Nike’s latest advertisement at the London Marathon was lambasted as tone-deaf and completely disrespectful.
The red-colored sign read, “Never again. Until next year.” It was supposed to refer to the spirit of runners finishing a trial and returning the next year, but many took it as an insult to the victims of the Holocaust.
‘We did not mean any harm and apologize for any we caused. The London billboards were part of a broader campaign …’
Among the critics was billionaire investor Bill Ackman.
“The idea that @Nike would make light of the holocaust using Hitler-red imagery in a post-October 7th world is stunning. Heads need to roll. WTF Nike?” he posted.
“I assume that this was unintentional, but it is hard to imagine that there was no one at @Nike, on the marketing team, at their advertising firm, banner manufacture etc. who didn’t know or who didn’t think to Google the words ‘Never again,'” he added in a second tweet.
“I’m guessing it’s not super fun in the halls of @Nike right now. So many unforced errors. Never again? WTAF was this marketing person thinking?? A purge of mid level marketers must be underway. Plus some high level ones,” replied XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey.
“What on earth was @Nike thinking? They posted this enormous billboard in London for the London Marathon, just days after Holocaust Remembrance Day, but not for Holocaust Remembrance Day,” wrote pro-Israel author Aviva Klompas.
“I don’t believe for a second there was any ill malice, but please understand the concern with using the words ‘Never Again,’ what they represent and why this was in poor taste,” responded human rights attorney Arsen Ostrovsky.
Nike released a statement to CNBC apologizing for the offensive ad.
“We did not mean any harm and apologize for any we caused. The London billboards were part of a broader campaign titled ‘Winning Isn’t Comfortable,’ built on runners’ insights and designed to motivate runners to push past what they think is possible,” the company said.
“A series of billboards with taglines such as ‘Remember why you signed up for this,’ ‘This is bloody tough’ and ‘Never again until next year’ were placed along the route to inspire runners and the copy was based on common phrases used by runners,” they added.
The iconic shoe company had been criticized by many on the right when they signed on the controversial former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick as a spokesperson after his national anthem kneeling protests.
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