by Katelyn Castanon: Staff Writer
Colin Kaepernick being announced as one of Nike’s new spokesman has created much controversy through their consumers, especially after Nike aired his ad on September 6th on this year. He is the face of protest through racial injustice inflicted by police brutality, being the reason he has knelt during the national anthem. Nike, having such a diverse customer base, has now been divided into those who support Kaepernick’s actions and those who don’t quite align with his beliefs. However, it seems to be that Nike had made a smart marketing decision, for their sales has increased 31% after introducing his campaign (MarketWatch). Nike has taken the side of its well-known athletes and became a more like-minded community for Kaepernick, but may be alienating Trump supporters and interlacing their “Just Do It.” fashion tagline with politics.
Donald Trump continuing to insert himself into the debate has unintentionally aided Nike’s sales by tweeting, “What was Nike thinking?” They were thinking that appealing to the youth was more strategic than attracting Trump supporters. When trying to deliver an impactful message, aligning beliefs with consumers and those they endorse is important. As for those that aren’t rallying with Kaepernick, they seem to be on the losing team. Those who oppose the new tagline felt so strongly as to take matters into their own hands, cutting out the Nike logo from their clothing, and future arsonists even went as far as to light their Nike brand shoes on fire. However, it is not in their best interest to tarnish the Nike apparel they have bought, since they have already contributed to Nike’s sales. Kim Terrell, Environmental Science Engineering and Technology senior, said “I believe it’s the people’s right to do what they want with their product. But at the same time, if you are doing [something] for the intent of a boycott, it is a lot more efficient not to purchase said items.” Jessica Ramos, Environmental Science Engineering and Technology sophomore, retorted, “If they are so affected by this, they should donate the clothing instead of burning it.” Nike took a risk when appointing Colin Kaepernick as a voice for their brand, but the new support is worth the backlash. In successfully delivering messages that coincide with other athlete spokespersons, Nike accomplished their goal of reaching the youth as well as ride-or-die members and supporters. Nike is taking a political stand, and hopefully, other individuals will too. #JustDoIt
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