• CNBC, Monday, March 3, 2008 11:15 AM

Nike has the business of buzz down to a science. To launch Carmelo Anthony's latest shoe--the Air Jordan Melo 4--recently, actor Michael Rapaport and rapper Warren G. joined the Denver Nuggets star at a Beverly Hills Jaguar dealership in a flashbulb-popping extravaganza reminiscent of a Hollywood movie premiere.

The company may be the most successful marketing machine in history. It's a juggernaut that began with Nike's signature Air Jordan and has continued for 23 more versions. Michael Jordan's last game was in 2003, but sales of his brand keep growing. "Brand Jordan today sells about twice as much product around the world as when he was playing," says Nike founder Phil Knight.

Designing an Air Jordan often begins with a simple idea. The version known as "Eleven" was Jordan's tribute to formal wear when he pushed architect-turned-shoe-designer Tinker Hatfield for a toe piece so shiny it looked like patent leather. Sure enough, R&B stars Boyz II Men soon showed up at an awards event in tuxedos wearing shiny Nikes.

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