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Adidas apologizes for local campaign featuring Israeli soldier Shalev Biton amid boycott calls

Adidas issued an apology for a local advertising campaign in Israel that featured Shalev Biton, a veteran who lost his leg while serving in the Israel Defense Forces in 2021. The campaign promoted the brand's 'single shoe' service, which allows customers to purchase one shoe at 50% of the price of a pair. Pro-Palestinian activists and figures, including Spanish actor Javier Bardem, criticized the choice of Biton as the face of the campaign. Critics noted that while Biton is an Israeli soldier, thousands of Palestinians have suffered amputations during the recent war in Gaza. Some activists argued that the brand was being insensitive to the high number of child amputees in the Gaza Strip. The company stated that the initiative was a local activation and not part of a global campaign. Adidas noted that the service is expanding across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Shalev Biton reported receiving a significant wave of social media backlash and hatred from pro-Palestinian accounts following the advertisement.

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