Creepy or Creative?

Posted by on Apr 14, 2010 in Brands, Marketing Industry, Media Industry | 1 comment

Tiger Woods was disappointed in his game at The Masters, but I’d say he showed much better on the course than he did in the new Nike commercial that debuted the day before the tournament.  If you haven’t seen it, Tiger stares solemnly into the camera while listening to the voice of his deceased father.  The spot continues to generate a ton of buzz, but that’s not necessarily a good thing when the majority of people describe it as more creepy than creative or courageous.

The folks at Nike found themselves in a tough position when the Tiger scandal broke.  With Woods serving as the face of the Nike Golf brand, they had little choice but to stick with him and try to weather the storm.  This is a textbook case study illustrating the dangers of aligning your brand too closely with a celebrity spokesperson.  One misstep and it can all come crashing down.

I believe tackling Tiger’s issue head on was the right thing for Nike to do.  They couldn’t just keep pumping out fresh creative like nothing ever happened and their golf business probably couldn’t afford to wait it out. In addition, they’ve had success with this proactive approach in the past – including the Charles Barkley “I am not a role model” ad.  The strategy is smart – it’s the execution of the Tiger spot I take issue with.

The words of Earl Woods were manipulated and taken completely out of context. Plus, using the voice of a dead man to address his son’s sex addiction doesn’t feel quite right.  It was predictable that Tiger would claim he lost his moral compass when his father died.  And frankly, if he wants to play that card, I’ll let him get away with it.  It is much harder to swallow when you bring Nike into the mix.  I find it impossible to see contrition when I know that rebuilding Tiger’s image is all about dollar signs. 

Creepy or creative, what do you think?

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  • http://www.mrwrite.biz Joe

    Creative. And brilliantly honest. And it will pay dividends in the long run. Regardless of any moral perspective.

    I commend Nike for recognizing that they don’t own the Tiger brand. Nor does Tiger. Consumers own the brand. Every brand is a relationship, and right now, this relationship is a little creepy.

    So, Nike says, let’s put it out there. You’re creeped-out. We’re creeped-out. Everyone is creeped-out. There, we’ve said it. Now, where do we go from here?

    The Tiger brand is about perseverance and unequalled success in the face of extreme challenges. I think this spot effectively sets the stage for Tiger to once again rise as the conquering hero. Moral issues aside, this is a very adept move by Nike to save the Tiger brand.

    And, in a few years, when Tiger eclipses Jack’s mark of 18 major championships (and he will), the Tiger brand will be stronger than ever. Tiger will have overcome very human failures to once again rise above the crowd. And he’ll sell more golf gear than any player in history.

    So it’s a great move for the brand. As far as what’s morally right, that’s up to each individual to decide.

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