The Scoop: Bella Hadid apologizes for Adidas ad

Adidas and model Bella Hadid are facing international backlash.

The German athleticwear company created the advertisement for a new retro sneaker that pays homage to an Adidas shoe that debuted at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The ad features Hadid holding a bouquet of flowers while wearing the shoes and familiar black-and-white Adidas workout attire.

The Munich games are infamously remembered for a terrorist attack by a Palestinian militant that resulted in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes.

Hadid’s father is Palestinian and she’s donated money to relief efforts in the Gaza Strip in the past, according to a report from CNBC.

Her  involvement in the campaign drew condemnation from the American Jewish Committee as well the government of Israel. The country accused her of having a history of antisemitism.

.@Adidas recently launched a new campaign for their shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.

Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history… pic.twitter.com/IgdGq2OLmd

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) July 18, 2024

Hadid said she wasn’t aware of the situation surrounding the 1972 Olympics and wouldn’t have taken part had she known.

“I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign,” Hadid said in a statement shared on an Instagram story on Monday evening. “Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated.”

Why it matters: Everyone involved really should have known better.

Adidas, which already has a Nazi-infused history stemming from World War II, has found itself in yet another controversy surrounding allegations of antisemitism.

In 2022, many criticized how long it took the brand to respond to and disassociate itself with Kanye West after the rapper-turned-businessman made antisemitic remarks. Matters were made worse when Adidas’ trade marketing director chastised her company on LinkedIn for staying silent about its ongoing relationship with West, commonly known as Ye.

While a tone-deaf decision, there’s no indication that Adidas intended to offend anyone with its advertising. Hadid is a longtime company collaborator and one of the most popular influencers in the world, racking up the 90th most followers on all of Instagram.

Adidas removed social media posts of the ad campaign featuring Hadid, according to The Guardian. The company also issued a formal apology.

“We apologise for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world,” the statement reads in part. “We made an unintentional mistake. We also apologise to our partners, Bella Hadid, ASAP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign.”

Still, even a little bit of research and foresight would have shown that Hadid has been outspoken about her support for Palestine as recently as the past few months. On May 28, she posted an image of herself on Instagram in a keffiyeh dress created by a Palestinian designer.

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A post shared by Bella 🦋 (@bellahadid)

Of course it isn’t just Adidas to blame. Hadid’s team should have seen this coming as well. The 27-year-old took partial ownership of the situation, saying on social media that she should have researched the campaign before agreeing to take part. However, she stressed that both Adidas and her personal team “should have known.”

“I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind,” her statement read.

But it never should have gotten that far.

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Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.