Nike Is Looking to the Future With Colin Kaepernick
Sports writer Will Leitch believes Nike is betting on the future not the past with its Colin Kaepernick campaign.
“In a divided world, Nike knows that straying out of politics isn’t the way to keep your business humming, it’s actually how you lose,” he said.
Leitch believes that companies trying to be apolitical in the year 2018 is a “fool’s errand.”
“In this environment, Nike’s move is simple. You can even argue there’s basically no downside,” he said. “Look at how they’ve covered their bases. They are such a fundamental part of professional and amateur sports that most organizers and customers couldn’t live without them even if they wanted to. And, sure, while a small number of people might actively refuse to buy Nike gear now, that number is low, and off-set by the number of Kaepernick-branded items that are being sold.”
Leitch also says that Nike is “betting on the future rather than the past” with its new campaign.
“Put it this way: When you look at the people in charge of the NFL, a gaggle of old, rich, white men, why in the world would they be the people you would bet on?” he said. “They have realized it is better to pick a side, even one that might theoretically upset a percentage of your customers, and temporarily hurt your sales, then pretend you can stay out of the fray entirely.”
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