Just Do It: Nike as a Social Justice Leader

Whether you agree with the message or not, the fact is that Nike took a strong position through its recent 30th anniversary advertising campaign against social injustices that are currently prevalent in American society. The featuring of black athletes, statements about pushing past than the limit, and overcoming adversity rang true for many; however, many tuned out or turned against Nike once they realized that Colin Kaepernick was the narrator and one of the featured athletes of the promotion.

As a communication consultant that works with social justice causes, I can guarantee that the marketing department at Nike considered their message and crafted it carefully, resulting in the commercial that went out to the public. Having been part of commercial production in the past, hours are spent getting narration just right, selecting the right music to invoke the intended emotion, and highlighting specific images in order to motivate a specific call to action.

Nike is not the first company to take a stance through its commercials. Campbell’s soup came out with a commercial feature two dads, AT&T shares commercials about the dangers of texting and driving, and Dawn shares how its product is assisting with environmental cleanup.

Many are inferencing that the advertisement from Nike is an endorsement of Kaepernick, who is famous for kneeling during the national anthem during his NFL career to protest police brutality and racism. However, large sects of people have perceived Kaepernick’s actions as anti-veteran and that he does not support the troops — even though he has stated multiple times the true intention behind his actions.

Social movements do not happen overnight, and sometimes it takes something big to spark a conversation or encourage a change to happen. Social justice movements are called that “movements” for a reason — there are periods where things move forward and times where things move backward.

I have been reflecting for the past two years on whether or not we are currently going through another civil rights movement, or whether or not the civil rights movement truly ended in the 1960s. From desegregation movements, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Roe v. Wade, Marriage Equality, and countless other examples, it is clear that Americans have not stopped fighting for civil rights, nor have they stopped fighting the social justice fight.

It truly takes leaders like those at Nike to spark conversations in the social justice field, because for those doing the work on a day-to-day basis it can feel like the needle on the proverbial scale is cemented in place as a result of privilege, power, and apathy.

Nike is intentionally stepping into this space to contribute to the conversation. Large brands have power in America, and I truly believe Nike is representing itself as an authentic company that is willing to risk its brand and reputation to shine a light on social justice issues that have been hidden by shadows.

If the message of Nike is not landing well with you, that is fine. Feel free to no longer support the company, but those that are cutting or burning their clothes are truly missing the message and an opportunity. If the outrage of the commercial is because you believe Kaepernick is anti-veteran that is fine, but burning perfectly good clothes that could be donated to veterans or individuals experiencing homelessness is an option for you to do real good.

Companies, and individuals, are allowed to share their opinion within the United States. You can choose to support them or not, but the great part of freedom of speech, and picking up a leadership role in conversations, is that you can share your perspective — either subtle or not — on where you stand.

Whether you continue to support Nike, Campbell’s Soup, Facebook, Proctor & Gamble, Walmart, Chick fil A, Hobby Lobby, or any other company that has shared their perspective on a social justice issue in the past is up to you; however, I urge you to recognize the words beneath the song, find the true meaning of a stance, and not jump to conclusions too quickly.

Leadership within the social justice space is challenging, but at the end of the day a true impact can be made by working together with strategic partners, keeping your eye on the prize, and making the most out of your network. For those of you sitting on the sidelines waiting to join the conversation — Just do it.