Nike: Get High

Wait, what? If that’s what you are thinking right now, you’re in the same boat that I was when I first came across one of Nike’s new slogans. The sporting apparel giant has used the widely renowned “Just Do It” trademark for over 20 years, but has started up a new “Nike 6.0” campaign this month. The Nike 6.0 campaign takes contemporary slang such as “dope” and “get high,” and using it as slogans for their new campaign. The purpose of this campaign, say company officials, is to appeal to the extreme sports demographic – those that surf, skateboard, etc. Needless to say, however, the campaign has been met with large amounts of controversy.

A whole new meaning to “Bleed for your country”?

In Boston, Mayor Tom Menino asked local Niketown retailers to take down a display of the new campaign. In a letter to the store’s manager, Menino said “Your window display of T-shirts with drug and profanity wordplay are out of keeping with the character of Boston’s Back Bay, our entire city and our aspirations for our young people … not to mention common sense.” The CEO of the American Anti-Doping Agency echoed Mayor Menino’s thoughts by citing the Marion Jones scandal: “Apparently, Nike did not consult any of their former sponsored athletes like Marion Jones, to see firsthand the destruction that comes from choosing to use dangerous drugs.” For those of you unfamiliar with the Marion Jones story, Jones was an Olympic athlete whose gold medal was stripped after being caught doping. There are many other critics to the campaign that are all in agreement with one idea: as a major corporation that has massive pull with today’s youth, Nike should not be endorsing what is basically drug language.

Nike, on the other hand, argues that the point of its campaign is the exact opposite of what critics are saying. “Sport is an antidote to drugs… There is no better adrenaline rush than catching a wave or landing a trick. The language is the same that skaters, BMX’ers and surfers use every day around the world,” Nike spokesperson Erin Dobson said. According to Nike, the company is trying to appeal to a demographic that generally sticks to brands such as Rip Curl, Hurley, and DC. However, this isn’t the first time that Nike has raised eyebrows from its campaigns. The Air Stab campaign was pulled in England after a series of stabbings in London in 2008, and ads for Nike’s Hyperdunk campaign were blasted as being homophobic.

Personally, I don’t think that this was a very bright idea on Nike’s part. Not only is the company alienating itself from clients and consumers that don’t agree with the campaign, but it is also painting an image of skate and surf culture that members of that community may not appreciate. Admittedly, lots of skaters I know do use language like “dope” but at the same time, there are many skaters and surfers that don’t think it reflects their beliefs and values. I understand that Nike isn’t condoning the use of drugs (hopefully) and as someone that does tend to buy Nike products, I realize that the company does seem to walk a fine line when it comes to controversial advertising. However, I feel that this campaign went a little too far for my liking.