So I guess now the final analysis awaits the still undocumented global market you mentioned.
Well see. $4 billion is a lot of money to lose over a three day weekend. And that doesn't take into consideration what's to follow and their financial loss alongside the NFL with their mutual contract. Also the massive shift of perception in their brand has hurt them in ways not yet measurable.
The reason I can make these kinds of predictions is Dunning-Kruger. Those who exhibit your type of emotional attachments don't tend to think analytically. The failure to objectively process information that may or may not correspond with certain beliefs tends to effect many different kinds of decisions.
For example, a few days of market reaction does not equate with program success/failure. Do I need to remind you just how fast the futures markets dropped overnight once Trump was declared the winner? We won't know the true effect of Nike's marketing program until at least 6-12 months. In the short term, we may very well see a drop in EPS, since those most committed will be those who immediately cease buying.
However, regardless of success or failure, the main point is that the Kap campaign wasn't some kind of ill conceived, impulsive vanity choice. Rather, it was the focus of a multi-million dollar, global market research program. My analysis also does not suggest that I'm a Nike supporter; far from it. I know it is probably difficult to separate (political) emotions from business decisions for some, but they really are two separate issues.