In celebration of their 30th anniversary, on September 3rd the giant sporting brand Nike released an ad featuring the ex-NFL quarterback and starter of the Know Your Rights campaign Colin Kaepernick. This ad is part of Nike’s Dream Crazy marketing campaign video in which they are demonstrating various athletes with a message of never giving up on what you believe in. The Dream Crazy video was released through social media on September 5th has been released through social media but will air on television during the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Major League baseball, and college football games.
Featuring Colin Kaepernick in the ad and as their main spokesman for the campaign has brought Nike controversy from many sides. Many once fans, have boycotted the company by burning their Nike gear or cutting out the logo from their clothing. The ad has even caused a reaction out of Trump, in which he tweeted on September 5th: “Just Like the NFL, whose rating have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!”
However, even with the controversy brewing the ad alone started, the company still released their video on social media and emphasized their message in the video with a series of tweets following. Not only has Nike received support from not only the athletes included in the video, but also all types of celebrities which has led the video to reach over a million views within the first hour it was released on social media.