On September 2018, Nike finally joined the conversation regarding Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick had been kneeling throughout the National Anthem in protest of violence by the police toward African Americans. Many in the media said the action was a sign of disrespect to the country and all those that served in the military, while others argued that the true meaning of Kaepernick’s rebellion had been long lost.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, one thing is for sure: a brand like Nike eventually gets involved, and it’s usually on the side of freedom — freedom to express, to excel and to tell one’s story; and so they did in this poignant ad.

The backlash was immediate, as several die-hard Nike fans who opposed Kaepernick’s actions immediately decided that they’d rather burn the sneakers they loved so much than stand with a company that celebrated “treason.”

A social media campaign in real-time that mimicked Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign using the same look and feel but featuring real people in need of shoes. Just two simple but powerful posts with a tweak on the classic Nike tagline: Just Donate It. A quick response to point out that there were better ways of getting rid of your Nikes.

As Angel Bins’ agency, we’re constantly looking for opportunities and tactics, via social listening, to get the brand into daily conversations; but due to the nature of the Angel Bins client, it’s key for it to be at no media cost. The trending topic polarizing reactions against the Nike campaign was the perfect frame for our efforts.

Since we do periodic monitoring of social listening, we realized that the release of the TV ad was going to be placed on Thursday Night Football, so we took advantage of the opportunity to swoop in and join the conversation.

What we heard loud and clear was the outrage from Nike fans- our target, some clamored for common sense, others for people to do better things with their sneakers than just burn them; jumping in on the conversation was the logical step for us.

On September 6, 2018, during a big game on Thursday Night Football between two of the top NFL teams, the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles, Nike aired its controversial spot on national television. That same night, being aware of all the polarizing reactions, we posted our campaign on all the Angel Bins social media platforms.

The campaign was created and posted in real-time, quickly reacting and becoming part of the conversation while it was extremely hot. Even though the Nike campaign was launched two days earlier, we waited until Thursday Night Football on September 6 (when the official launch of the TV campaign took place during the Atlanta Falcons vs the Philadelphia Eagles game).

a. 14M earned media impressions globally

b. Angel Bins brand awarness and increased site traffic through the call to action to #JustDonateIt

c. Traffic to Angel Bins social handles increased by 697% in the month of September vs. 3 months prior/after.