Nike Pulls Ads Parodying Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
Can you say “yanked?”
That is what Nike did this week to one of its commercials featuring NBA basketball star David Robinson that parodies “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” In the TV spot for the company’s Force line of basketball shoes, Robinson ties his shoes, then looks at the camera and asks: “Can you say, ‘Kick some butt?’ ”
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Oct. 27, 1990 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday October 27, 1990 Home Edition Business Part D Page 2 Column 6 Financial Desk 2 inches; 38 words Type of Material: Correction
Nike--A headline in Thursday’s Times erroneously suggested that footwear maker Nike Inc. had canceled all television spots of a commercial parodying “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Nike will continue the campaign but no longer run one of the spots during prime time.
The commercial premiered on CBS during the World Series. But it wasn’t until it ran on ABC’s Monday Night Football this week that the network and the athletic shoe maker were besieged with complaints from dozens of viewers. As a result, Nike now says it will no longer run the commercial for the $135 basketball shoes on prime-time television. It will, however, continue running the spot after 11 p.m.
“We don’t like to insult people,” said Elizabeth Dolan, a spokeswoman for the Beaverton, Ore.-based athletic shoe maker. “People reacted to it pretty strongly. Having misjudged the situation, we’ll admit it.”
Most of the complaints came from parents who objected to their children seeing Robinson-- the San Antonio Spurs center and NBA rookie of the year--in what some perceived as a very negative role. Many of those who complained noted that they were Nike customers, Dolan said.
Of the three major networks, only NBC had refused to run the spot, which was created by the Portland agency Wieden & Kennedy. “The ad was never acceptable to us,” said Rick Gitter, vice president of advertising standards at the network. “We make a distinction between the language used in programming and in commercials. There are really no opportunities to making viewing choices with commercials.”
In March, Nike’s chief rival Reebok also pulled an ad after heated consumer complaints. That ad featured two actors attempting a dangerous stunt known as bungee jumping. The actors jump off a bridge with only special elastic cords tied to their ankles.
“We’re not reaching to be constantly shocking,” said Nike’s Dolan. “This is not a race to see who can get the most bad publicity.”
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