1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
ChristmasSyriaGerman election 2025
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
Culture

10 campaigns with a political twist

Elizabeth Grenier
September 5, 2018

Along with Nike's latest campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, different companies have used political issues to promote their brands. Others faced backlash for being politically incorrect. Here's a look at 10 cases.

https://p.dw.com/p/34Mfa
Nike ad reads Believe in Something, even if it means sacrificing everything
Image: Nike

The latest Nike ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback whose take-a-knee protest has polarized the United States, is an advertising coup.

From Benetton's infamous campaigns to German winks at the NSA scandal, the gallery above takes a look at other advertising campaigns that tackled political issues — some unwittingly. Which begs the question: Is even bad publicity good publicity?

Portrait of a young woman with red hair and glasses
Elizabeth Grenier Editor and reporter for DW Culture
Skip next section Explore more

Explore more

H&M Ärger um Werbefoto | "Coolest Monkey in the Jungle" 

'Coolest Monkey in the Jungle': the long history of racism in advertising

'Coolest Monkey in the Jungle': the long history of racism in advertising

A half-naked Asian woman is sprawled across a pizza box. A black man is whitewashed in the washing machine. H&M is not the only company to attract attention with racist ads. (17.01.2018)
LifestyleJanuary 17, 2018
A group of rescued migrants wearing life jackets

Benetton draws flak for exploiting rescued migrants for ad campaign

Benetton draws flak for exploiting rescued migrants for ad campaign

The advertisement campaign showed migrants in life jackets as they were being rescued with Benetton's logo at the bottom. The Franco-German charity involved in the rescue has condemned the Italian clothing company. (20.06.2018)
BusinessJune 20, 2018