The negative reaction to the campaign explained

Adidas’ Olympic-themed ad campaign starring Bella Hadid was not a winner.

The German brand withdrew its advertising campaign for retro sneakers inspired by the 1972 Munich Olympics, following criticism from Israel and Jewish organizations. At issue was Hadid, who is of Palestinian descent, being the face of the campaign when that year’s Olympic Games were overshadowed by a Attack and assassination by Palestinian militant group of Israeli athletes, coaches and a German police officer. Adidas has since issued an apology, including to Hadid amid reports that she is weighing her legal options.

What happened?

On July 21, Adidas issued an apology – its second – on social media for the “negative impact” brought by the advertising campaign.

“Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign,” said the brand wrote on his Instagram story. “These connections are unintentional and we apologize for any inconvenience or distress caused to communities around the world.”

Adidas called it “an unintentional error.”

The brand apologized to Hadid and other campaign participants, including rapper A$AP Nast and football player Jules Koundé, for “any negative impact on them” and said it is “reviewing the campaign.”

Yahoo Entertainment has reached out to Adidas for further comment and we will update this post if we hear back.

The second apology came a day after Us Weekly reported that Hadid had hired lawyers to take legal action against the brand for its “lack of public responsibility” for launching a campaign that would “associate anyone with the death and violence of what happened in 1972 Munich Games.” A Hadid source criticized Adidas’ inadequate evaluation of the campaign.

TMZ also reported that Hadid was considering legal action. A representative for Hadid did not respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment on possible litigation.

How did we get here?

Adidas unveiled the campaign – including a digital billboard in New York City – earlier this month. When an image of Hadid in sneakers was posted on X on July 18, the state of Israel publicized the brand.

The American Jewish Committee also criticized Adidas, calling it “massive or intentionally inflammatory oversight.”

Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has been outspoken in her support of Palestine and criticism of Israel over the years. It was amplified amid the Israel-Hamas war, which broke out in October last year. Hadid and her sister Gigi donated $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts.

Adidas first apologized on July 19, saying it would “review the remainder of the campaign” and removed social media posts featuring the campaign. Hadid also removed campaign images from her Instagram.

“The adidas Originals SL72 campaign unites a wide range of partners to celebrate our lightweight running shoe, designed more than 50 years ago and used in sport and culture around the world,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We are aware that connections have been made to tragic historical events – although completely unintentional – and we apologize for any inconvenience or distress caused. As a result, we are reviewing the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.”