By The American Tribune | Created at 2026-09-30 10:31:28 | Updated at 2026-09-30 12:07:07
1 hour ago
Converse reportedly paused its marketing last week because critics looked at a sneaker ad and somehow read a Ku Klux Klan lynching into it. The Nike-owned brand pulled the image, apologized, and said, “we got this wrong.” The alleged offending objects were a patch of light on a white skirt and a pair of black shoes held by a woman’s hand. Converse’s retreat comes during a 13-quarter revenue decline that began well before this controversy.
The image was part of a Chuck 70 X campaign featuring Karina, a member of the K-pop group Aespa. She stood beneath lighting shaped around Converse’s star logo, wearing a white skirt and holding black sneakers at her side. Critics said a triangular patch of light resembled a Klan hood and the shoes she held resembled the feet of a hanging victim. The photo, rather than the accompanying campaign video, became the focus of the online backlash.
The backlash soon moved beyond social media. Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA) issued a statement declaring, “Black pain is not a marketing prop,” and demanded that Nike and Converse answer for the campaign. Online critics also called for a boycott and for employees involved in the ad to be fired. What began as a loose interpretation of a sneaker photo had become a demand for a corporate reckoning.
Converse partly capitulated, removing the image and issuing an apology. “We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong,” the company said in a statement reported by ABC News. It also said it was working to remove the image everywhere it appeared. Rather than simply explain the star-shaped lighting and the shoes Karina was plainly holding, the brand accepted the critics’ reading as the one it needed to answer for.
The apology was followed by an even broader response. Bloomberg News reported that Converse told employees it was pausing all marketing that week, according to a person familiar with the decision. Reuters carried the report but said it couldn’t independently verify the pause; Nike didn’t immediately respond to its request for comment. If accurate, the move extended the company’s response from pulling one image to suspending its marketing for the week.
Converse CEO Aaron Cain also promised to examine how the image passed the company’s internal review. In a memo obtained by Bloomberg, he said the images shouldn’t have been used and that leadership was taking a hard look at its process. Cain told employees, “We will learn from this, make needed changes, and do better.” He didn’t specify what changes were under consideration.
See a repost of the campaign video that accompanied the disputed photo here:
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The Congressional Black Caucus took the controversy to Nike’s doorstep. In a September 21st statement, chair Yvette D. Clarke and caucus members said they were “deeply disturbed and disappointed” that Converse released the campaign. They announced plans to request a meeting with Nike executives. The caucus said it wanted to discuss both the ad and Nike’s broader commitment to corporate responsibility.
Converse has had a business problems without needing one to be invented in its advertising. Nike’s latest reported results show Converse revenue fell to $244 million in the quarter ended May 31st, down 34% after adjusting for currency changes. Full-year revenue dropped from $1.692 billion to $1.174 billion. Those numbers predate the ad backlash, which makes the reported decision to stop promoting its products amid an existing sales slump all the more striking.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.
