Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Hate it or Love it



Hate or love the Nike Gold ad above, since it aired two weeks ago it has been successful for Tiger Woods and Nike.

According to Zeta Interactive and the New York Times, in the days since the commercial aired Tiger Woods aggregated online perception went from 51 percent to 69 percent positive and Nike's went from 73 to 83 percent. The provocative ad that features the voice of Tiger's deceased father has gained a lot of attention increasing Nike.com's traffic 270%.

I recently attended a lecture with Wieden + Kennedy's Nike Global Account Direcetor Jason White. He explained that in making the ad, Nike's goal was to change the conversation and make Tiger a person again. While many have criticized the Nike and the ad for being "vile, manipulative, or shameless," I actually appreciate the innovative and artistic message.

Wieden + Kennedy advertising firm is an amazing company. Responsible for Nike's advertising since the company was founded in 1982, they have also done great work for ESPN Sportscenter, Coca-Cola, Honda, P+G, Air Jordan, Google, Nokia, Delta Airlines, EA Sports and Old Spice deodorant.

USA Today - "These guys create ads you remember"

Wieden + Kennedy's mission statement,

"We exist to create strong, provocative relationships between good companies and their customers."


The video below (sorry for the poor quality) was the first Tiger Woods ad with Nike (created by W+K). It is most definitely strong and provocative.



Because it is hard to read, I've scripted the ad below.

Hello world.

I shot in the 70's when I was 3.

I shot in the 60's when I was 12.

I won the U.S. Junior Amateur when I was 15.

Hello world.

I played in the Nissan Open when I was 16.

Hello world.

I won the U.S. Amateur when I was 18.

I played in the Masters when I was 19.

I am the only man to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles.

Hello world.

There are still courses in the U.S. I am not allowed to play.

Because the color of my skin.

Hello world.

I've heard I'm not ready for you.

Are you ready for me?

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