Turns out cutting the Swooshes off your socks won’t bring down a multinational corporation after all
Earlier this week, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was revealed as the face of Nike’s latest ‘Just Do It’ campaign, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the advertising slogan that has become synonymous with the sportswear brand.
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
And while the campaign was met with widespread acclaim, receiving praise from the likes of LeBron James and Eric Cantona, there were of course a small minority of people who were majorly offended by this.
So offended, that not only did they swear to never again purchase Nike products, but also felt compelled to passionately destroy whatever Swoosh-adorned apparel they already owned, and had already given Nike their money for. In acts of bravery far, far more powerful than Kaepernick sacrificing his career to protest the killings of unarmed young black men by police, they heroically cut the Nike logos off their shorts and burned their trainers.
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
However, it seems Nike don’t have much to worry about. Nike’s online sales grew 31% over the Labour Day weekend, compared to a 17% growth over the same period last year, according to Market Watch. Nike stock took an initial dip of 0.12% after the advert was revealed, but has since held up and had increased 1% by Friday.
The advert also caused a surge in online buzz, with social media mentions of Nike rising 1,678% on Sunday, according to marketing technology company 4C Insights.
Kaepernick became more than just an American footballer when in August 2016, he began taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem, in protest of police brutality and racial injustice in the US. The protest then spread through the NFL and into other sports, with many other athletes following his lead.
Due to his involvement in the widespread movement – which gained even more traction after Donald Trump called players who “disrespect” the US flag “sons of bitches” and asked for them to be sacked – Kaepernick has remained a free agent since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.
Kaepernick had signed with Nike in 2011, but the reveal of the new advert was accompanied by the news that the sportswear giant had retained him on the roster for the last two years, even though he was not competing in the NFL.
