Sports apparel brand Adidas may be doubting their decision to drop US-Palestinian model Bella Hadid from their SL72 campaign.
The sneaker maker has a strong online brand presence and collaborates with celebrities and models from around the globe. For their recent campaign, they partnered with Hadid to commemorate the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The event was marred by tragedy when terrorists with the Black September group took Israeli athletes and coaches hostage, killing 11 and a German police officer, The Wrap reported.
Jewish consumers were upset with the model’s connection to the campaign because of her Palestinian heritage and called for her to be removed.
Adidas swiftly complied and removed Hadid from the campaign. Now, the brand finds itself in a dire situation. Hello, Starbucks.
Brand sentiment for Adidas has plummeted more than 400% in negative social media conversations, Biz Community reported.
“Its sentiments currently stand at 8.9% positive and 45.5% negative. Before dropping Bella, it was 35% positive and 8% negative,” the online publication cited media intelligence firm Carma telling Marketing-Interactive.
This was a result of online users criticising Adidas for bowing to political pressure. In the aftermath, Bella took to social media and apologised for her part in the campaign, saying she was unaware of the tragic connection.
“While everyone intended to make something positive and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process,” she wrote in her IG Stories.
“I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism. That will never waiver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent.”
Words: Fame Frenzy
