Tiger Woods was once described as “the world’s most bankable athlete”, a family man and role model. He was on top of his game, widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers to ever step onto the course. There was little doubt in anyone’s mind that he would break Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major wins until disaster struck..
At the end of 2009, Tiger Woods found himself amidst one of the largest scandals in recent history. One by one, women with whom he had had affairs with were coming out to the media. On December 11th, Tiger announced that he would be taking an indefinite break from golf to save his marriage. In light of recent events, many of his sponsors began cutting their ties with him. Nike stood by Tiger despite the overwhelmingly negative press and fast-forward four months, they announced his comeback to the game with this ad:
The ad is simple, a thirty-second shot of Tiger Woods looking as “contrite as can be” and a posthumous voiceover from his father, Earl Woods. The commercial was viewed by over three and a half million people and wildly controversial, almost split 50/50 on YouTube’s “Likes/Dislikes” meter. Some viewers are appalled by the fact that Earl’s words were taken out of context and spliced together, others are struck by the simplicity of the ad.
I personally found the commercial to be brilliant for two reasons. First, Nike and Tiger acknowledged the fact that there were transgressions on Tiger’s part, but more critically showed his remorse and guilt as his father, “the only person on earth whose opinion ever seemed to matter to him”, chastises him. Second, the ad evokes sympathy for Tiger who not only lost his father, but also his “best friend” when Earl Woods passed away. It leads viewers to wonder if perhaps the loss of his father “fundamentally affected” him and led him astray.
Of course, a thirty-second clip cannot completely restore Tiger’s image, but it is a huge step in the right direction.
Sources:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/chronology-of-the-tiger-woods-scandal/article4313560/?page=all
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1978986,00.html