Thought i’d like to share this fabulously funny exchange between culture jammer Jonah Peretti and Nike.
Culture jamming is basically subversive advertising. Culture jammers tweak media campaigns and advertising so that the original message is subverted and made to say almost the opposite, putting forth often a social or environmental activist type message.
Below is an email correspondence with customer service representatives at Nike iD, an on-line service that lets people buy personalized Nike shoes. The dialog began when Nike cancelled an order for a pair of shoes customized with the word “sweatshop.”
From: “Personalize, NIKE iD” <nikeid_personalize@nike.com>
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled for one or more of the following reasons.
1) Your Personal iD contains another party’s trademark or other intellectual property.
2) Your Personal iD contains the name of an athlete or team we do not have the legal right to use.
3) Your Personal iD was left blank. Did you not want any personalization?
4) Your Personal iD contains profanity or inappropriate slang, and besides, your mother would slap us.
If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com
Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled because the iD you have chosen contains, as stated in the previous e-mail correspondence, “inappropriate slang”.If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com
NIKE iD
Jonah Peretti
Dear NIKE iD Customer,Regarding the rules for personalization it also states on the NIKE iD web site that “Nike reserves the right to cancel any Personal iD up to 24 hours after it has been submitted”.
In addition it further explains:
“While we honor most personal iDs, we cannot honor every one. Some may be (or contain) others’ trademarks, or the names of certain professional sports teams, athletes or celebrities that Nike does not have the right to use. Others may contain material that we consider inappropriate or simply do not want to place on our products.
Unfortunately, at times this obliges us to decline personal iDs that may otherwise seem unobjectionable. In any event, we will let you know if we decline your personal iD, and we will offer you the chance to submit another.”
With these rules in mind we cannot accept your order as submitted.
If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD
Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for the time and energy you have spent on my request. I have decided to order the shoes with a different iD, but I would like to make one small request. Could you please send me a color snapshot of the ten-year-old Vietnamese girl who makes my shoes?