Nike’s controversial Colin Kaepernick campaign has been the topic of many consumers’ and advertisers’ conversations throughout the past few months. Launching the campaign during the NFL season opener with a TV spot and print ad, Kaepernick can be heard saying, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just Do It.”
Here, the sacrifice is a reference to Kaepernick’s national anthem kneeling protests against police brutality, actions which debatably cost him his career within the NFL.
The campaign immediately went viral, garnering over 27 million views to date and earning over $6 billion for Nike. However, not everyone was pleased, including President Trump who infamously took to twitter to express his dispraise:
What was Nike thinking?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2018
Overall, the responses fall into two major categories:
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Those who support the campaign and applaud both Nike and Kaepernick:
Gotta love Nike…and Kaepernick. This line is going to be my next tattoo…#Kaepernick #nike #BelieveInSomething https://t.co/f4TCBW0O05
— danmeis (@Meisarch) September 4, 2018
THIS!! 😩✊🏽✊🏿✊🏾 “I‘m wearing #Nike to applaud them for supporting #ColinKaepernick and his protest against racial injustice and police brutality.”
– #JeniferLewis#emmys #emmys2018 #justdoit #kaepernick #blacklivesmatter #blackish https://t.co/j9jC7xW8Nk pic.twitter.com/h6ytFWyiK2— KnowYourRightsCamp (@yourrightscamp) September 17, 2018
A great week to be in comms and reflect on the @Nike #Kaepernick campaign. Refreshing to see a big global brand possibly sacrifice short-term sales for long-term reputation gain. Brave and admirable – yes – but more importantly the right thing to do. https://t.co/ARSNaL9HXI
— Charlotte West (@charlottewest) September 7, 2018
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Those who have condemned Nike as anti-American and called for boycotts of the brand:
#Kaepernick disrespects our Law Enforcement #Nike supports Colin Kaepernick #BoycottNike#BacktheBlue 🇺🇸#BlueLivesMatter💙#PoliceLivesMatter👮♂️👮♀️#NikeBoycott
Nike you should have stayed out of politics! #MAGAhttps://t.co/aXSl1k2Ggm
— 🖤ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕖💋 (@USAloveGOD) September 7, 2018
Introducing the @Nike Kaepernick Collection…#KaepernickNikeAd #kaepernick #KneelingIdiots #BoycottNFL #BoycottNIKE #BoycottNFLSponsors #BoycottNikeJustDoIt pic.twitter.com/ajMleoRzqq
— Goz~1911~ NRA~Lifer 🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@Goz_1911) September 5, 2018
#WorstPublicRelations @Nike You forget there’s millions #BoycottNFL bc of @Kaepernick7
You just sealed the deal permanently. All those jerseys and other atheistic wear you’re producing won’t mean anything if the #NFLFolds. #HugeMistake https://t.co/ECOMJbrNZi
— #IStandWithLoomer❤️Molly⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@mollyday15) September 3, 2018
Some of the critics’ conversations go so far that they include videos of them
burning their Nike gear:
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
Regardless of however you may feel about the ad, the success of the campaign is undeniable. Personally, I applaud Nike for “Just Doing it” by taking a risk and making such a bold social stance.
Hi Elizabeth,
I really enjoyed your blog post. It was informational and intriguing. This just shows how divided our nation truly is on political and social matters. Colin Kaepernick is a hero its crazy that he remains unemployed in the NFL, while domestic abusers like Reuben Foster remain employed. I really liked your blog post, it was inspiring. Keep up the good work!
Best,
Josh Goldberg
I loved your analysis of Colin Kaepernick’s advertisement campaign. Through your tweets, I was able to effectively analyzed what people liked about the campaign and what they didn’t like. You did a nice job organizing both sides of the argument. You did a good job providing some background on the campaign.