US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 that Nike was sending “a terrible message” with an advertising campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
Kaepernick is the NFL quarterback whose decision to kneel during the national anthem sparked a national controversy.
BREAKING: Nike had been paying Colin Kaepernick all along, waiting for the right moment. That moment is now, as he becomes the face of the company’s 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” campaign. pic.twitter.com/uccpDStbq5
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 3, 2018
“I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent,” Trump said in an interview with the Daily Caller.
“There’s no reason for it.”
Trump, who has frequently railed against the decision by NFL players to kneel during the anthem, acknowledged in the interview that the company had “certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn’t do.”
Meanwhile, some protesters have been burning their Nike shoes, investors sold shares and some consumers demanded a boycott after the footwear and apparel maker launched an advertising campaign featuring Kaepernick.
First the @NFL forces me to choose between my favorite sport and my country. I chose country. Then @Nike forces me to choose between my favorite shoes and my country. Since when did the American Flag and the National Anthem become offensive? pic.twitter.com/4CVQdTHUH4
— Sean Clancy (@sclancy79) September 3, 2018
But the brand recognition that comes with the campaign may be just what the company wanted, and marketing experts predicted it would ultimately succeed.
The ad revived a raging debate in the United States that started in 2016 when Kaepernick, then with the San Francisco 49ers, began kneeling to protest multiple police shootings of unarmed black men.
“This is right on the money for Nike. They stand for this irreverent, rebellious attitude. In this case, it’s reinforcing the brand,” said Erich Joachimsthaler, CEO of strategy consulting firm Vivaldi.
While some fans praised Kaepernick and other players who joined him in kneeling as patriotic dissenters, critics led by US President Donald Trump blasted the protesters as ungrateful and disrespectful.
The NFL, which gave in to pressure from Trump and ordered players not to kneel on the field during the anthem, nonetheless praised Kaepernick.
“The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action,” said Jocelyn Moore, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications and public affairs.
In the immediate backlash against the campaign, announced on Monday, Nike shares fell nearly 4 per cent at one point on Tuesday and closed down 3.2 per cent.
Calls for a boycott fed social media buzz about the campaign. There were 2.7 million mentions of Nike over the previous 24 hours, the social media analysis firm Talkwalker said at midday, an increase of 135 per cent over the previous week.
After his protests, Kaepernick could not find a job for the 2017 season and sued the National Football League, accusing owners of colluding to blackball him. He is still without a team.
Nike has sponsored Kaepernick since 2011 and said he will be one of several faces for a campaign marking the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” slogan.
https://twitter.com/a19marvet/status/1036702214713233408
The ad refers to Kaepernick’s loss of NFL income with the quote: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Some who were offended by the choice posted social media pictures of Nike shoes they had set on fire or socks with the Nike swoosh cut out.
Twitter user Sean Clancy, or @sclancy79, posted a picture of a pair of Nike trainers on fire on Tuesday that was retweeted 20,000 times.
Athletes including Serena Williams, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul showed support.
Especially proud to be a part of the Nike family today. #justdoit pic.twitter.com/GAZtkAIwbk
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) September 4, 2018
The controversy may have been a convenient excuse for some investors to sell an over-valued stock, Vivaldi’s Joachimsthaler said.
Christopher Svezia, a footwear and apparel analyst at Wedbush Securities Inc., said Nike shares were trading at roughly 30 times next year’s forecast earnings, compared with 24 percent for rival Adidas.
“Nike more than anyone else really knows who their customer is,” Svezia said, describing them as largely 14- to 22-year-old males.
Matt Powell, a senior adviser with market research firm NPD Group, predicted the boycott would fizzle. “Old angry white guys are not a core demographic for Nike,” he said.
Barry Lowenthal, CEO of The Media Kitchen, praised the campaign and said Nike has long proven successful in using celebrity endorsements to promote its brand, a precursor to what is known as influencer marking in the social media age.
“These kind of endorsement deals were the first version of influencer marketing. Of course, they know it works. It’s classic product placement,” Lowenthal said.
Even former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad weighed in, tweeting: “The #NFL season will start this week, unfortunately once again @Kaepernick7 is not on a NFL roster.” (Reuters/NAN)
