It’s a hard-knock life.
You can never please everyone around you; and no matter what you do, you are never going to get it 100% right. You voice your opinion, you will get criticism in return; you don’t have a voice – you’ll then be seen as sitting in a corner and adding nothing to the conversation.
You take a knee during the singing of your national anthem to protest against social injustice, you become a no-go for those who would otherwise seek your talent and support. You bring to light issues afflicting the world around, you challenge the status quo and you cause trouble.
It ain’t cool to trouble.
You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t – and did you think that if you’re a brand, you’re getting off the hook?
The expectation from you, dear brand, is that you are always clear on what you stand for and believe in. You must be suited and booted, timeless and agile enough to stay relevant to your context. Articulated simply and in a manner that speaks the language of your every audience. Careful, there’s allowance for one tone of voice only.
You are expected to infiltrate social conversations with the greatest of ease. You are expected to appease, challenge conventions, define perceptions. Hang with the right crowd. Enthuse and never confuse. Make everyone proud to be backing you, wearing you, swearing by you. Deliver on quality, deliver growth, keep people employed and overly joyed. Galvanise, not terrorise.
And never, but I mean never, ever – fail to deliver on your promise.
On who you said you were going to be.
Do that – we’ll burn you, abhor you, refuse to wear you and so readily shame you. We’ll forget the many occasions we’ve gladly shared you and the fact that your promise was the reason we fell in love with you in the first place.
The very reason we believed.
We’ve all invested in brands and we’re all invested in them, whether we admit it or not. We recognise ourselves in them – they define us, empower us, touch us, and make us take action.
Colin Kaepernick in the latest Nike ad does not send “a terrible message”, President Trump. It sends a brand-consistent message from the point of view of the Nike brand, which has always gone beyond the sheer practicality of games and sports to inspire and define itself. Embracing champions, misfits, mavericks, it unites them under the greater vision of wanting to succeed, exceeding their limits and going for their dreams, no matter the cost. It is the story of the human fabric, of every one of us, a fantastic (brand) narrative.
Co-opting Kaepernick, who seems to align with the brand from the point of view of their values, it sends a positive and empowering message – it’s ok to take a stand for what you believe in – and for yourself. To be celebrated and supported for it – even when the circumstances around you do not immediately allow it.
I think Nike people have merely done their job – anyone who feels like cutting a hole in their socks and burning their running shoes because of it (really – eye roll) should go ahead and
#JustDoIt.
Irina Gheorghe 
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