12 Biggest Brand Blunders In History

5. Nike's "Bullet In The Chamber" Oscar Pistorius Ad Had To Be Pulled When The Athlete Shot His Girlfriend

Themba Hadebe/AP

"Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius was the face of the Paralympics due to the fact he had qualified for the 2012 (able-bodied) Olympic Games in London - and Nike won the race from all the sponsors to secure his signature.

Yet the advert on their website that showed a picture of Pistorius sprinting with the caption "I am the bullet in the chamber" had to be pulled in 2013 following the South African's arrest for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Not so much a blunder as unfortunate timing, with Pistorius sentenced to a five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide in 2014.

 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.