Picture courtesy: Markus Winkler on Unsplash In 2018, Nike celebrated the 30th anniversary of their iconic ‘Just Do It’ slogan in a surprisingly understated fashion. Instead of celebrating the success of this timeless motto with an enormous multi-platform marketing campaign, they chose an athlete who had voluntarily walked away from the highest levels of his sport to promote a simple message: - ‘Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.’
That man was former National Football League (NFL) star Colin Kaepernick. Once the golden boy of the sport, his career came to an abrupt end after he began kneeling during the pre-game national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. As a result, Nike’s decision to position him at the centre of their biggest campaign in years was a clear statement on the brand’s beliefs and values.