• by Larissa Faw , September 5, 2018

One thing is certain in Nike’s ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick: the controversial ad is sparking widespread chatter across social media.

There have been more than 5.2 million social posts mentioning the brand in the past 72 hours, according to social media analytics firm Talkwalker. 

This fervor doesn't appear to be dying down. Over the past 24 hours, there have been more than 2.8 million mentions, a 25.2% increase.

The reaction is split between supporters and opponents. One of the more popular retweets — @thedonholly — requests those who are disposing of their Nike gear to instead direct a message to him so he can redistribute them to New York City children. 

Serena William's initial tweet that she is "especially proud to be part of the Nike family" in light of the Kaepernick ad has received more than 310,000 likes and retweets. 

Over the past seven days, social media mentions of Nike have increase 265%. This story, however, serves as a cautionary tale about the power of social media and brands controlling the narrative.

Most of the negative reaction is from the misconception that Kaepernick is newly signed as a brand ambassador. In fact, the ex-quarterback has been with Nike since 2011. 

Talkwalker did not track Nike's ad agency Wieden+Kennedy to analyze whether the shop has experienced any positive or negative social media chatter from its involvement, says a Talkwalker spokesperson