Football fans hijack adidas’ social campaign to create racists posts

A social media campaign titled #DareToCreate between football team Arsenal and sports brand adidas was given a red card when fans hijacked it to create racist and anti-Semitic posts. The #DareToCreate campaign was developed to back the release of the football club’s new home kits, which are made by Adidas.The campaign saw people on Twitter who liked the since-deleted tweet from @adidasUK having their name appear next to players’ names on jersey along with the message, “This is home. Welcome to the squad.” This was then retweeted by @adidasUK. According to The Guardian, the posts were from the @AdidasUK account late on Monday night . Marketing has reached out to adidas for its comments.Adidas' #DareToCreate campaign provides yet another valuable reminder to brands on why you should never let the internet customise anything. pic.twitter.com/uw02upr63g — Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) July 2, 2019In a statement to Marketing, a Twitter spokesperson said: “We regret that this functionality has been abused in this way and are taking steps to ensure we protect the health of the interactions with this account.”Additionally, the social media platform has already taken action on a number of accounts for violating its policies and added that it will continue to take strong enforcement action against any content that breaks its rules.The adidas X Arsenal kit was launched on 1 July, alongside the film, “This is home”. Aimed to send a strong message about belonging, the film shows how players from around the world have become part of the fabric of the club and the community, adopting the accents of north London and real Arsenal fans. It has garnered over 188,700 views and 15,000 likes since.The partnership sees Arsenal and adidas reuniting after 25 years. Adidas Football general manager Nick Craggs added in a press release: “Arsenal has always had a unique culture that has seen them at the forefront of innovation, redefining the game, whilst staying true to their core values. We’re excited to be a part of that and, of course, delivering iconic kits that Arsenal fans love.” https://youtu.be/VLZeTOID0jU