A branding expert says Nike, who received backlash this week for recalling a “Betsy Ross flag”-inspired sneaker reportedly due to pro-slavery inferences, could be using the controversy to pique the interest of social justice millennials.
The sneakers, featuring a 1776 13-star U.S. flag on each heel, reportedly was canned after former football player and political activist Colin Kaepernick said the design could be seen as a symbol of slavery. Nike claimed the shoe was canceled because it “featured the old version of the American flag.”
However, Eric Schiffer, chairman and CEO of Reputation Management Consultants and the Patriarch Organization, said the move “made him consider whether this is a giant stunt by Nike.”
Mr. Schiffer, whose firm works on branding with celebrities and national corporations, cited how much media attention the shoe brand received in August for featuring the former quarterback in its ad campaign.
Mr. Kaepernick was featured with the quote “believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
“That message resonates with millennials and the profile of their co-audience,” Mr. Schiffer said. “This is a company that took immense heat for Kaepernick amongst conservatives but also benefited because of their move with millennials and other sympathetic to social justice” and issues that many NFL stars were championing.
“This strategy allows them to come across to conservatives as proponents of the flag, then fold because Kaepernick has an issue, which says to the core millennial audience, ’Hey, we’re really aligned with you,’” he added.
The branding CEO said he did not support Mr. Kaepernick’s original protests in 2016 where the former 49ers quarterback began kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to raise awareness of racist cops killing black people, a movement that quickly spread throughout the NFL.
Mr. Schiffer said this move by Nike highlights an advertising strategy to appeal to younger customers by engaging in political discourse. He said that while this will attract millennial customers, it will drive older customers away.
“What we’re seeing is this new wave of brands that believe they need to stand for something beyond the core of their brand, which millennials resonate with, and is driving much of the rationale of their decision-making,” Mr. Schiffer said
“You have many conservatives across this country who look at what Nike has done and would rather eat glass than wear a Nike sneaker,” he said. “They look at Nike as a repulsive brand that deserves to be put in a dumpster and lit on fire.”
Nike’s sneaker cancellation received swift backlash from Republicans and mixed reviews from Democrats.
Many Republican lawmakers weighed in, with Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri calling the company “anti-American” and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas asking whether his followers could “recommend a good sneaker [company] that’s not so woke?”
However, Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro praised the decision as something he was “glad to see,” while fellow 2020 contender Beto O’Rourke, a former congressman from Texas, said the 13-star flag “has, by some extremist white nationalist groups, been appropriated.”
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough criticized the action though, blasting “woke Democrats” to “refrain from blowing themselves up politically and reelecting [President] Trump.”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, also announced Tuesday that his state would “withdraw all financial incentive dollars” from a deal with Nike that had been slated for announcement that day.
“Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation’s independence, Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy, and has bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism,” Mr. Ducey tweeted, adding, “Arizona’s economy is doing just fine without Nike.”
Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico jumped in, offering Nike their states as potential relocation options.
⦁ Victor Morton contributed to this report.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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