Shares down 2.4% in premarket. That's $3B in market cap! Shareholders should be pleased with virtue signaling!
I tried to order a DPZ pizza Saturday for pick-up during the NCAA games.... the wait was an incredible 1:45. There's a Papa Johns thats a bit farther for me.... called them and it was ready in 10 minutes. Moral of the story.... this political sh*t DOES impact the bottom line in a big way. Nike is going to lose sales over this, there is no doubt. I can't believe how incredibly stupid this move was from a business standpoint.
No different than the stupidity with Starbucks. Or Target. These marketing folks think this shit is a good idea until they execute and get stomped on. Regardless of your political views, you don't bring it in to the company. As a C level executive, you have one job - to make your shareholders money. End of story. That's why you are paid what you are paid. Anything that brings a level of risk without sufficient return should be discarded. Like this stuff. Risk, with very little upside. Want to support a cause? Pick a safe one: Sustainability. No Child Labor. Anti-human trafficking. Green factories and recyclable packaging. Stay away from politically charged subjects and people. Hell, that's why athletes lose sponsorships when they become toxic.
https://www.aol.com/article/finance...nsor-to-take-a-side-in-trump-vs-nfl/23222453/ Nike becomes first NFL sponsor to take a side in Trump vs NFL Daniel Roberts Sep 25th 2017 After President Trump unleashed a verbal tirade on the NFL at a rally in Alabama on Friday night and NFL owners and players responded on Saturday, many wondered how NFL sponsors would respond to the controversy. On Monday, Nike became the first to take a clear position. In a statement sent to the media, the company said: “Nike supports athletes and their right to freedom of expression on issues that are of great importance to our society.” It’s a short statement, but it speaks volumes. Nike came out in support of the players’ right to protest. That’s not the same as saying Nike supports the protests themselves, but even supporting the players’ rights to protest represents a big risk for the brand. Another NFL sponsor, Under Armour, sent out a tweet on Saturday about Trump’s comments, but the statement very carefully avoided taking a side. The company said it “stands for the flag and by our Athletes for free speech, expression and a unified America.” It is a good example of the cautious, sit-on-the-fence approach NFL sponsors typically take amidst scandals. Nike, on the other hand, took a side. The NFL’s official sponsors include mostly big consumer-facing brands like Anheuser-Busch InBev, Barclays, Bose, Bridgestone, Campbell’s, FedEx, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Nationwide, Nike, PepsiCo, Ticketmaster, Under Armour, and Visa. And $1.25 billion of the NFL’s revenue last year came from those sponsors. Nike has led the way by issuing a statement on the Trump vs NFL controversy, a story that is unlikely to go away in the coming weeks. For now, Nike stands alone. But other sponsors may be studying the response to Nike’s statement for an indicator of what they should do. And the response has already begun. On social media, search “Nike NFL” and you’ll find Twitter users claiming they will boycott or stop purchasing Nike products because of Nike’s implicit support of the player protests
Nike's job isn't to take a side. It is to win the merchandising war on athletic apparel and make money.