Nike shares reportedly fall due to the company’s new ad campaign which was featuring Kaepernick. In 2016 NFL football game, in order to protest against racial injustice, Kaepernick decided not to stand for the national anthem. After he became the new face and is representing Nike, it sparked serious backlash from all the customers on social media, as in twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Right after Kaepernick’s appearance, a new trend on twitter become viral with a #NikeBoycott hashtag. A lot of people burned, cut and destroyed their shoes and posted pictures of the same.
On Monday, Kaepernick uploaded a photo of the Nike campaign on his account which said “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
Due to this backlash of the customers, Nike share fell on Tuesday on its 30th anniversary. Stock was closed on 3.2 percent, while the #NikeBoycott was trending on the Twitter.
Our Soundman just cut the Nike swoosh off his socks. Former marine. Get ready @Nike multiply that by the millions. pic.twitter.com/h8kj6RXe7j
— John Rich (@johnrich) September 3, 2018
A man burning down his Nike shoes went viral, look what he has to say
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
A source familiar with the Nike-Kaepernick deal told CNBC that he has been a Nike sponsored athlete since 2011. Now, as he decided not the stand for the national anthem it was unclear that will the deal continue or not.
There was no clear statement from NFL to this issue but they release a statement on Tuesday afternoon, which stated: “The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action. … We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities.”
According to Nike many athletes were being featured in the ads so it should be an issue.
Now, due to the act of not standing up for the national anthem, Kaepernick got the spotlight and faced serious backlashing from the people.
A few more tweets on #NikeBoycott requires attention here:
I just did mine! My apartment is on fire but it’s WORTH IT! pic.twitter.com/LgGmsMKM7c
— jordan (@JordanUhl) September 4, 2018
A slogan change is a worth mention here:
The @Nike slogan is all about the importance of conviction! So if you love your country and respect its anthem and flag, show some conviction pic.twitter.com/RpceALwobY
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) September 4, 2018
The main idea of the campaign was to showcase that how the athletes overcome the obstacles using Nike, a source said that.
Neil Saunders, managing director at Globalata Retial, said, “While Nike has been doing relatively well in a sports market that is under pressure, it cannot afford to make bad decisions.” “Anything which has the potential to damage market share, such as overtly political campaigns, should be avoided.”
There are many industry analysts who are of the view that this move is necessary, while some of them say that risky move are necessary to stay ahead and stay relevant.
As it is impossible to please everybody at a single time, Adamson has to say:
“No matter which athlete they choose, they will offend some customers,” He added. “If you try to please all people all the time, you will end up pleasing nobody.”
He continued, “More and more, younger consumers want to know what their favorite brands stand for. That gives Nike more of a reason to take a stance.”
Nike mentioned that there are more athletes who will be seen in this campaign such as Odell Beckham Jr., Shaquem Griffin, LeBron James, and Serena Williams.
The #JustDoIt campaign is for the athletes and it is a way to encourage the athletes to achieve their goals and to dream big, as per Nike.
