What a small business can learn from Nike in taking a social stand.

By now, you have seen the Nike ad with Colin Kaepernick (if you haven't, it's the one over there <---) and have read the outrage on social media of viral videos showing people burning all of their Nike gear.

Kaepernick sparked a national conversation on police brutality against the black and brown communities through his silent protest of taking a knee during the national anthem at his football games. As a free agent, his contract with the 49ers was not renewed nor was he picked up by any NFL teams because of his mode of protesting.

​His silent protest became misconstrued as disrespect to the flag, America and the military. Because of this, he became something of a social pariah, drawing the scorn of the President and lost his job. He also became a hero and activist in the black community. And apparently, had been paid by Nike since 2011 even though Kaepernick hadn't worked with the NFL since 2017

​For Nike's 30th anniversary of their "Just Do It" campaign, they dropped 'Beyonce-style' the now infamous ad and social media went nuts. It is simple and literally in your face. There is no question to what side Nike is on in this divisive issue. ​

Historically, Nike's ad campaigns have always been seen as progressive, thought-provoking and sometimes even controversial. Nike is known to push the boundaries in their messaging that has helped to shift thinking. 

They were the first major company to lead the discussion of female empowerment in sports by sharing statistics. 

Nike has always used social commentary as a part of their brand campaigns. But now, a line has been drawn in our nation. People are more divisive than ever and more companies are making political statements. 

As a small business, how can we learn from Nike and other multi-billion dollar companies?

While many of Nike customers were very angry with their spokesperson choice in Colin Kaepernick, their calculated move probably foresaw a boycott and social media protests. (Remember when people started burning their Keurigs?) At the end of the day, Nike is a business and have board members to answer to, so they knew what they were doing and are playing the long game. 

As a small business, you might not be able to afford to lose a few customers, or play the long game, but you can still take a social stand while building your brand. 

Align yourself with the values of your customers.

1. Nike understands who their core base is.  According to this TMZ article, Nike's core customers are young people of color and for their white customers, they believe they also share the same values. They sponsor mostly black athletes and by tapping Kaepernick, they have said they stand with the athletes. Nike is an athletic apparel company, after all. ​
2. Do your research including surveys of what your customers care about. Social media is a great place to understand what your customers care about and what is trending. 
3. Know who your customers are and speak to them in their own language. As a solopreneur, I knew that I wanted my businesses to share my personal values as a feminist, socialist and atheist, to be all inclusive, non-judgmental and be about empowering people to be their best while delivering great products. When you're clear about your values, customers will respond. 

Execution is key and don't exploit the situation

1. Use your platform for social commentary, but not social commentary to sell your platform. Remember the Pepsi commercial with the protestors and Kendall Jenner? The tone-deaf commercial appropriated the Black Lives Matter movement and tried to use it to sell their soft drink. This angered many people with its 'white savior' narrative and diminished an entire movement's grievance to simply giving one of the police officers a Pepsi. The ad got pulled and became fodder for many memes. 
2. The end game is, of course, to sell your product, and this is a very delicate line to walk. Some might argue that Nike is taking advantage of the political climate to sell their products, and they absolutely are. However, where they succeed is by not making the ad about Nike but about the subject and the message. Nike isn't just advertising to their current customers, but to their customers 30 years from now. 

Pepsi's Protest ad with Kendall Jenner from 2017, turned into a meme.

Understand the risks.

1. You might anger some people, but stay true to your values. As a feminist, I will defend every woman's right to be true to herself. When we reposted a video of a blogger dancing in her bra on our IG page, a follower found it offensive. She decided to unfollow and we defended the blogger. While the initial reaction caught us by surprise, we chose not to delete the post or remove the comments.
2. Customers are more savvy, do their research and will let you know when you're wrong. When I first started Wonder Curl 8 years ago, I had a 'Columbus Day Sale'. Shortly after the eBlast went out, I got a reply from a customer at her surprise that I would promote such a holiday. (I haven't had a sale during that holiday since). Remember, our customers have a direct link to us and many forms of communication to reach us. 

Through Wonder Curl, I am finding more women and men who are looking for companies they can believe in. ​Increasingly, more businesses are making a political stand and their customers either love them even more for that or revile them. 

Knowing who your customer is and what they care about, will enable you to craft your messaging to them. Your social stand doesn't have to be as controversial as Nike's. Today's customers are becoming more aware of the environment, are looking for products that enhance their well-being and overall want to make them feel good about spending their money. 

When your brand is in tune with your customers' values, then everyone wins.