In recent years, Madison Avenue has mostly walked in lockstep with the progressive agenda to reinvent the American family. Consider the following commercials over the past decade or so: A same-sex couple joins the rest of the extended family around the table during a holiday. Two men discuss the joys of raising their toddler daughter together. Two women head to Las Vegas to get married.
Much of the time, the messaging aims to be either humorous or heartwarming. The desire is to signal to progressive elites that the company is sufficiently woke, minimize offense to those who hold traditional views of marriage and family, and sensitize viewers incrementally to accept LGBTQ as mainstream. Sometimes, however, companies misunderstand their customer base, resulting in backlash. The most infamous example is Bud Light, which faced a firestorm of criticism two years ago for its ad campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Nike is one company that has long been known for its progressive values. One Nike ad campaign featured Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who provoked considerable controversy by kneeling during the singing of the national anthem. The tagline: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” Another Nike advertisement, aired for Pride Month in 2020, featured LGBTQ athletes. The tagline: “Be true. Until we all win.” Other commercials related to racial equality and women’s rights are far less controversial, though the timing of each tips the company’s hand. The racial equality ad came out during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, while the women’s equality ad was aired during the first Trump Administration.
While progressive companies haven’t necessarily reversed their views on social issues, a vibe shift is currently underway. Numerous news outlets reported the trend of companies dialing back ads promoting the LGBTQ agenda this past June during Pride Month. Now Nike has released a new advertisement for social media that celebrates the importance of family over athletic competition. Notably, the subject of the ad isn’t a progressive athletic icon, but Scottie Scheffler, who is currently the best professional golfer in the world.
Click Here to Read More (Originally Published at World Magazine )
Nathan is a professor of faith and culture and directs the Institute for Faith and Culture at North Greenville University in Tigerville, S.C. He is the senior fellow for religious liberty for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is a senior fellow for the Land Center for Cultural Engagement, and is a senior editor for Integration: A Journal of Faith and Learning. He also serves as teaching pastor at the First Baptist Church of Taylors, S.C.