Erinn Stewart - Sep 10
Nike sales are on the rise, despite the Kaepernick campaign drama
Turns out cutting a logo out of clothing isn't a productive use of protesters' time.
Reports are in and despite the backlash and boycotts from their latest "Just Do It" campaign starring Colin Kaepernick, Nike sales have increased 31 per cent.
According to Edison Trends who anonymously sampled the e-receipts of 3 million consumers in the United States, Nike's online sales grew 31 per cent between Sunday and Tuesday of the Labour Day long weekend compared to 2017.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt
A post shared by colin kaepernick (@kaepernick7) on Sep 3, 2018 at 12:20pm PDT
The sports brand launched the campaign, which commemorated the 30th anniversary of "Just Do It", on the afternoon of the holiday Monday and were faced with backlash almost immediately after.
The #JustDoIt campaign featured several athletes, including Serena Williams, but the image that had most people talking was the one with former 49ers quarterback Kaepernick. The ad reads, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."
Kaepernick is known for taking a knee during the U.S. national anthems. His decision was in protest of police brutality and racial injustice in America.
While many people — including celebrities — support Kaepernick and what he stands for, others do not. Many who are against him have taken to social media to show their discontent with the campaign, including cutting the swoop logo out of Nike merchandise.
What was Nike thinking?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2018
Even Donald Trump took to Twitter to voice his opinion on the campaign saying, "What was Nike thinking?"
Because of these conflicted opinions, people were unsure whether or not this would help or hinder Nike sales. Hetal Panya, co-founder of Edison Trends, shared, "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."
While it's unclear if the Kaepernick campaign will have long term effects on sales, the 31 per cent increase proves that the message got through to many consumers.
Tags: colin kaepernick nike