Racial Equality

In the 4th and final paper, I want to use Nike as an example of a prominent brand that is able to use their platform to push certain messages while still selling products. As Nike already has a history of using commercials to send messages to the world as they continuously bravely take their stand for world issues, what better brand could I have chosen. I specifically want to talk about their “You Can’t Stop Us” campaign. Nike put out a positive message into the world with this specific commercial as they preached unity and weathering storms through tough times. As the commercial played, they addressed many issues effecting our world today and ways to take positive action behind these issues. It’s important that we as a society recognize what sides the brands we purchase from take and hopefully work towards funding the right organizations and brands that speak for things we support.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4dDs0T7sM Nike is a great brand to look at. As we discussed in class, Nike’s been really invested in racial justice lately and the “You can’t stop us” campaign seems to be the evolution of the ad we discussed Monday. Keep in mind that you’ll need to argue a position for this assignment, and from what you’ve written in your proposal it sounds like you’re in favor of this kind of advertising. That’s great, but here are some ways to look at the issue. First of all, why should we care? Why is it important that a sneaker company ally itself with racial equality? I’d also recommend doing some light research on Nike’s labor practices outside of the U.S. – if Nike is a proponent of racial justice, how does that square with low-wage workers in countries in Asia and Latin America? I think that if you want to persuade your audience, you’ll need to address that issue directly as a counterargument. Speaking of audience, you need to articulate who you’re trying to persuade as outlined in the worksheet. You can provide that information as a reply here. I think you’ve got an interesting idea and I’m excited to see what comes of it.