South Africa, Sept. 22 -- The backlash also came from a US congressman, several celebrities, and marketing experts. US Rep. Troy Carter called the ad "racist, reckless and deeply offensive", saying, "Nike and Converse, what the hell were you thinking?"

He was one of many who called for the staff involved in the ad to be fired and for a boycott of the company, as social media users questioned how the ad could have cleared the company's advertising vetting process.

"Do not insult our intelligence by dismissing this as an unfortunate misunderstanding. An advertising campaign does not just appear.

"It is conceived, photographed, reviewed, approved and distributed. At every stage, someone had the opportunity - and the responsibility - to sa...