Never Again, Until Next Year: Nike's Tone-Deaf Ad Sparks Outrage

Nike has been known for its innovative advertising campaigns, but this time, the company went too far, perhaps deliberately. After the London Marathon, one of the world’s largest, Nike released an ad with the phrase “Never Again,” a term commonly used to commemorate the Holocaust, and even added, humorously, “Until next year.” Britain and the world are reeling.

How did a global brand like Nike mess this up so badly, and what does it say about their judgment?

The ad, rolled out after yesterday's London Marathon, was meant to tap into the raw grit of runners. “Never Again,” paired with a jokey nod to next year’s race, aimed to echo marathoners swearing off 26.2 miles only to sign up again.

But for Jews, especially after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and drove a 337% surge in UK antisemitism (per the Community Security Trust’s 2024 report), it’s a betrayal of a phrase tied to Holocaust remembrance.

On X, people were horrified: “It’s simply disgraceful,” was written on Twitter. “It’s unthinkable that a phrase used to ensure we remember the disaster and horrors that befell the Jewish people would be used by the company as a promotional tool in such an insensitive way. Especially in these days after October 7. Nike needs to pull the ad, or we’ll launch a consumer boycott.”

Meanwhile, British media called the campaign “bold,” showing a stark cultural divide. LinkedIn users also didn't see the problem. Here were some responses:

So, what’s wrong with Nike here? First, it’s a creative blunder. The ad team probably thought “Never Again” was a gritty, motivational phrase, like “Just Do It,” or even “Yesterday you said tomorrow” not a Holocaust vow.

We honestly hope it was a mistake and that the “Until next year” bit was meant as marathon banter, not a dig at genocide. Even so, it’s wildly out of touch. In the UK, where the Holocaust is distant history for many, this might slip by easier than in Israel or Jewish communities in New York.

But Nike’s global scale, a $50 billion brand with a massive audience, demands better research. A quick search ties “Never Again” to Yad Vashem and Holocaust memorials, not sports.

More concerning though, is that they knew exactly what they were doing, tapping into the international 'coolness' of antisemitism to sell sportswear, which would be nothing short of vile and nauseating.

Second, it’s a failure of oversight. Big campaigns go through layers of review: writers, designers, PR folks, executives. That no one caught the phrase’s weight suggests a lack of Jewish input, weak cultural checks, or a rushed push to cash in on the marathon’s hype.

Nike’s history of bold ads, like its Colin Kaepernick campaign, shows they’re comfortable with controversy, but they likely miscalculated, thinking this would spark buzz, not boycotts. Misjudging the Holocaust’s sensitivity, especially now, was a huge mistake.

Third, the timing is awful. Since October 7, Jewish communities are on edge, with synagogue attacks and campus protests fueling fears of normalized antisemitism. Nike’s ad, even if unintentional, feels like it’s mocking that pain with a smirk. The LinkedIn thread’s cheerleading shows a bubble where cultural consequences don’t register, making the offense even worse.

This isn’t Nike’s first slip. In 2019, they scrapped a sneaker design linked to a colonial flag after backlash. But the Holocaust is a uniquely raw topic, and the timing makes it worse (Just three days before the marathon, April 24th, was Holocaust Remembrance Day).

The X outrage, with boycott calls, echoes consumer revolts like Adidas’s 2022 split with Kanye West over antisemitic comments. Nike’s silence, no apology or ad pull by April 28, makes a bad situation worse.

They need to move fast: ditch the ad, apologize for real, maybe back Holocaust education to show they get it. Otherwise, they risk losing Jewish customers and allies in markets like the U.S. and Israel, where trust can vanish quick.

Nike thought they were clever, and after their other PR disasters, you would've thought they’ve learned the hard way: words carry scars, and ignoring them can cost you big. For a brand built on inspiring guts, this is a self-inflicted hit they should’ve seen coming.