Adidas Apologizes for 1972 Olympic Sneakers Ad
Throughout its 75 years of existence, Adidas has become known for its moving and thought-provoking ads. However, the sports apparel brand has recently faced public criticism for its latest campaign featuring its retro 1972 Olympic Sneakers.
People generally found the advertisements offensive for two reasons: they featured model Bella Hadid and inappropriately referenced the 1972 Olympics.
Hadid has become a controversial figure of late for her vocal views on social media defending Hamas’ attacks against Israel. The Vogue cover model is half-Palestinian and is a known supporter of Palestinian relief efforts after the October 7 onslaught.
Last October, Hadid admitted to receiving “hundreds of death threats a day” because she supports Palestine. She posted, “I condemn the terrorist attacks on any civilians. Inflicting terror does not and should not do any good for the Free Palestine movement.”
In one Adidas social media ad, Hadid is shown holding flowers while wearing the new sneakers. The caption reads, “Giving Bella Hadid her flowers in the SL 72.”
Celebrating the Munich Massacre
Launched last Monday, July 15, Adidas’ new marketing campaign also referenced the Munich Summer Olympics of 1972 because of their namesake footwear. Though their ads tried to celebrate the event, most people remember it as the “Munich Massacre.”
On September 5, 1972, a terrorist attack by the militant group Black September led to the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches.
The American Jewish Committee, a global advocacy group, posted on X, “For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory. Neither is acceptable.”
Though the games still commenced, it became the first terrorist event to be broadcast live on global media networks.
Adidas responded with an apology on social media and a promise to change the campaign. “We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events—though these are completely unintentional—and we apologize for any upset or distress caused. As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign.“
In the wake of the controversial campaign, Adidas has drawn flak online. “It’s ADIDAS. The company was literally founded by a Nazi who used POWs as slave labor. Antisemitism sells, always has, and never in their history did they have a chance to market to the world’s antisemites like they do now…or did…with those shoes and that face,” wrote one netizen on Reddit.
“If I were a company with an iconic product I wanted to bring back, and that product happened to have been introduced at an event remembered mainly for a massacre, I’d do everything I could to avoid that association,” commented another.
