Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad doesn't show him doing what made him controversial, and it's a brilliant strategic move
- Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad notably lacks footage of the former NFL player kneeling during the national anthem as part of his protest against racial inequality and police brutality.
- When news broke that Kaepernick would star in a Nike ad earlier this week, some responded with threats of boycott.
- By featuring Kaepernick alongside a wide range of inspirational athletes in the commercial, but not using any footage of the polarizing protests, Nike seems to be getting the best of both worlds with the ad.
Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad is notably lacking footage of the protests that elevated the former NFL player's profile and that, he says, contributed to his being forced out of the league.
On Wednesday, Nike released a commercial narrated by Kaepernick, which features a wide range of athletes including inspirational amateurs, Serena Williams, and LeBron James.
While the ad shows essentially all of the athletes playing sports, Kaepernick only appears in the final seconds of the commercial. He is not wearing NFL gear, but instead a turtleneck and tan coat.
Further, the ad doesn't include footage of Kaepernick participating in the protests that elevated his profile.
Kaepernick was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem before games in 2016 to protest racial inequality and police brutality. Some on the right, including President Donald Trump, saw the protest as disrespectful to the military, with Trump calling for players who protested to be fired.
Currently, Kaepernick is embroiled with a lawsuit against the NFL, claiming that the league colluded to keep him from being signed from a team after he became a free agent in March 2017, due to his protests.
Nike did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment on the decision not to show Kaepernick kneeling in protest.
On Monday, Kaepernick made waves when he tweeted the first image from Nike's new "Just Do It" ad campaign. The image shows Kaepernick's face with the words: "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."
Anecdotally, people threatened to boycott Nike, with some even destroying their Nike shoes and socks. Trump chimed in on Twitter on Wednesday, saying that "Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts."
Any larger effects on Nike's business were unclear. Despite the backlash, most business and brand observers say that Nike seems to have weighed the risks in running the Kaepernick ad and decided to release it anyway.
"Nike's campaign will generate both attention and discussion which is, arguably, one of its central aims. However, it is also a risky strategy in that it addresses, and appears to take sides on, a highly politicized issue," Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, said in a note on Tuesday.
He added: "Nike likely weighed the risks beforehand but, in our view, while it is noble to take a stand on something, it is also commercially imprudent to dash headlong into a very sensitive issue which polarizes opinion."
By featuring Kaepernick alongside a wide range of inspirational athletes, but not featuring any footage of the polarizing protests, Nike seems to be getting the best of both worlds with the Kaepernick ad.
Watch Nike's full commercial here:
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