Nike Boycott: a controversial brand heat strategy

“We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward,” Nike executive Gino Fisanotti told ESPN. “We wanted to energize its meaning and introduce ‘Just Do It’ to a new generation of athletes.” @nike

The recent ado surrounding the use of Kaepernick (an EFL player who knelt during the US anthem to protest against racists) in a Nike commercial, bothers Me a lot. I don't expect the racist argument to persist in a century where all races pull resources together (but it seems to be on the rise).

Racist arguments won't end until We all stop feeling inferior. Racism isn't superiority, rather, it's gross inferiority (Those who want to burn their Nike shouldn't tell Us when they can – #JustDoIt). Aside, you shouldn't attack a Message, because You don't like the messenger. To me, this is the height of mediocrity. You don't distort a message that way.

Though, Nike might have used a controversial figure, but the rationale was plain (As a Marketing Comm special, I would have made the same recommendation with a damage control mechanism in place). Kaepernick never stopped been a Nike ambassador after His sanctions.

Guess what, I posted the copy on my handle and within few minutes, a colleague sent me a message, sharing her inferred inspiration. Nike might have achieved its aim of inspiring the young, but its image is at stake here.

From the saga I got that; Silence on SM is Golden. Only Trump uses his SM handles for official rebuttals just to blame the media for fake news/his mistakes.

While some brands would have got entangled, Nike maintains its strategy. Meaning been Proactive isn't about acting all the time, it's about taking Your time and using the right channel. Stick to the main plan.

Although messenger defines the message. But, one would expect that a brand like Nike would have anticipated this, and include the damage control mechanism in its plan, considering the political, economic and legit implications.

The bottom line is, many brands in the US are going through serious image crisis under the current administration, which shows the impact of politics on the economy. However, I have come this far to realise that, crisis itself is a marketing strategy and controversy is business.