Kaepernick Has Klout
Last week I wrote about Nike’s recent stock performance.
I also wrote about how innovation and newness at Nike are what’s driving the brands’ performance. Nike’s incredible revisit of archival marketing tactics tells me the brand is close to, if not firing on all cylinders.
On Monday, Nike announced that Colin Kaepernick would be the face of the companies 30th Anniversary “Just Do It” Campaign. Considering the former NFL QB is entering his second year without a role in the NFL, the signing of a 10-year endorsement contract means the sportswear giant is willingly challenging right-wing thinking in America. The company is also fueling the debate about what today’s influence looks like, not to mention Kaepernick’s cause. What makes Nike’s choice so impactful for me is the timing.
First: I’ve been tweeting about leveraging Kaepernicks’s relevance in the community for over a year. However, the size of my audience makes spreading the word a challenge.
Secondly, this announcement comes on the eve of the NFL season and a week after the NFL lost a motion to crush Kaepernick’s grievance with the NFL. This tells me that I’m not the only person who shares this opinion. It is the combination of this timing and my current advertising that has helped me identify the value in writing this blog.
I might not have a large audience or a large following on social media, but I do have a voice! Nike has helped me shape this voice for three decades, and I’m excited to participate in the culture, the way I see it, by leveraging my digital platform.
Peace,
Jason
