston Red Sox . In April , he hit .282 and tallied eight home political campaign . Even when he struck out , he still stood out : Jackson was prostrate to breaking his bat over his knee in defeat .
After Jackson was voted into the 1989 MLB All - Star Game in July , Nike decided the telecast would be the idealistic stead to debut their Bo know campaign . They pass out Bo know pennants for fans and even flew Bo Knows sign overhead . Bo Knows appeared in a full - Sir Frederick Handley Page patch forUSA Today . Even by Nike standards , this was big .
There was , of course of instruction , a chance Jackson would be in a bat - break down mood , which might diminish the commercial ’s impact . But in the very first inning , Jackson post one into the stands off hurler Rick Reuschel . With a little scrambling , Nike was able-bodied to get their ad moved up from the fourth frame , where it was originally scheduled to run . In the program booth , announcer Vin Scully and particular guest , former presidentRonald Reagan , wonder at Jackson ’s prowess . Scully reminded watcher that his pro football game career was something Jackson once described as a “ hobby . ”
Jackson was refer the Most Valuable Player of the secret plan . That summer and into the fall , Bo Knows was quickly move up the ranks of the most permeant commercial topographic point in retention , 2nd only to Jordan ’s memorable ads for Nike and McDonald ’s . Jackson sour up in continuation , trying his hired man at everything from surfing to soccer to cricket . Special effects artists createdmultipleBo Jacksons , a seemingly supernatural explanation for why he surpass at everything .
It was a myth , but one rooted in reality . After 92 winnings with the Royals as a left - fieldsman in 1989 , Jackson reported for the NFL time of year that declination as a run back for the Raiders . In one three - game stretch , he track down for over 100 yard each . Against the Cincinnati Bengals in November , Jackson ran 92 grounds for a touchdown . He polish off the season with 950 rushing pace . That winter , he was list to the Pro Bowl , making him the only jock to look in two all - star games for two major North American sports in consecutive time of year .
In 1991 , Jackson suffered a serious hip harm during a Raiders game , one that for good derailed his football game life history . He played three more seasons of baseball with the Chicago White Sox and California Angels before pull back from sports in 1994 .
Jackson ’s relationship with Nike was dissolved before long after , though the company never totally abandoned the concept of athletes ram into Modern territory . In 2004 , a campaigndepictedbig name calling sampling other activities . Tennis great Andre Agassi suited up for the Boston Red Sox ; cyclist Lance Armstrong was seen box ; Serena Williams bet beach volleyball game . The Bo experience desoxyribonucleic acid ran throughout .
The other key Bo — Diddley — never quite understand why the safari worked . After see the commercial , he reportedly said that he was confused because it had nothing to do with horseshoe .
