Nike's savvy move to make former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a face of its new "Just Do It" campaign is paying off, literally. The news, which was announced on September 3, led to an initial dip in Nike stock, but MarketWatch reports that the brand has rebounded with a 31% growth in online sales from September 2–4.
Aaron Goldman of 4C Insights discussed with MarketWatch why placing a polarizing figure like Kaepernick (who led the kneeling protests during the national anthem in 2016) is actually a savvy business move. "You can be darn sure that Nike has done its research and knows what will move its product and who this campaign will resonate with. They are the ones [Nike has] decided will be its future customers, so, if others are getting upset, [Nike has] planned for that, and it doesn't care."
Soon after the campaign's first ad was revealed, President Donald Trump, who frequently invokes Kapernick to stir up the white identity politics of his base, tweeted "Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts."
Thumbnail photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated