If someone brought to your attention that hundreds of black people were getting killed and there was something you could do to stop it but it meant you could potentially lose your job, what would you do? Unfortunately this is not a hypothetical situation and this is a question we should all be asking ourselves. Yes, black people too.
Would you justify why it is ok for the black people to die?
Would you question whether or not black people are actually getting murdered or if it’s just “fake news”?
Would you say to yourself, “I have bills so…”?
Would you check to see who else agreed to risk their job to stop the murders before making a decision?
Or would you just do it?
We all know what Colin Kaepernick did, so I won’t revisit it (read about it here) but now we can add Nike to to the list of those willing to risk a high wager for the cause of police brutality.
Cheryl Grace, the Senior Vice President of U.S. Strategic Community Alliances and Community Engagement says Black consumer choices have a “cool factor” that influences other consumers as well as the mainstream.
In February of this year Neilsen conducted research on African American spending. Nielsen reports that “Companies should take notice of even the subtle shifts in (African American) spending, because black consumer brand loyalty is contingent upon a brand’s perception as authentic, culturally relevant, socially conscious and responsible. In fact, 38% of African Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 and 41% of those aged 35 or older say they expect the brands they buy to support social causes, 4% and 15% more than their total population counterparts, respectively”.
The Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Multicultural Marketing for Neilsen said sometimes there are billions of dollars in revenue at stake when it comes to African-American spending. He said, “if a brand doesn’t have a multicultural strategy, it doesn’t have a growth strategy”.
I am so appreciative of Nike for realizing the importance of the African American dollar and the African American athlete, we are not disposable. If you are unaware of what I’m speaking of, this week Nike released this ad:
If you understand the backlash that Colin Kaepernick has experienced since deciding to take a knee during the national anthem to bring awareness to police brutality, then you understand the magnitude of what Nike chose to do. At the end of day Nike chose to back someone who EMBODIES everything the brand stands for because they know it’s good marketing, they know who buys their product, they value their consumers, and they wanted to address a problem that many Americans deny exists.
So ask yourself what you believe in and what you are willing to sacrifice for your beliefs. Will you make excuses or will you just do it?
Thank you Nike for believing in us.
