The commercial,starring Colin Kaepernick and other athletes like Serena Williams, Shaquem Griffen, and Lebron James was released, a year ago.
What We Know:
- The last time Nike took home an award for “outstanding commercial” at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards was in 2002.
- Kaepernick’s involvement in the commercial caused controversy because of his decision to protest the national anthem for social injustice within the African American community.
- Those who loved the commercial tweeted messages of support and followed Nike’s Instagram account. Others that hated it threatened to never purchase a Nike product again. Some even went to the extremes of burning their sneakers.
- Several conservative colleges ended their relationships with the company, while the mayor of Louisiana tried banning Nike products at public facilities.
- Despite the negative reaction, Nike’s goal was to get people talking. That’s what this commercial did. It was a national topic for weeks. The consumers that it resonated with the most were Millennials and Generation Z and it also led to a spike in sales.
Other nominees such as Apple, Netflix, and the anti-gun violence Sandy Hook Promise were nominated in the same category but went home empty-handed.
