Here’s a little bit of Middle Eastern, suicide bomber attitude all rolled up into a Nike ad or, more likely, a spoof of a Nike ad. (Nike reps have confirmed it is, indeed, a fake and they had nothing to do with its creation.) The copy reads, “You may not survive the blast but your shoes will.” Our young, culturally connected correspondent, Ariel, says its a throw back to United Colors of Benetton advertising. Oh, and because we’re using antiquated, low quality equipment following our Angry Advertising Aggressors Attack Adrants event. we didn’t see this “ad” is from 2002. So those of you who hate when we cover stuff that’s more than two seconds old, our apologies.
UPDATE: Nike clarifies in a letter it sent out in response to complaints about the ad:
Dear
Thank you for your correspondence alerting us to a false Internet advertisement, depicting Nike products associated with political conflict — presumably occurring within the Middle East given the ad’s circulation to date.
This offensive ad was not authorized by Nike and has no affiliation with the company. It was obviously created by some individual or organization for political purposes and is thus seeking attention by leveraging our well-known brand name.
Based upon the number of inquiries we have received from members of the public questioning the ad’s authenticity, we have worked with authorities to try to determine the origin. Also, we have contacted various non-governmental organizations to apprise them of this unfortunate hoax.
Again, Nike was never involved in any way with the ad and appreciates your inquiry. If you have any information regarding individuals or businesses improperly promoting this image as a Nike property, please contact us so that we may explore appropriate legal recourse. We also ask that you limit circulation of this despicable image and share this message with others who inquire about its authenticity or affiliation with Nike.
We hope this clarifies the matter.
Sincerely,
Vada O. Manager
Director
Global Issues Management
