#nikeboycott

Nike’s Colin Kaepernick ad is probably the brand’s most controversial ad yet.

In 2016, Nike featured Colin Kaepernick in their 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign, calling Kaepernick “one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation.” The ad features Kaepernick’s face overlaid with the tagline: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The tagline referred to Kaepernick’s peaceful protest. 

So who is Colin Kaepernick?

Kaepernick, a former NFL quarterback, became a controversial figure when he started a social justice movement to protest police brutality against African-Americans by kneeling on the field during the national anthem in 2016. President Donald Trump called Kaepernick “son of bitches” and criticized his action as disrespectful to the country

How did people respond? 

The ad generated a huge buzz on social media; it had become a popular meme format for all ages as people produce their own unique versions of the campaign to display their views on the issue. Critics of the Nike campaign used the ad’s format and replaced it with other figures like Pat Tillman, a former NFL star who quit the NFL to join the army after 9/11 and died in combat, to protest Kaepernick’s presence in the ads. This meme was even retweeted by president Trump to shame protesting NFL players.

Other memes that adopted ads’ format have been replaced with familiar faces of celebrities in the worlds of politics, music, film, and sports to make a political statement and poke fun of those figures

Indeed, Donald Trump Jr used his father’s face to replace Kaepernick’s face and posted his own version of the meme on Instagram with the caption “There, fixed it for you,” expressing his support for his father’s view on the issue that to kneel during the national anthem is unpatriotic.

#BoycottNike 

The Kaepernick Nike ad started a literal fire. Protesters took it to social media to burn their Nike gears and cut Nike logo from their socks to boycott the brand. The trending hastag included #JustBurnIt and #BoycottNike. 

President Trump even tweeted: “Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.”

Woke or not? 

Memes that parody the ad have also been used against Nike to protest against the company’s internal ethical struggle. Critics pointed out that Nike is abusing its workers and sweatshop labors behind the progressive veil of fighting for social justice. 

Quick drop

In response to the boycott, Nike’s share price fell by nearly 4%.

Nevertheless, not all responses were bad

Supporters who applauded Nike’s embracement of an openly political figure couldn’t wait to support Nike. By using Kaepernick as the face of its campaign, Nike became a socially conscious brand and a visible advocate for equality and civil rights. Nike gained the support of millennials, whose views resonate with the ad’s appreciation for diversity and social justice. The ad caused millennials to double-down on their love for the brand through purchasing more of its products. 

Even famous people supported Nike publicly

Many celebrities and superstar players such as Kevin Bauchum, who plays for the New York Jets, and Nick Cannon used a raised fist emoji on their social media accounts to show support for Colin Kaepernick.

So who won? 

Nike. No publicity is bad. The ad was a smart move.

 Nike won in the long run because the boycott and trend to burn and throw away Nike gears is free advertising for Nike. The Kaepernick ad could become the company's most-liked Instagram post, drawing a lot of comments, even though many of those were critical of the company. As a result, Nike stock soared and was at an all-time high. According to data on the company’s online sales from Thomson Reuters Propriety Research, they sold out 61% more merchandise since the ad. Nike gained around 170,000 followers on Instagram in the wake of the campaign. 

Image Sources: 

https://astrologymemes.com/i/nike-uses-a-child-slave-labor-force-to-make-shoes-73780416c14241458d33dca51d75ada9

http://gph.is/2elltnJ

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6131717/Kaepernick-critics-use-image-deceased-NFL-star-Army-hero-Pat-Tillman-social-media.html

Instagram.com/donaldtrumpjr

instagram.com/nickcannon

https://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar-forum/threads/f-nike.42511/

https://gph.is/1hjG2YE

https://gph.is/1izsKgy

Twitter.com/Panthers 

https://me.me/i/nike-uses-a-child-slave-labor-force-to-make-shoes-ab3cddfb758b4da2aaf909caa56bba2c

Twitter.com/RealJamesWoods

https://imgflip.com/i/2h7kxh

It’s been a few weeks since Nike selected Colin Kaepernick as the face of their 30th anniversary of “Just do it” campaign.  If you don’t know who Colin Kaepernick is, let me give you some background to this story...

In 2016, Colin Kaepernick was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49er’s in the National Football League.  During the American national anthem, Kaepernick decided to use the moment and take a knee to bring attention to the issue of police brutality against minority and racial inequality.  All though many people say he was disrespecting the US flag and the military that fight for their freedoms, Kaepernick has insisted from the beginning it wasn’t about the disrespect.

Kaepernick later opted out of the final year of his contract knowing he’d be released by the 49er’s.  Since then, he has not been employed by the NFL.  For the most part, teams will not sign him to avoid the drama.  He is now in a collusion lawsuit with the NFL.

In essence, Colin Kaepernick has not been employed since 2016 because he took a stand on what he believed in.  Nike saw this as a great opportunity.  They believe the tagline “Believe in something.  Even if it means sacrificing everything.” aligns perfectly with their 30 year slogan of “Just do it.”  

Since the announcement of Nike’s new campaign, those who believe Kaepernick disrespected his country and flag, have started their own campaign of boycotting Nike.  Thus #NikeBoycott was born online.  There have been many posts of people cutting up, throwing away and even burning their Nike product.

At this point, Nike could have pulled their ads and even stop the airing of their new commercial during the first game of the NFL season.  This was not the case.  Nike pushed forward.

Many think this would be a PR and Marketing nightmare.  Again, not the case.  Since the airing of Nike’s commercial on September 6th, Nike sold out items has risen 61%.  In fact, Nike is expected to report earnings up to 62 cents per share compared to 57 cents per share at the same time last year.  Source: https://on.mktw.net/2zmGXJf

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