Nike’s Kaepernick Movement: A Genius Play
Nike made headlines this week by announcing Colin Kaepernick as the face of their “Just Do It” campaign’s 30th anniversary. In our content rich world, where a flick of the thumb on our Twitter apps produces hundreds of new stories and ideas, companies are constantly thinking about how to remain relevant. With the opportunities that come from the ever-increasing avenues for companies to reach customers, there is an equal amount of threat for companies to get lost in the mix.
While some may not agree with or understand Kaepernick’s approach to his protest and the subsequent controversy that has come from it, there’s no debate that the conversation that Kaepernick triggered has become newsworthy. Nike is now synonymous with the story that has lingered, and at times dominated conversation in sports, and political spheres.
The bone-chilling Nike commercial that is scheduled to air on national television prior to the first game of the NFL season is the content we need. The commercial that features a series of athletes that accomplished against-all-odds feats, narrated by Kaepernick, and concluding with his face (and the American flag waving in the background), is the kind of content that gets us to stop and think in our super-sped up digital world. Content is so plentiful that we often see things, and know things, but we don’t take the time to reflect, contextualize, and develop deep opinions on what’s being presented before us.
While Nike has been paying the Ex-NFL Quarterback for some time, here are a few reasons why Nike making a splash with this provocative ad was placed at the right time:
- While Nike has been a perennial powerhouse, the athletic wear industry is becoming more saturated. Fitness conscious customers and fashionable athletic wear are trending, and women’s fashion is currently undergoing one of the biggest trend transitions in recent years with high heel sales dipping, and athleisure wear taking both the everyday and luxury markets by storm. Up-and-coming companies like Lululemon and Uniqlo are dipping into the customer base, and Under Armour, Adidas and Puma have put a full-court press on Nike by inking some of the top NBA talents to gargantuan contracts to wear their shoes on the hardwood
- Nike executives have been under fire in recent months after a group of female employees began circulating an informal survey to take stock of what they considered to be disparities in pay and promotions for women at the company, as well as alleged inappropriate behavior. Since then, CEO Mark Parker has (seemingly) dismissed a handful of senior male executives from the company, and promoted women to fill their voids. While Nike undergoes internal functional changes to fix their unsettling corporate environment, the changes in treatment of women in the workplace will be closely monitored by their emerging target customers
- Kaepernick’s collusion case against the NFL that suggests that team owners and the league made an agreement that prevented Kaepernick from being signed was ruled legitimate by the arbitrator this week, who denied the NFL’s request to dismiss the case. The arbitrator ruled that Kaepernick has enough evidence to warrant a full hearing which is expected to take place at the end of the year, and behind closed doors.
Nike strategically brought this advertising campaign to life at a time where they need to regain the relevance throne in the industry. Nike became the bell-cow in the athletic shoe and clothing industry when they told Michael Jordan to wear their shoes on the court, and picked up all his fines as he broke the NBA’s rules in doing so. That type of gritty, edgy mentality is where the roots of Nike are, and the most recent “Just Do It” campaign does just that.
Content is king, and relevance is key. Nike’s campaign has mastered both. While some people may love it, and others may hate it, Nike has made headlines across global publications, dominated conversation on the internet, and prompted debates on talk shows and at your dinner table. And THAT was the goal.