Nike's Latest PR Stunt Goes Viral

This week, as Americans prepare to celebrate their independence, Nike (NKE) made a controversial move to pull a sneaker featuring a resemblance to the Betsy Ross flag. For the past few days, people have been swept up in discussion about Nike products and even some politicians got involved.  (The governor of Arizona threatened to pull some tax credits.)

"Surprise, surprise, surprise." - Gomer Pyle

Here are some of the tweets that went viral.

Did you know that the Betsy Ross flag is a symbol used by some white supremacist groups on social media, and that’s why Kaepernick objected to it?!

I had no idea where the controversy came from until someone explained it to me. So now I’m explainging it to you.

Kudos Nike!!

— Pam Keith (@PamKeithFL) July 3, 2019

And the Trump family is also weighing in (with a photo showing a Nike shoes bearing striking resemblance to the flag of the USSR). 

If the Betsy Ross Flag, the flag of the American Revolution, is too offensive for Nike to commemorate The 4th of July maybe Nike should go with this... seems to be more in line with their views.

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 3, 2019

Besides the headlines about the meaning of the flag and which groups may have co-opted the flag as a symbol of their own, there's a legitimate reason for Nike shutting down this shoe's production. Take a look.

Is it just me, or are these the ugliest shoes you have ever seen?

Another view.

A reasonable thinking human being might conclude that this was just a big PR stunt. Nike's biggest fans and consumers are even more entrenched in their favorite brand. Meanwhile, Nike is laughing all the way to bank as they get some more free publicity.

So, let's not forget what the founders intended when they formed this "more perfect union."  This free country was created with evolution of thought and law fully intended. We should be glad that we course corrected and fixed some of our many problems along the way.

Again, Nike's latest moves have created tons of free publicity, pushed the public discourse and boosted sales among their strongest supporters. Bravo.