Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News
Showing posts with label Nike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nike. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Trump attacks Nike as new Kaepernick ad revealed


by Rachel Rubin and Biodun Iginla, France24, Washington DC


    © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File | (FILES) In this file photo taken on June 15, 2017 The Nike 'swoosh' logo is displayed on the outside of the Nike SoHo store in New York City. President Donald Trump attacked Nike over its choice of Colin Kaepernick as one of the stars of its latest ad campaugn

    WASHINGTON - 
    President Donald Trump attacked Nike over its support of Colin Kaepernick on Wednesday as the first video advert featuring the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was unveiled.
    Trump, who on Tuesday described Nike's deal with Kaepernick as "terrible," said the sports equipment giant's endorsement of the ex-NFL star had backfired.
    "Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts," Trump wrote on Twitter.
    "I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!".
    Nike revealed on Monday that Kaepernick would be at the centre of a new campaign to mark the 30th anniversary of the company's "Just Do It" slogan.
    The move was criticised by some on Twitter, with several users vowing to boycott Nike while others posted videos of them destroying the company's merchandise.
    Nike shares dipped on Tuesday but had climbed in trading on Wednesday.
    Kaepernick has become a polarising figure after refusing to stand for the national anthem in 2016 in an effort to draw attention to racial injustice in America.
    The 30-year-old's protests came after the deaths of several unarmed black men during confrontations with law enforcement.
    In 2017 Trump decried NFL players who refused to stand for the US anthem as "sons of bitches" who should be fired.
    That in turn triggered a wave of fresh protests across the NFL, which remains America's most popular major sport.
    Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to the brink of a Super Bowl victory in 2013, has been unable to find employment with an NFL team since being released by San Francisco in 2017.
    He is currently suing the NFL, alleging team owners colluded to keep him out of the sport.
    On Monday, Nike released a promotional image for their new Kaepernick-inspired campaign which featured a black and white portrait of the player superimposed with the slogan "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."
    On Wednesday, Nike released an advert featuring Kaepernick which will be aired during Thursday's season-opening game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons.
    The advert, titled "Dream Crazy," has Kaepernick narrating over images and footage of various athletes with inspirational stories, including NBA icon LeBron James, tennis star Serena Williams and Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge.
    "Don't ask if your dreams are crazy, ask if they're crazy enough," Kaepernick asks at the end of the spot.

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    Wednesday, May 9, 2018

    More execs exit as Nike confronts workplace harassment


    by Biodun Iginla, France24, New York


      © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / by John BIERS | The latest departures from Nike consist of five executives, including one woman, and lift the total exits to around a dozen

      NEW YORK - 
      Nike has dismissed additional executives as it moves to address a workplace culture marred by sexual harassment and bullying, embarrassing a brand that has self-defined around equality and empowerment.
      The latest departures, confirmed Wednesday by a Nike spokeswoman, consist of five executives, including one woman, and lift the total exits to around a dozen, including former president Trevor Edwards, who had been seen as a CEO in waiting.
      Since Edwards' departure was announced in March, US media reports have chronicled myriad cases in which women were subjected to sexual harassment and often passed up for promotions in a boorish frat-like culture.
      The revelations have come amid a broader rethink in US society over gender relations following the downfall of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and the ensuing "#MeToo" movement that has toppled numerous figures across business, politics and entertainment.
      Remaining Nike brass have said little publicly about the staffing overhaul beyond chief executive Mark Parker's remarks in March emphasizing the need to address "some behavioral issues" that clashed with Nike's culture.
      "I'm committed to ensure that we have an environment where every Nike employee can have a positive experience and reach their full potential," Parker said on a March 22 earnings conference call.
      - 'Shocking' revelations -
      The upheaval comes as Nike has experienced sales stagnation in North America, offset in the most recent quarter by a strong performance in China and other overseas markets.
      CFRA Research analyst Victor Ahluwalia said it was too soon to know if the problems would further dent North Americans sales, but he predicted the company's travails could trouble consumers.
      Nike?s famous "Just Do It" slogan emphasizes empowerment, as do sponsorships of iconic athletes such as Michael Jordan and Serena Williams.
      "The company was viewed as progressive and kind of millennial friendly, so for something like this to happen with a brand that comes with that kind of a message was shocking," said Ahluwalia.
      But Ahluwalia praised the company for "being proactive," in contrast to other companies that responded to workplace scandals only after problems publicly surfaced, usually in media reports.
      "Clearly work needs to be done and I think it will take time," Ahluwalia said. "Being proactive does position the company much better for the future."
      - 'It is just cruelty ' -
      Since Edwards' departure was announced in March, others to leave have included top executives in digital marketing, diversity and inclusion and Nike basketball.
      The housecleaning was spurred by a survey of frustrated female workers in Nike's Oregon headquarters who polled their peers, finding widespread sexual harassment and discrimination and presenting the data to CEO Parker, according to a New York Times expose.
      The Times article also cited women who reported problems ranging from being cursed at by an abusive male boss to excluded from key meetings, and passed up for promotions.
      The staff dismissals follow an initial investigation into workplace conduct launched in March, according to a person familiar with the matter.
      The latest group of outgoing executives includes Helen Kim, a vice president for North America, whose departure suggested to some experts that Nike's focus was no longer strictly about addressing sexism but had broadened to countering the problem of bullying.
      "The larger problem is the workplace bullying, or as we call it, abusive conduct in the workplace, because that ignores gender boundaries and it ignores race," said Gary Namie of the Workplace Bullying Institute. "It is just cruelty."
      "Apparently Nike's workplace culture is a very competitive, aggressive one that may sometimes deteriorate into bullying behaviors and sexual harassment and discrimination," said David Yamada, a professor at Suffolk University Law School.
      "Perhaps the departures signal a core shift in management philosophy and practice for the better, but it's obviously premature to make that determination."
      Some analysts worry the problems will prevent Nike from reaching a target of $50 billion in annual revenues, compared with $34.4 billion in 2017.
      "Any time you see a large group of senior people leave very quickly for any reason, you better hope they have a very strong bench that can step in quickly," said Sam Poser, analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group.

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