Data show more sold-out Nike merchandise after Kaepernick ad

Nike has seen a spike in the amount of merchandise it has sold out of since it first introduced its ad campaign featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, according to new data.

The company has sold out of 61 percent more items since the ad was released earlier this month, according to data compiled by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with StyleSage Co.

{mosads}Nike sold out of 703 items during the 10 days prior to the ad being introduced and sold out of 1,131 items in the 10 days after the ad went public, according to the data. According to the study, top sold-out merchandise included shorts, underwear and pants. The Colin Kaepernick women’s jersey also sold out on Sept. 17.

The ad, first aired during the NFL’s regular season opening game, features Kaepernick and other top athletes including tennis player Serena Williams and NBA player LeBron James, urging viewers to “believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”

Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/x5TnU7Z51i

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 5, 2018

The new data comes after backlash faced by Nike for the ad.

Some conservatives called for a boycott of Nike and criticized the ad for featuring Kaepernick, who was the first NFL player to kneel in protest during the national anthem in 2016. Kaepernick has remained unsigned for the two years since he began kneeling in protest, becoming the face of the protest movement. 

President Trump has criticized the NFL and Nike over the ad, writing on Twitter earlier this month that Nike was “absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.”

“Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts,” he wrote. “I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!”

Nike’s share prices hit an all-time high 10 days after taking an initial blow following the company’s announcement that Kaepernick would be the face of its latest “Just Do It” ad campaign.