Tiger’s Nike spot sparks debate

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Few ads in the entire history of advertising have been riper for parody than Nike’s new Tiger Woods commercial, with the voice of the golfer’s late father seemingly admonishing him for his transgressions.

And so within hours of its first airing, this unusual (and, some say, totally creepy) ad had spawned a new generation of Dad-talking-to-Tiger videos.

And a more serious question, too: Even by the standards of edgy advertising, did both Nike and Tiger cross a line?

To be sure, Nike is relishing the attention. That is, after all, what advertising is about: Cutting through the clutter.

And Nike has a history not only of daring ads, but of notable ones featuring Woods. Its 1996 introductory “Hello World” ad noted he would still be banned from certain clubs due to the color of his skin, and asked, “Are you ready for me?”

But this is a different Tiger — the post-scandal Tiger, the one in the midst of a carefully crafted comeback from the sordid revelations of his multiple affairs. The Nike ad shocked some both for its use of a dead man’s voice — out of context — and, perhaps more, its use of Tiger’s infidelity to, well, sell merchandise.

“It’s a new genre of marketing: I’m sorry — ka-ching!” commented Marian Salzman, advertising analyst and president of Euro RSCG Worldwide public relations. Wrote Salon.com: “It’s not moving. It’s just sickening.”

Others, though, called it potentially groundbreaking — and not just in the way it brought immediate buzz to both Nike and Woods as he competes in the Masters.

“They’ve actually called an athlete to task — and one that they’re endorsing,” said Rick Burton, sports marketing professor at Syracuse University.

As for Tiger himself, he told a news conference that the ad was “very apropos. I think that’s what my dad would say. It’s amazing how my dad can speak to me in different ways, even when he’s long gone.”

The ad aired Wednesday and Thursday on ESPN and the Golf Channel and is not scheduled to air again — at least in its current form.