Remember when Nike "took a stand" against racism? Isn't that a controversial message? Some people burned there shoes (You payed for those, cover the label if you hate the company) and some people said "I'm going to give them free promotion because they support my views!". Either way, your giving them free PR. Nike knew there would be backlash. Nike's stock went up.
Rambler said () (edited )
I mean, it's just corporations exploiting current events because their marketing department has determined that their customer base responds positively to whatever message they may have.
The reality is, they don't give a shit about you or me. They're going to do whatever earns them the most money, it's why they keep costs low by exploiting overseas labor, it's why we have an insanely intricate tax-code that allows giant corporations to forego paying their fair share. It's why any good deed that they do do, they have to bring the cameras, marketing team, social media influencers, etc to make sure the world sees "just how much they care."
With that said, Nike doing what they do is no different than a company like Bass Pro Shop coming out and running "Back The Blue" marketing campaigns. It tests well with their demographic, they're going to run with it. CEOs and people of influence within companies should keep their personal and political views to themselves, no matter how much they think they're right and no matter how much someone (usually a subordinate) agrees with them.
Regardless of the message or the company, once they start getting overtly political I start moving away from them. The best companies don't dictate what their customers should or should not feel about a particular topic.