Tiger Woods’s father counsels him from the grave
Airing on the eve of the Masters Tournament and Tiger Woods’s return to the circuit after the nearly career-crippling incident last year that revealed his many tawdry extramarital affairs, Nike’s new black-and-white Tiger Woods commercial features a medium close-up of Tiger looking contrite and a little sad. The late Earl Woods’s voice is heard, saying he was curious about Tiger’s thinking, his emotions, and whether he learned anything. Dissolve to black background with Nike swoosh.
Brilliantly simple. Simply brilliant advertising. Both the man and the company seem to ask for our forgiveness and understanding. I am somewhat turned off by the use of a dead man’s voice to chasten his son. But I imagine that calm, sure voice has echoed in Tiger’s head every moment since his death. So maybe it’s just perfect.
If nothing else, this commercial shows that advertisers can deal with difficult issues with subtlety, delicacy and style.
