Nike decided to incorporate a short film in this campaign, as well as a poster featuring Kaepernick's face with the slogan "Believe in something." Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just do it." Nike's short film made such an impression that it was awarded an Emmy for "Outstanding Commercial" (Draper and Creswell, 2019). The advertisement was launched just before the start of the NFL season in September 2018, sparking controversy due to Kaepernick's outspoken struggle against racial inequality and police brutality during NFL games (Engle, 2019).
Nike owns a big part in the market share which is why it is able to have such influential people to communicate their message to the world. When Nike used Colin Kaepernick, who is a NFL free agent turned activist, as the face of their 30th anniversary ‘Just Do It’ campaign, so many people were influence by this short film that they decided to protest against police brutality and racial equality, especially those who were involved in sports.
The campaign film was highly daring for Nike to create and distribute, but controversial advertisements are nothing new for the company, which is why Nike is so distinctive when it comes to marketing their brand and products. Customers are urged to engage with the political movement through social media platforms using the #JustDoIt, and other kinds of communication by using such notable figures as Serena Williams in their advertisements.
In this case, Nike is adopting a more serious tone in this campaign as the issues it’s trying to raise are pressing. This technique of messaging is created through the videos use of peculiar music and cinematically framed shots, setting a picturesque scene. The script of the short film has a persuasive and encouraging tone which encourages others to find their voice, for athletes to break human barriers and to stand up for what they believe in.
Nike is fortunate in that they have such a big platform through which they can convey this message to individuals all across the world, not just the Western world. By building an aspirational brand rather than merely an advertisement, they are able to interact with their customers in a manner that few other athleticwear brands can. Many individuals, on the other hand, thought Colin Kaepernick was the wrong person to utilise for this campaign because of his controversial past, particularly within the NFL. People who support the 'Blue Lives Matter' movement are the most resistant to this initiative. “Blue Lives Matter advocates for the expansion of hate crime statutes to include police and other first responders as protected victim categories” (Mason, 2020). The outcry from this group was disastrous and influenced a lot of people to turn their backs on the brand and not listen to the message that was being portrayed. Donald Trump even got involved by asking “What was Nike thing?” (Twitter, 2022) and later posted on social media.
(Figure 1. Instagram, 2022)
(Figure 2. Instagram, 2022)
However, other famous figures saw the opportunity to help Nike and Colin Kaepernick‘s cause by promoting the brand for them by wearing Nike clothing down the street and even in interviews. an example of this would be Jim Carey showing off his new trainers made by Nike and Colin Kaepernick.
Nike's well-known tagline is "#JustDoIt," and at the end of each of their campaign videos and posters, they use this slogan and encourage others to use it while spreading equality awareness, particularly in the sports business. Molian (1993) discovered that an effective slogan should be easy to recall in order to attract the audience, according to the perspectives of advertising decision-makers. Nike's most effective method of expressing messages to their audience is to use hashtags to draw attention to the subject. It urges others to utilise this hashtag while discussing racial injustice and police brutality on a shared platform where everyone can discuss the issues and express their feelings towards the campaign.
(Figure 3. A Nike Ad featuring American football quarterback Colin Kaepernick is on diplay September 8, 2018 in New York City)
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References
1. Draper, K, Creswell, J. (2019) 'Colin Kaepernick 'Dream Crazy' Ad Wins Nike an Emmy', The New York Times, 16 September. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/sports/football/colin-kaepernick-nike-emmy.html (Accessed 20 November 2022).
2. Engle, E. (2019) 'Colin Kaepernick‘s "Dream Crazy" Nike Campaign Wins and Emmy', HypeBeast, 16 September. Available at: https://hypebeast.com/2019/9/colin-kaepernicks-dream-crazy-nike-campaign-wins-emmy (Accessed: 20 November 2022.
3. Molian, D. (1993). I am a doughnut': Lessons for the sloganeer. European Business Journal; 5(2) 40-47
4. Mason, G. (2020) 'Blue Lives Matter and Hate Crime Law', Sage Journal, 12(2), pp. 167-189.
5. Weiss, A. (2018) A Nike Ad featuring American football quarterback Colin Kaepernick is on diplay September 8, 2018 in New York City. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/27/nike-nearly-dropped-colin-kaepernick-before-putting-him-in-its-advert.html (Accessed: 24 November 2022).
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