Nike’s new “Just Do It” ad, featuring the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick, made quite a splash on social media this week, igniting praise, protests, and a flurry of contention.
Kaepernick posted the ad on his personal Twitter page on Monday (following an initial release from ESPN business reporter Darren Rovell). Influencers and athletes like Casey Neistat and Serena Williams (who is also featuring in the campaign) came out in support of the brand.
On the other side, angry protesters called for a #NikeBoycott — some even going so far as to set their Nike attire on fire.
Regardless of what side you’re on, one thing’s for sure — Nike’s new campaign is making headlines, and brand mentions boomed. Sprinklr analyzed top Twitter highlights from Sept. 3 (the day the campaign was released) through Sept. 4. Here’s some key takeaways:
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According to Sprinklr, Nike received 3.4 million brand mentions from Sept. 3 through Sept. 4. Colin Kaepernick came in at 1.5 million mentions over the same period of time.
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#JustDoIt, the hashtag tied to the Kaepernick campaign, was mentioned 429,874 times.
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Hashtag use represented both sides of the social media debate. #BoycottNike and Nikeboycott had 69,257 and 53,195 mentions from Sept. 3 through Sept. 4, respectively.
4C Insights offered a closer look at the types of people getting in on the conversation. 4C’s data suggests the most engaged personas were what 4C described as “Made It & Know It” types.
“People in this audience are successful in both their career and personal lives. They’re typically single, with a robust social life when not at work. They spend plenty of money on entertainment and travel, as well as online streaming services,” 4C said in an email acquired by DMN. “Racial equality is a top concern for this audience, along with causes like clean water access and gun control. This audience also engages with athletes like Landon Donovan & Tim Howard, as well as comedians Amy Schumer & John Oliver.”
According to a release from social listening analytics company TalkWalker, more than 5.2 million social posts related to the Nike/Kaepernick campaign were generated between Monday and Wednesday.
The boost in activity represents a nearly 265 percent lift in mentions from the week prior.
