US – Nike has launched its new Equality campaign that actively drives change in the community.
- The film Equality features a selection of high-profile sports people, including LeBron James and Serena Williams
- Nike will donate £4m ($5m, €4.7m) to various organisations that advance equality in the community
Nike is tapping into the Brandstanding zeitgeist with its new film and social media campaign that encourages cultural change by asking athletes to practise the attitudes of parity and respect demonstrated on the field in their everyday lives.
The launch was accompanied by the announcement that in the coming year the brand will donate £4m ($5m, €4.7m) to various charities, such as the peer-to-peer mentoring scheme MENTOR and PeacePlayers, which uses basketball to promote understanding and friendship between communities.
In addition, the sports brand is using its cultural sway to encourage people to engage with a young person in the local community by signing up to MENTOR, demonstrating its dedication to a fairer, more inclusive world in which underprivileged communities, ostracised by the current political system, are buoyed by the help and support of their fellow citizens.
The Big Picture
Brands are demonstrating that they are more than just money-making machines and integral to the cultural fabric of our society, and their influence can be used to promote good. For more, see our Brand Politics column.