The wind blows hard at the top of the brand totem pole

Have you seen it?

Nike's new "Equality" advertising, from Weiden + Kennedy, is work that we've come to expect from this brand. It's advertising that is integrated across channels, makes us think, stimulates conversation and, of course, utilizes athletes from the brand's stable of talent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43QTjFCPLtI

Not only did the long-form TV spot run during The Grammy's telecast but the company also used a four-page spread ad in The New York Times to tell its story.

Unfortunately for Nike, the campaign has created the opportunity for critics to again take the brand to task for its former use of child labor, which was acknowledged in 1998. In the process, that critical commentary has reinforced the difficulties that a brand has in overcoming corporate missteps - even those that happened 20 years ago.

Nike has published, since 2005, a list of factories with which it does business. It also posts its commitments, standards and audit findings in an annual corporate social responsibility report. Yet, criticism still persists about what the company did in the past.

The wind on the brand totem pole blows very hard at the top. Nike discovered that before and is dealing with those high winds yet again. I suspect that there are many other global brands that wish they faced those sorts of challenges.