By Emitly Fredrix & Sarah Skidmore, Business Writers
NEW YORK (AP) --Nike aired a new TV commercial Wednesday featuring Tiger Woods and the voice of his late father, an edgy move that calls out his personal problems on the eve of his return to competitive golf.
The ad aired on ESPN and the Golf Channel just one day before the Masters begins.
In the stark, black-and-white ad, a solemn Woods looks directly into the camera without speaking while a recording of his late father is heard, speaking about taking responsibility.
“Did you learn anything?” Earl Woods says.
Woods is returning to golf after a leave that followed revelations of infidelities and a stint in rehab. The ad marks the first TV ad for Woods, who had been the face of many companies, since his problems surfaced in late November.
Nike Inc. is one of the few sponsors to stand by Woods during his troubles. Woods is the face of the company’s golf line and will be using its products when he plays in Augusta, Ga. on Thursday.
“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,” Nike said in a statement.
Nike typically doesn’t shy away from mentioning athletes’ troubles in its ads, experts say. The company has stuck by other athletes with personal problems, such as basketball star Charles Barkley, who famously said in one ad he shouldnt’ be a role model.
Other advertisers can get away with not mentioning their spokespeople’s problems, but not when the athlete is this famous or when the scandal is so public, said John Sweeney, director of sports communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Some may question using Woods’ father or mentioning the golfer’s personal problems, but it makes sense from Nike’s perspective.
“You’ve stayed with the man, how do you re-engage?” Sweeney said. “It’s not a question of what we would like to do under perfect circumstances, it’s like we’ve stayed the course, he’s back, how do we address it?”
The ad also plays off Woods’ prodigy aura by using his father, who is partly credited with Woods’ early success.
Woods has repeatedly said since re-emerging into public life that he strayed from the values instilled in him by his parents.
In the commercial, Woods stands outside, on what appears to be a golf course, with the trademark Nike “swoosh” visible on his dark hat and sweater vest. He barely blinks, while Earl Woods is heard saying in the background:
“Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are, and did you learn anything?” the elder Woods is heard saying while his son looks solemnly into the camera.
Nike, based in Beaverton, Ore., said the ad was created by Wieden+Kennedy, an advertising agency based in nearby Portland, that the company has partnered with for years.
Woods had been the sports world’s biggest moneymaker and was the first $1 billion earner.
But he lost top endorsements from companies such as Accenture LLP and AT&T Inc. as the scandal unfolded. Other companies like Procter & Gamble Co.’s Gillette unit, didn’t drop him outright, although it stopped featuring him in advertisements.
But companies more closely linked to his golf ability, such as Nike, memorabilia maker Upper Deck Co. and video game maker Electronic Arts Inc. stuck by him.
Experts say it will be a year or more before any major new companies sign Woods. Even then, it will depend on whether he can return to his winning ways.
Skidmore contributed to this report from Portland, Ore.
Editors Note: The spot–directed by Max Malkin of Prettybird, Santa Monica, for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland–has already elicited mixed reactions in the blogosphere, from those who are offended that Earl Woods has been resurrected to help his son break back into the ad game after his much publicized infidelity, to those who view the spot as smart in that it positions Woods as a man hearkening back to a positive influence in order to recover from his transgressions. What’s your take on the spot? Have a look here and get a rundown of the creative and production credits. And vote in our poll at www.shootonline.com
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads โ essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More