On Wednesday, September 5, 2018, Nike dropped a new advertisement featuring the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Lebron James, Serena Williams, and other star athletes. With this new commercial came a mass of different reactions from different audiences. To some, Nike could be considered crazy for making Kaepernick the spokesman for the brand at this time. But how does James Logan High School feel about the brand’s new “Dream Crazy” advertisement?
“It was very inspirational, but also very risky for Nike because of all the controversy that is surrounded by Mr. Kaepernick and making him the spokesperson for Nike is a huge risk to take,” said Luis Negrete (Junior) when asked about the first impression of the new Nike advertisement.
Jedric Reyes (Junior) saw the ad positively. “I thought it made a good statement about how Kaepernick was trying to get out to the world. It was a good collaboration with both Nike and Kaepernick because they were both so popular, and Mr. Kaepernick hasn’t got any positive recognition for what he is doing to change the world.”
The multi-national, Oregon based company has a long history of producing popular and catchy advertisements. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have long been associated with the brand, and some of the most recognizable athletes of today are connected to the brand. These celebrities, and more specifically the ads, have been a major factor in propelling the brand into the biggest and most profitable sportswear company on the planet, according to GQ.
The new advertisement
is one of the most controversial of the 30-year-old “Just Do It” campaign. Since its release, social media has exploded with calls to remove the ad, boycott the brand, and even burn the companies shoes and cut the Nike swoosh off of the socks. Most of the response from Logan, however, has been positive.
“It’s positive because somebody is standing up for what they believe is right. And doing what you think is right shows what you believe in, and especially with all the racism and controversy that is going on in the world now, Kaepernick is doing good. ” Negrete said.
“I thought it was positive,” Reyes said. “But I feel that a lot of people had a very negative backlash of it because people dislike Kaepernick’s beliefs. And a lot of people are very biased towards Kaepernick’s beliefs being wrong.”
The controversy has not damaged Nike’s financial bottom line. Last Friday, CBS News reported that Nike’s Market Value increased by $6 Billion since the ad was released.
There are still a lot of different opinions that go along with the advertisement. Especially concerning the spokesperson involved with it all.
The ad “changed my views a little bit because I thought he was just doing it for publicity,” Negrete said. “But now it kind of flipped me around because now I see how many people are supporting him and that it is something he really cares about.”
Reyes saw the “Dream crazy” commercial slightly different.
“No I still have a positive feeling about it, and if anything it strengthened my support towards his cause,” Reyes said.
There are many different opinions worldwide about this ad, some positive and some negative. For many at Logan, this commercial was inspirational, moving people to want to go make the world and themselves better. As Colin Kaepernick said in this “Dream Crazy” advertisement, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
