A week after Nike released its popular #BETRUE line to celebrate LGBT athletes and Gay Pride, many of the items are already sold out online and in Nike stores. The popular black men's T-shirt with #BETRUE emblazoned in rainbow colors is already completely sold out at Nike.com. The flagship Nike store in Portland, Ore., had sold out of the Free 5.0 shoes by last Friday, and the Free OG shoes are completely sold out online.
This year Nike increased it's depth of product into the marketplace over last year yet is still selling out faster than last year's line. The proceeds of the sales of the #BETRUE line will be donated (up to $500k) to the LGBT Sports Coalition, which gathered in Portland last weekend.
One interesting tidbit from last weekend was the difference in how two companies based in Portland – Nike and Adidas – approached Gay Pride in the city. Nike had a line dedicated to celebrating Pride, had a 400-person presence in the Pride parade, and Nike CEO Mark Parker and Nike VP Tim Hershey both attended the parade with Hershey getting soaked with the rest of the marchers. Adidas took the presence they have at other events and slapped a rainbow on it. It's no wonder Nike is becoming a powerful brand in the LGBT community.
That embracing of the community and the work being done to end anti-LGBT bias in sports has translated into surprising sales for Nike's third incarnation of #BETRUE.
