Six print ads show six slightly different images of basketball players getting dunked on. The version creating the firestorm shows a hapless defender getting his face caught in his opponent's crotch mid-dunk. The phrase "That ain't right" is superimposed over the image.
The controversial ad campaign comes from the legendary ad firm Wieden+Kennedy. W+F has worked with Nike for years. The firm is responsible for some of Nike's most famous ads across several mediums besides print.
The phrases for the other five ads are as follows:
"Say hello."
"Isn't that cute."
"Now you know."
"Punks jump up."
"Fly."
So what's the editorial opinion of this publication? Well, on one level, the ads are extremely obnoxious. Are they homophobic? Not necessarily. Even if they were, they clearly weren't created to appeal to homosexuals. The ads were created to appeal to guys with game who enjoy dominating the weak on the basketball court. That's the demo Nike went for. How many homosexuals plan to buy Hyperdunks? The answer is probably zero. It's not like Nike is marketing flowers and get-well cards.
You want a Hallmark moment? Buy a Hallmark card.
You want to dunk on people? Buy some Hyperdunks!
And let me take this moment to explain that dunking on people is a pretty nasty business anyway. What's to expect here? Ads for a shoe dubbed the Hyperdunk are probably going to be edgy. They might rub some folks the wrong way. I imagine getting dunked on might rub me the wrong way. I don't know for sure because no one's ever managed such a feat, but I imagine it would rub me the wrong way. It takes some real aggression to pull it off right, I assume. Anger probably helps, too. So now you know!
"That ain't right" is pretty amusing on some levels. I suppose the ad could be interpreted as homophobic, but it can be interpreted in another light, too. Did Nike do the right thing in the long run by pulling the ad? Probably.
Oh well. It's back to the drawing board for Nike. I'm afraid if the shoe giant softens its edge too much, we'll be left with the same kind of nebulous, nondescript products that New Balance puts out. People complain about Abba being offensive for being so non-offensive, yet nobody complains about New Balance, Brooks, Saucony and the like for committing the same "sin." This amazes me.
