Why Nike’s new Kaepernick ad is a stroke of branding genius.

Tobias Dahlberg
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

The other day Nike released a new ad featuring the face of Colin Kaepernick. In case you forgot, he is one of the players who kneeled during the national anthem during an NFL game in 2016, causing a national values crisis. The new ad features Kapernick’s face with the slogan “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything”. This copy encapsulates not only the spirit of Kaepernick and millions of consumers, but also what Nike is doing here itself too.

After the release of the ad, the Nike stock plunged by 3%, people went nuts. From raging protesters promising to boycott the sports brand to the president of the Unites States himself, Donald Trump, tweeting with fire and fury. Sneakers have been burnt. Some brand polls suggest the brand has been damaged. Did Nike go too far this time? Will this hurt the Nike brand? Many people think so.

Not so fast. The opposite is actually true. You see, this was a smart, calculated branding move by Nike. A stroke of genius, to be fair. And I am 100% convinced we will see the Nike brand stronger than ever as a consequence. Let me shortly explain why.

Brands are about values. Unless you stand for something, you stand for nothing. And standing for nothing means you are average, mediocre. And what is mediocre is common, even boring. Which in turn means that consumers only choose you if the price is right.

So let’s explore what Nike is taking a stand for, and why.

The new Nike ad is in fact completely in line with its brand strategy and origin story. Nike grew from being a rebellious underdog itself, taking on sporting goods giants like Adidas with a strategy that challenged the mainstream. They got into sport after sport by choosing underdog athletes who beat the odds, from poor inner-city basketball players to likes of Tiger Woods and Serena Williams, both people of color competing in sports dominated by white people. This strategy has worked for them time and time again. Combine this with the brilliant “Just Do It” slogan and campaigns, and almost everybody knows what Nike stands for. But who knows what Adidas stands for? I don’t, to be honest.

What Nike is doing here is simply taking a stand in line with its values. And properly taking a stand for something means taking a stand against something else. Nike is taking a stand for inequality, supporting the people who think the American flag represents something that is terribly with with American values and culture. Nike supports the spirit of doing something about it, which essentially is what “Just do it” is all about. By taking this stance, Nike again lets us know that it supports the underdog — the people who thinks America is broken. So what if Trump, the majority of republicans and the far right disapproves? It’s not like they represent the Nike brand anyway. And that is the point. As a brand, you should never try to appeal to everyone. That is a sure recipe for mediocrity.

Nike probably knows well that the far majority among the Millennials and Gen Z generations will support Nike, and so will most liberals, democrats, urbanites and anyone concerned with human rights.

But more than anything, Nike understands that nobody wins the game with products alone. Today, it’s the differentiator is brand, and brand equals meaning. So, what do you stand for? Something to think about. Once again, Nike leads the way.

Tobias Dahlberg

Tobias Dahlberg

Written by

Strategist and Entrepreneur, CEO of Wonder Inc. Chairman of Kokoro & Moi. My mission is to make your brand extraordinary— the only choice.

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