*Mock Campaign
Nike has chosen one of the world’s most polarizing figures, Elon Musk, as the brand ambassador for its “Go Beyond” campaign.
Nike released its own version of the moon boot in a live-event on Thursday. Elon Musk unveiled the Cosmonaut live from outer space.
The Cosmonaut will be the “intersection of cutting-edge technology and luxury fashion,” according to Nike’s spokesperson Michelle Lam. The ambitious campaign hopes to be the “final frontier of space tourism.”
However, many are concerned this is not a wise choice, as Musk has been facing a lot of criticism for his acquisition of Twitter.
“I know that Elon Musk is very monumental in modern-day space exploration. That’s whom we want to target, and whom we believe is a figure that best represents us at this time,” said Lam.
“Elon is just the first figure to represent us in this Cosmonaut launch, but we will continue to have more participants and customers wearing out shoes as they go up into space.”
In similar circumstances, other shoe brands have experienced finical turmoil due to collaborations with controversial public figures. According to NPR, Adidas reported a loss of $540M after cutting ties with Kanye West over antisemitic remarks.
“At Nike we are confident in our product, we believe in the power of space exploration and in the technology, we have pioneered at our design labs,” said Lam. “We are confident we will have a successful launch.”
The Cosmonaut’s press conference was held at the FIMS Observatory at 1 p.m on Thursday.