|
Sometimes good publicity is as simple as doing the right thing. Or not being a complicit ass.
I won’t go into great detail because there’s a chance you’ve read more than you’d like about Ye formerly-known-as-Kanye - West’s racist and antisemitic rants. There are no winners in this story.
Ye
If you want to know how to destroy your reputation and any PR bank you've built, follow Ye’s script. It’s easy to be kind or even controversy-free. It takes effort to torch people to the point that you lose millions of dollars worth of business in a matter of days.
adidas
The next-to-worst actor in this storyline is adidas.
“adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other hate speech,” the sportswear company began in a released statement.
Well, it did tolerate, or at least gave the impression that it tolerates hate. Adidas waited two weeks before it disengaged with Ye after he spewed dangerous and hateful rhetoric toward Jewish people, then doubled down by essentially daring the company to terminate their multi-billion-dollar partnership. While other companies immediately denounced his comments and cut ties with West, adidas waited. And waited.
A Twitter PR group asked about adidas' response to Ye’s antisemitic remarks and one specialist said that legal issues may have contributed to the wait to cut contact. Others, including me, saw it as brand malpractice in a 24/7 news cycle.
Adidas could have done the right thing moments after he uttered his words. It could have come out against his racist actions that spit in the face of the Black community (of which he’s a member) earlier in October. It did neither. The result was an increase in searches of adidas' history which incidentally, reeks of antisemitism and racism. The sportswear business was founded by members of the Nazi party.
Company identities and ideologies can and do change. That adidas’ past returned to the fore nearly 90 years after it was created and is compared to present day was illuminated because it was silent regarding Ye’s actions. At this point, I believe adidas is looking at a reputation rebuild at best.
Buyer beware
Throughout the years we've held celebrities to lofty standards, many of which were later found unsustainable. Retail brands and businesses seemed to become more conservative when they created celeb partnerships, and personal conduct clauses became must-haves. IF adidas didn’t have a conduct clause in its contract with Ye, shame on the legal department and everyone involved in creating the partnership.
Hatred on the rise
Anti-Semitic activity in the United States is at a record high after rising 34 percent last year. Hundreds if not thousands are likely victims (survey) and consume products that until a couple of days ago, supported an unapologetic antisemite.
Silence is complicity. In this case, social and likely monetary issues forced adidas' hand. It's bigger than any PR issue. It's a human one.
###
| 
