Although this advertisement was released in December 2020, team AFT found this an interesting piece to cover.
This two-minute film was selected by Vimeo’s Staff Picks, and highlights “real-life experiences” of three female athletes from different backgrounds in Japan — one is Japanese, one is Korean, and one is of mixed race with an African father and Japanese mother. The film touches on bullying, race sentiments and shows how each girl “overcomes their daily struggles and conflicts to move their future through sports.”
This advertisement raised a few eyebrows in that it became a highly controversial talking point. Have a look at what was reported throughout the international media channels:
“It has about 25 million views on social media and almost 80,000 shares.”
- BBC: bbc.in/36BVMbw
“The video, viewed 14.1 million times on Nike Japan’s Twitter feed by noon Wednesday, had racked up 63,000 likes but also a cascade of critical comments from many who vowed never to buy Nike products again.”
- Japan Times: https://bit.ly/2VCBW9O
While the film’s message clearly riled members of Japan’s online right – many of whom commented using pseudonyms – more measured critics said it misrepresented modern Japanese society.
- The Guardian: cutt.ly/khv3zqk
This advert is so timely as it happened just at the height of the #StopAsianHate wave. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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