Nike is one of the world's most recognizable brands in the world. Nike, a Fortune 500 corporation, did not need to take any public risk. Nike has created one of the most iconic ad campaigns in the world with "Just Do It," "Air Jordan's," "Find Your Greatness," and "Colin Kaepernick's Just Do It." Only one of these campaigns, however, took a significant risk along with backlash from the public. Colin Kaepernick's ad would spark more social justice ads from Nike and increase the brand's overall positive perception. Nike could have sat on the bench when it came to social issues, but they took a stand rather and showed leadership.
Colin Kaepernick became a polarizing figure in 2016 as a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He would kneel to protest police brutality and racial inequality in the United States. Colin Kaepernick became the face of Nike's social justice campaign when they released the ad before the 2018 NFL season opener (Fitzpatrick, 2018).
This decision was certainly not an easy one for Nike’s founder Phil Knight who met with his executives to discuss Colin Kaepernick's. Naturally, there was a debate amongst his executives, including Nike CEO Mark Parker, who was unsure, whether they should include Colin Kaepernick in what would be Nike’s 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” ad campaign (FRPT, 2019). There was also a strong push from one of Nike’s most premiere athletes, Lebron James. Phil Knight said he and James had a conversation about James’s fear for his son’s futures as an African American, specifically his son’s facing police brutality. With this in mind, Phil Knight felt he had to air the ad. Knight explains, "You cannot be afraid of offending people. You cannot try and go down the middle of the road. You have to take a stand on something, which is ultimately I think why the Kaepernick ad worked." (FRPT, 2019).
It is vital to have messaging that shows your company values, so your consumers are aware. Elizabeth Winkler of the Wall Street Journal wrote an article on the Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad. Winkler spoke to Thomas Ordahl, chief strategy officer at Landor, a brand consulting firm. “They have to stay in the cultural conversation, which means being divisive. Staying on the sidelines isn’t going to advance their cause.” (Winkler, 2018). Nike knew the risk based on how people reacted to Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. Due to this public sentiment, it could affect purchase intention towards Nike, purchase intention stems from favorability perceptions of products and services. Purchase intention can be directly affected by activists’ athletes due to their polarization like Colin Kaepernick. (Schmidt, Shreffler, Hambrick & Gordon, 2018).
Nike may have faced a ton of boycotting, but there was still an overall positive perception of Nike after the Colin Kaepernick ad aired. Elizabeth Winkler concluded with this “Even if the controversy over the ads grows, Nike's risk is limited. The company may lose some of its older, white customers who ruined their sneakers and socks by cutting out logos, but it is right to bet that younger, more progressive buyers are its future.” (Winkler, 2018). Nike would continue its stand for its corporate values responding to George Floyd’s death creating a short, yet powerful message titled "For Once, Don't Do It." A 180 degree turn from their iconic "Just Do It" message. “For Once, Don’t Do It” tagline was about not being silent, to stop making excuses, and be part of progressive change (Shoot, 2020). Nike later this year came out with another compelling ad called “You Can’t Stop Us.” What made this ad so powerful was it addressed everything that has currently happened during the COVID-19 pandemic and racial tensions.
Nike showed consistency because what good is messaging if you don't stay true to it? "When a brand is perceived as acting in a manner that is ethical and true to its values, these positive associations likewise become linked with the brand as part of the knowledge structure that consumers hold of the particular brand. This can subsequently lead to favorable responses, thereby also delivering brand equity.” (Vredenburg, Kapitan, Spry & Kemper, 2020). Consumers are smarter than before they want more than a good product. They want to support companies that back their values!
References
Fitzpatrick, A. (2018). Watch the Colin Kaepernick Nike Ad That Will Run During the NFL Season Opener. Time.Com, 1. https://time.com/5387672/colin-kaepernick-nike-ad-nfl/
Schmidt, S. H., Shreffler, M. B., Hambrick, M. E., & Gordon, B. S. (2018). An Experimental Examination of Activist Type and Effort on Brand Image and Purchase Intentions. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 27(1), 31–43. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/168a/a262beb1f5e3fec7994cda6c939ba579cc07.pdf
The New Normal: Can We Go Home Again? (2020). SHOOT, 61(2), 14–21. https://www.shootonline.com/news/production-Post-Recoverythe-New-Normal-Can-We-Go-Home-Again
Vredenburg, J., Kapitan, S., Spry, A., & Kemper, J. A. (2020). Brands Taking a Stand: Authentic Brand Activism or Woke Washing? Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 39(4), 444–460. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0743915620947359?casa_token=csocb2BJ3QwAAAAA:fmYjRBKFEY8wmcdnqH1yzv7JHeCVDnEG59sK1wlnHSBvOXPLl9crle3Z5CWnge4JVBP9xtWji2JCeg
Why Nike cofounder Phil Knight OK’d the Kaepernick ad. (2019). FRPT - Advertising Snapshot, 10–11. https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/nike-cofounder-phil-knight-d-kaepernick-ad/316889
Winkler, E. (2018, Sep 06). Nike's moral arc bends toward sneakers. Wall Street Journal, https://www.wsj.com/articles/nikes-moral-arc-bends-toward-sneakers-1536168615
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