Nike set the world ablaze in September when they unveiled that Colin Kaepernick would be the face of their 30th Anniversary Just Do It Campaign. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback caught flack for his activism which included kneeling during the national anthem in order to draw attention to police brutality and the unfair treatment of African-Americans. Since his protests, Kaepernick has been unable to find work in the NFL and when Nike used him in their campaign, both sides received criticism.
Despite some of the negative publicity, Nike has reported record sales just three months after the airing of the now infamous ad, according to Sports Illustrated. The company announced a 10% increase in sales and $847 million in income. Nike's stock is also up 7% thanks to the announcement that their sales have increased.
Nike did not cite their Kaepernick ad a direct reason for the increase in sales, however, analysts believed the company would see a large decrease in sales for associating with a polarizing political figure like Kaepernick. After the ad aired, some angry customers took to Twitter and Instagram to show themselves burning their Nike apparel.
Regardless, it seems as though Nike is doing just fine despite the controversy.
