Nike fails to reverse Rooney Twitter ban
Nike has failed in its bid to overturn the ban on its Twitter campaign featuring brand ambassadors Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere.
The sports brand requested an independent review of the Advertising Standards Authority’s landmark decision to ban the campaign in July. The review panel, however, concluded that there were no grounds to overturn the watchdog’s decision or any flaws in the judgement process.
The campaign was banned in June after the ASA concluded that the series of tweets by the England stars failed to make it clear they were part of a marketing campaign.
Rooney’s tweets included: “My resolution – to start the year as a champion, and finish it as a champion…#makeitcount and link gonike.me/makeitcount.” The ASA ruled that the Nike reference could be missed by users.
The ban was first for a Twitter campaign. It was predicted by advertising law experts that the precedent setting ruling would force brands to be clearer that tweets were part of a marketing campaign.
A spokesman for Nike says it accepted the independent review’s decision but maintained the tweets were “clearly identifiable” as part of its “Make it Count” campaign.
