Nike is "ticked off" by the advertising watchdog after tweets from brand ambassadors and footballers Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere "were judged to have breached advertising rules," according to John Reynolds of BRAND REPUBLIC. Two tweets were posted in January from the official accounts of footballers Rooney and Wilshere. The tweet from Wayne Rooney said: "My resolution – to start the year as a champion, and finish it as a champion….#makeitcount gonike.me/makeitcount". Makeitcount is the name of a Nike campaign. The tweet from Wilshere said: "In 2012, I will come back for my club – and be ready for my country. #makeitcount.gonike.me/Makeitcount." Watchdog Advertising Standards Authority "received a complaint that challenged whether both tweets were obviously identifiable as marketing communications." Nike said that Rooney and Wilshere were communicating to Twitter members who had chosen to "follow" them and that both footballers "were well-known" for being sponsored by Nike, as were the teams they played for, ManU and Arsenal. Nike therefore thought that their Twitter followers "would not be misled about the relationship between the footballers and Nike" (BRANDREPUBLIC.com, 6/20).
