https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq2CvmgoO7I
Colin Kaepernick has partnered with Nike in the ad campaign heard around the world — in Dream Crazy via Wieden + Kennedy. The video ad was released a day after Colin shared the now-viral print image on his twitter:
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
Via the Washington Post:
Colin Kaepernick has been a lightning rod for controversy ever since he made his decision to bring attention to police brutality two seasons ago when, as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he began taking a knee during the national anthem. So it came as no surprise that when Nike recently unveiled it’s new “Dream Crazy” campaign, passionate reactions from consumers across the globe took hold.
Responses to the ads sparked debate about whether Nike had bitten off more than it could chew when the company decided to make its relationship with Kaepernick public — or whether it had simply made a good business decision.
But a report from Edison Trends, a top advertising research firm, shows that Nike’s new commercial could be good for business. According to the report, following a brief decline, the shoe giant’s online sales grew 31 percent which was substantially better than 2017’s 17 percent increase during that same time period.
“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, told Marketwatch.com.
Nike’s campaign, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of Nike’s iconic “Just Do It” mantra, includes an ad comprised of a black and white photo of Colin Kaepernick, with the words: “Believe In something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” as well as a 90-second commercial featuring video clips of well-known athletes such as LeBron James and Serena Williams, accompanied by a voice-over and appearance from Kaepernick himself.
“Dream Crazy” has been watched more than 16 million times on YouTube and has garnered nearly 15,000 comments on the site.
The ongoing debate and engagement (both controversial and not) shows how important it is for modern brands to get involved with social issues.