Nike’s decision to endorse Colin Kaepernick for their new campaign advertisement sparked outrage among several consumers, but surprisingly the company’s online sales have shot up by 31%.
“There was speculation that the Nike/Kaepernick campaign would lead to a drop in sales, but our data over the last week does not support that theory,” Hetal Pandya, co-founder of Edison Trends said.
A large billboard stands on top of a Nike store showing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick at Union Square, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, in San Francisco. An endorsement deal between Nike and Colin Kaepernick prompted a flood of debate Tuesday as sports fans reacted to the apparel giant backing an athlete known mainly for starting a wave of protests among NFL players of police brutality, racial inequality and other social issues. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Despite angry customers who promised to boycott the sportswear company, sales grew 31% from Sunday to Tuesday on Labor Day weekend. That’s a 17% increase compared to the year before.
On Sept 3., the new “Just Do It” campaign launched that featured the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. Kaepernick sparked controversy in 2016 after kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality. The ad encouraged people to follow their dreams and disregard critics. It also featured star athletes like Serena Williams, LeBron James and others.
Several social media users posted videos and images of themselves burning their Nike gear. President Trump also weighed in on the company’s decision to endorse Kaepernick and tweeted, “What was Nike thinking?”
However, Aaron Goldman the “4C” Chief Marketing Officer told Market Watch that Nike has done its research and “knows what will move its product.”
“They are the ones [Nike has] decided will be its future customers, so, if others are getting upset, [Nike has] planned for that, and it doesn’t care,” said Goldman.
