Nike is right to stay the course with non-conformist icons like Colin Kaepernick
The contentious ad with the rebellious NFL player is purely a manifestation of Nike’s brand purpose, something that has nourished its iconic and non-conformist stature for decades – writes Tom Doctoroff.
Nike’s decision to feature Colin Kaepernick in its latest campaign is a courageous and commercially-wise decision. In standing behind an iconoclastic athlete, who insisted on kneeling during the national anthem to protest against racial injustice, Nike places its hand on its own heart.
The copy – ‘Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything’ – is bold stuff given the former San Francisco 49ers player’s inability to secure another National Football League gig.
Nike’s target audience is people who play sports. They are the one’s who are going to buy their shoes/gym gear etc. They were wise to go into a partnership with Kaepernick, as most of their target audience will be on his side.
The people at home getting outraged at their TV for Kaepernick and his colleagues kneeling are not likely to be buying a lot of Nike swag anyway.
I only ever bought Nike gear my entire life. I think I have another 25 years left in me to continue to buy sports gear, but it won’t be Nike. I don’t need to watch pro football either when there is college football on TV.
No NFL
No Nike
No problem. Just do it.
I love this campaign. It is great to see a brand actually stand up and show people what it believes in and stands for.
@Deplorable 7 Sep 18
Haha… mediocre trolling.
A few facts on this matter. Nike’s campaign might be a feel good emotional suppository for the munches who need to display Nike tribalism , but has , with this campaign increased the black homicide rate as a result of police pull back from policing black crime.(see Matthew Desmond at Harvard policing study in Milwaukee). How stupid could this NFL player and Nike be. USA blacks murder at 7.3x the rate of whites. For police, who really don’t want to go into these neighbourhoods riddle with crime, blacks, whilst only 6% of the population, account for 42% of police killed doing their job. Nike, through this support of the Black lives matter movement needs to be condemned for what it has condoned. Apart from Nike announcing that it supports the trashing of the flag and anthem that it grew up in.