Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad has become a meme and it's great news for the brand (NKE)
Nike's polarizing Colin Kaepernick ad is already a meme.
This week, social media has been flooded with people posting their own versions of what it means to sacrifice everything and #JustDoIt.
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Britney just did it again. ... @ praise_mag
I don't understand why this... @ grandayyyyyy
#nike... @ the8tech
The style — a black-and-white photo, typically a close-up of someone's face — makes it easy to replicate for any well-known celebrity or character, or even just a random person.
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Morning motivation #emo# #J... @ cassandramariax
The meme has also been adopted for political purposes. One of the most popular versions includes a photo of President Donald Trump.
There, fixed it for you. #maga... @ donaldjtrumpjr
Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, additionally posted a version with Sen. Bernie Sanders with the caption "This #meme format may never get old," adding the hashtags #maga and #memewars.
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This #meme format may never... @ donaldjtrumpjr
Anthony Scaramucci, the White House communications director who was fired in July 2017 after 10 days in the role, is also seemingly a fan of the meme. He posted a photo of himself wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat with his wife, Deidre Ball, and the words in the Kaepernick ad, tagging Ball in the tweet.
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Nike's Kaepernick ad has seen a polarized response over the past week.
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Critics have threatened to boycott the brand — with some people even destroying Nike socks and shoes and posting about it on social media — while others have praised it. The president described the campaign as a bad business decision, tweeting on Friday morning, "What was Nike thinking?"
The memeification of Nike's Kaepernick ad is evidence of the campaign's reach and distinctiveness. For something to become a widespread meme, it needs to have fully hit the mainstream. With characters from meme accounts to Scaramucci chiming in, it seems that a huge chunk of people across the US have at least heard of the campaign, whether or not they support it.
And the ease with which Kaepernick's image can be transformed while retaining its connection to the original speaks to the stylistic power of the ad. Nike has a history of innovative advertising and has created some iconic images over the years. The memes only make it more likely that the Kaepernick ad will become the brand's latest iconic creation.
Read more about Nikes Colin Kaepernick ad:
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