The Tiger Woods Nike Ad

[Shadowpawn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NTRvlrP2NU

There's the ad in case you didn't see it. It's causing a bit a controversy in the media because if the fact that his father (the disembodied voice in the ad) is featured in the ad, and that he's dead. What do you think of the ad? Distasteful or misunderstood?

I personally didn't like it because to me it just reeks of exploitation, and not just on Tiger Woods behalf. It is exploitative to me because it's tying Tiger's projected remorse on his recent misgivings to the Nike brand. The whole situation with Tiger Woods was overblown as it was, but now we have a commercial designed to make you feel some sort of compassion for Tiger Woods by using his late Father's advice.

It just rubs me the wrong way, even if it wasn't meant to be exploitative.

[HeartBreak301]

Doesn't make me want to buy Nike. Fail commercial is fail, and yeah, his dad didn't need to be in that.

[Palle]

I would say that this fits well with Nike's history with exploitation, and thus doesn't change my opinion of the company at all.

Though I don't follow golf, all indications to me are that Tiger's a master of his trade. IMO, his greatest personal mistake was getting married in the first place. Same goes for most millionaire athletes.

[joefro]

Stupid ad is stupid. I can't believe that they're turning around Tiger's story for advertisements now.

[Dragwind]

I was listening to a discussion about this on the radio this morning, thanks for posting the video. I wouldn't have cared to look for it myself :-P

I have to agree though...I don't see how this ad is going to boost Nike sales in any way, and how does tying in Tiger's recent "dilemma" relate in any way to selling Nike products?

I really think this ad is just downright stupid.

[Outrider]

I actually just saw this parody of the ad, replacing Tiger's dad with Morgan Freeman from Shawshank Redemption:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TO6wI9OQRE

I enjoyed it.

[Sayara]

I'm rudely confused by the commercial, i saw it like 6 times on ESPN today and was like... what does this have to do with Nike?

Maybe that they will keep sponsering him?

[HAYABUSA-FMW-]

I actually just saw this parody of the ad, replacing Tiger's dad with Morgan Freeman from Shawshank Redemption:

youtube.com/watch?v=1TO6wI9OQRE

I enjoyed it.
Copyright Nike Golf took it off.

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods getting pushed and pulled in a hundred different directions right now, maybe if he wasn't under such a scrutiny spotlight, he wouldn't have okayed the use of his dad for an advertisement? That doesn't advertise anything?

Was thinking today golf is less of a sport, just because of that be quiet sign, and how they blow up if someone coughs or something. "Broke my concentration!"

I liked Gatorade Tiger, the Grape one. Maybe they'll continue that under another name.

[astuarlen]

Aw, the parody vid disappeared.
First time I'm seeing the ad:

The original does absolutely nothing for the brand other than make me wonder who at Nike thinks it's an awesome idea to hold onto Woods--let alone encourage us to associate with their products a slimy womanizer whose name and face we've seen too much in the media recently. So this ad fails, IMO, as an ad. Add to that the forced (or apparently forced) contriteness--which is communicated only as a generic sadface and without any specific, verbal acknowledgments of wrongdoing* and is thus no more effective or affective than the downcast eyes of a kid who's broken a lamp--and postmortem reappropriation of his father's words... gross.
*I'm emphatically against the idea of some sort of mutant apology ad, but here they're trying to trade in on the most nebulous suggestion of remorse to... do something... I guess move product or build capital as an, um, honest or human company?

Haya, while I will acknowledge that you have a point about people under intense public scrutiny and pressure doing further irrational and possibly damaging things--and I abhor the media circus surrounding this and other celebrity scandals--I can't scrape together too much sympathy for Woods. I do think whoever came up with or pushed this idea to execution should be appropriately reprimanded, however, and I hope this misguided spot isn't just used to fuel more jibberjabber in the media about a topic irrelevant to almost everybody.

On a happier note:
I much prefer Nike's recent Rock Victorious (http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikewomen/en_US/rockvictorious) spots, which are beautifully shot and conceived and send a solid, positive, strong message. Good ads that focus on women athletes for their physical prowess without gratuitous sexualization? Awesome!

[Pballer42]

Ehh I dont think that it really helps Nikes sales so to me its almost of a waste. They are just trying to build up sympathy points. My thing is oh well dude screwed around and got roasted for it. Just let the past be the past and work on being a better person/husband/role model in the future.

Just get back to playing golf and realize that you are human and not a major winning robot lol.

[Blitzkommando]

I've never had a good opinion of Woods and this commercial if anything turns me further away from the Nike brand. There's a reason numerous companies dropped him after his behaviors became public. He may be one of the best golfers of all time, but he frankly is a disgusting individual based on his actions here and in the past. There are far more honorable choices for representatives of the sport and which Nike could choose to back.

[Niered]

Noone's mentioned Stephen Colbert's segment on this commercial yet? That was great.

[joefro]

Lots of really funny parodies here: http://www.popeater.com/2010/04/08/tiger-woods-nike-commercial-parodies

[Nitro Vordex]

Just do it. That explains it all.

[HeartBreak301]

I don't get why everyone makes such a big deal out of celebrity affairs. Who gives a shit? Seriously.

[Firocket1690]

I'll admit, when I saw him standing there with his nike stuff, I was expecting the end to be
JUST DO IT.

It wasn't. I was disappointed.