Kneeling US footballer a sure sponsorship fit for Nike brand
Backing controversial player savvy move by shoe and apparel giant
● Nike’s decision to make the American football player Colin Kaepernick one of the faces of its 30th anniversary Just Do It campaign is a bold, overtly political move, but also a shrewd — and consistent — commercial calculation.
The quarterback became the emblem of a protest against US police brutality and racial injustice when, in 2016, he knelt during the national anthem before National Football League (NFL) games.
His protest, subsequently picked up by other players, put him at odds with many NFL fans, team owners and, later, US President Donald Trump.
Nike has not commented in detail on its decision to feature Kaepernick, whom it has sponsored since 2011. But this is already a branding landmark because the player, currently a free agent, will benefit from sponsorship and publicity even though he may never be signed again to play the sport he became known for.
One US sports reporter tweeted that Kaepernick will have his own line of shoes, shirts and jerseys.
Looked at through a wider lens, Nike is simply being consistent. In September last year, it issued a statement in support of the player protests, backing athletes’ right to “freedom of expression on issues that are of great importance to our society”.
The group also has a habit of sticking with players who are facing controversy. It did eventually sever links with cyclist Lance Armstrong for misleading the group about his use of banned drugs. But it continued to back tennis player Maria Sharapova as she served a ban for testing positive for a prohibited drug two years ago — she apologised for unintentionally taking the drug — and supported golfer Tiger Woods through a period of injuries, a sex scandal and driving under the influence of drugs.
Kaepernick’s stand on a point of principle is quite different, and Nike’s decision is in
Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything Nike
Slogan for new advertisement
some ways easier than whether to endorse a star facing disgrace.
Even so, Nike can expect a rough reaction from some of its customers.
Twitter is already alight with video of NFL fans burning Nike shoes and kit and calling for a wider boycott on the company. All this even before Trump has had his inevitable tilt at the company on social media.
Research has shown that “high-blame” incidents damage celebrity brands, while low-blame events (injury being the obvious example) may encourage sympathy. For some, Kaepernick’s stand will represent a high-blame incident.
Still, the commercial odds are stacked in Nike’s favour. In March, it extended its contract to supply NFL teams with game-day kit to 2028, by which point Trump will be at least four years out of the White House. The group, which has been seeking opportunities to increase US sales growth, must also assume that the Just Do It campaign will open a market for Kaepernick kit to a much wider group of shoppers who do not even follow football. Far from blaming the player, they credit him with “taking the knee” for a wider principle.
The slogan super-imposed on the closeup of the player’s face in the new Nike advertisement reads: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” One thing is certain: that is not a sacrifice that Nike expects to make.