Nike Looks for Rooney Twitter Ban Reversal

Sports Giant Nike is trying to get the Advertising Standards Authority to reverse their decision banning brand ambassadors Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere for breaching advertising rules.

Nike became the first UK company to have a Twitter campaign banned when the ASA cracked down last month on the following tweets the footballers published in January. 

Wayne Rooney tweeted: “My resolution – to start the year as a champion, and finish it as a champion….#makeitcount  gonike.me/makeitcount”.

Jack Wilshere tweeted: “In 2012, I will come back for my club – and be ready for my country. #makeitcount.gonike.me/Makeitcount”.

Makeitcount is the name of a Nike Twitter-centric campaign devised by AKQA.

The ASA investigated after one complaint that challenged whether both tweets were identifiable as marketing communications. 

It ruled that in the absence of a marker, for example #ad, the tweets were not obviously identifiable as Nike marketing communications and therefore breached the CAP Code rules on recognition of marketing communications. 

However, Nike spokesman said it does not believe that Rooney and Wilshire’s Twitter followers were misled “because it was clear that the messages were connected to Nike’s Make It Count message”.

It also claims the judgement of the initial ASA examiner on the case “was that the tweets were clear and not misleading about their connection to Nike’s Make It Count campaign”.