Nike has pulled the ad featuring Oscar Pistorius with the words “I am the bullet in the chamber. Just do it,” the BBC reported on Feb. 15. Oscar Pistorius faces charges of premeditated murder in South Africa after the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, and Pistorius’ sponsors have gone into full “crisis-management mode.”
Nike immediately pulled the “unfortunately worded” ads, and the “perils” of celebrity brand endorsement were brought into the headlines of the world yet again.
Pistorius may have earned several million dollars from sponsorships from Nike, BT, Thierry Mugler and Oakley. Oscar Pistorius is also a spokesman for Ossur, the Icelandic firm that manufactures the prosthetic carbon fiber blades Pistorius wears for races.
A spokesman for Nike told the BBC, “We are continuing to monitor the situation closely. It is a police matter,” when asked whether Nike planned to terminate Oscar Pistorius endorsement deal.
M-Net Movies, a South African pay television channel, pulled its television ad campaign featuring Pistorius. M-Net Movies tweeted, “Out of respect and sympathy to the bereaved, M-Net will be pulling its entire Oscar campaign featuring Oscar Pistorius with immediate effect.”
Allegedly Oscar Pistorius shot his model girlfriend four times through a closed bathroom door. There is speculation that he may have beat her with a cricket bat before shooting her.
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