Colin Kaepernick Generated $43 Million In Buzz In 24 Hours With His Nike Ad

Colin Kaepernick stood—or rather, kneeled—for what he believed in on the football field. He ignited national fury over police brutality and racism, and that allegedly got him colluded out of the NFL. So Nike decided to piss off a lot of people and make him the new face of the brand, along with the slogan: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” You can’t put a price tag on believing in something. But you can put one on media buzz. Money reports that the buzz surrounding Kaepernick’s Nike ad amounted to $43 million worth of media exposure in 24 hours. The Apex Marketing Group, which made the estimate, also said that most of the buzz ranged from neutral to positive in support of the Nike-Kaepernick partnership. Nike shares did drop 3 percent Tuesday, which some have read as a reflection on the ad, but as others have pointed out, competitors like Adidas and Puma suffered a similar drop. In other words, how this actually affects Nike’s business in the long run remains to be seen. Read more at Esquire.