Contributed by Mark Plumb, Senior Account Executive, Weise Communications
Have you seen the first post-scandal Tiger Woods – Nike ad featuring a voice-over from Tiger’s deceased father Earl Woods? The ad is being discussed on talk radio all across the country; it has been the topic of many articles and newscasts. As much as I would like to debate the ethical considerations of using the words of someone from beyond the grave to sell a product, let’s set aside the judgment about whether or not this is in bad taste and focus on the effectiveness of the ad – for Nike.
There is no doubt that this ad rises above the clutter of advertising messages. However, in my opinion, from a business perspective, Nike has simply lost site of the goal of advertising.
When working with clients, we categorize advertising goals to accomplish one or more of the following:
- Raise Awareness of the Brand/Product
- Identify Position/Image for the Brand/Product
- Establish Customer Expectations for Brand/Product
- Increase Sales of Brand/Product
It is clear that the ad most likely impacts the position/image of Nike. Using a vintage interview of a father admonishing his son and repurposing it to tie to the current scandal is fascinating, but what does it accomplish for Nike?
When asked about the ad, Nike released the following statement: “We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father.”
Huh?
In some ways, this ad feels like a corporate sponsor spanking a wayward spokesman. The messaging is disconnected from the company. Usually, that makes as much sense and spending money to advertise a product no one wants.
However, Barbara Lippert, Adweek’s Advertising Critic gave an insight into this unusual voyage into brand management on an interview with CBS Early Show (April 8, 2010). From Nike’s point of view, Tiger is too big to fail and they need to prop him up. This is Nike’s attempt to get the scandal over with and begin selling product again.
Simply stated, usually Tiger does ads selling Nike. This time, Nike did an ad selling Tiger.
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