Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing… your business?

Nike’s new Just Do It campaign with Colin Kaepernick is drawing lots of attention to the company.

The former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers became a topic of controversy two years ago when he sat on the bench for the national anthem at a football game.

There is no denying that Nike made a bold move, but people disagree on whether it was brilliant or foolish.

In the wake of the mixed feelings the campaign jarred, the LC Howler took a poll to see what our students thought.

5% of students said that the ad positively influenced their opinion of the company, and they will be more likely to buy Nike’s products after their new campaign.

“I appreciate Nike taking a stand on a hot topic issue and giving people a voice to stand for what they believe in while so many have tried to silence athletes from speaking out on social issues,” senior Brendan Gallamore said.

75% of students said that their opinion of the company did not change.

20% of students said they did not like the ad and they will be less likely to buy the brand.

“I think the campaign is hypocrital,” senior Aaron Sweet said. “Kaep preaches about social injustice and sacrifice, but he didn’t sacrifice anything. He just changed careers and increased his net worth.”

The morning after the ad release, stocks reported that Nike lost $4.2 billion in market cap. However, according to Time magazine, the company has seen a 31% increase in online sales in the past two weeks. Additionally, this past weekend, Nike’s stock rose to an all time high of $83.90 a share. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues, or if the hype will die down.