Business19 September, 20262 min read
Converse Pulls Chuck 70 X Ad Featuring Karina After Critics Cite KKK And Lynching Imagery
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Converse pulled Chuck 70 X ad featuring Karina after backlash accusing KKK imagery and lynching. Converse apologized, saying it understood why the post was wrong.
22 outlets told this the same way.
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Converse pulls Karina ad
Converse pulled a social media advertisement tied to its Chuck 70 X campaign after critics said the imagery evoked Ku Klux Klan symbolism and lynching. Converse said in a statement, "We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared," and the company added, "This should not have happened and we will do better."
“‘We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared.”
The ad featured K-pop singer Karina, a member of aespa, wearing a white skirt while holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers, with critics pointing to a triangular shape created by lighting that they said resembled a KKK hood. Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney who represented the family of Ahmaud Arbery, said, "We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test," and he added, "Do better means catching this before it airs -- not after we’re offended."
Congressman and backlash
U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., condemned the campaign and said, "Black pain is not a marketing prop," while adding, "Lynching is not a creative concept."
Carter also said, "The Ku Klux Klan is not an aesthetic," and he called the advertisement neither creative nor artistic.
Nadine Smith, CEO of Color of Change, told CBS News that the controversy reflected how images can move through multiple stages before reaching the public, saying, "It's a strategy in an attention economy."
Marcus Collins, a marketing and culture expert at the Michigan Ross School of Business, told CBS News that intention mattered less than public perception, saying, "Converse's response was not commensurate with the amount of anguish people responded to the ad with."
What comes next
Converse said it was working to remove the image from all places where it had appeared, and the company also said, "This should not have happened and we will do better." ABC News reported that Converse declined to answer questions seeking additional information, including how the company screens ads before they are posted and how the ad was approved.
“‘An apology does not undo what happened through the legal, marketing, and leadership filters at every step.”
The controversy also drew attention to a second Converse image, in which models appeared beside a ladder reaching for sneakers hanging from a tree branch, which critics said reinforced lynching imagery. Lee Merritt argued that an apology did not address how the ad passed through internal review, posting, "An apology does not undo what happened through the legal, marketing, and leadership filters at every step."