Years ago I heard author Stephen King speak at my alma mater, Fordham University. He was asked, who does he write his books for. His answer was simple…”I write for all those people who slow down on the road to look at accidents.” The goal, King said, was to appeal to some part of the curiosity in all of us, no matter how bizarre. We all have a casual interest in the shock value…it creates water cooler talk, and leads to buzz, no matter how long or short. It draws eyeballs and interest, and whether there is substance in the subject or not, it brings events, stories, even brands top of mind. Thought provoking, and appealing to a commonality no matter how bizarre, works. It is why reality TV works, it is why certain “celebrities” bereft of any talent other than being strange or mean or bizarre, suddenly grab the international consciuousness. In many ways, the provactive is what the Nike brand has been built on over the year. It has always encouraged us to be different, to strive for success, to win, to just do it. So it should come as really no surprise that this week Nike was first to the table and the airwaves with their support of Tiger Woods, and it should also have come really as no surprise that the brand rolled out a very provactive, very different spot using Woods and the voice of his late father Earl. The resul.? Exactly what the Nike brand would have wanted. Great buzz not about Woods’ play or their support, but about the messaging and the positioning of the piece. Story after story, download after download, podcast after opinion, all talked about the ad. Not about Woods’ play or recent trangressions. They talked about the ad. If Nike couldn’t get their support of Woods on the pristine green of Augusta, they could sure get it on the airwaves and online, and Nike, even as much as Woods comeback, became the story leading into the Masters. That is what brands who are successful do so well. They seize a moment and choose a positon that is just enough away from the norm as to generate buzz. now whether that buzz is positive or negative sometimes doesn’t matter. If the product is quality, the casual fan will look to sample, and that consumer will make the decision if the steak is worth buying for the sizzle.
In this case the steak is a billion dollar apparel company which has lived on being different, and their quality of product stands for itself. The other quality, which is being played out this weekend, is the athletic play of Woods himself. If Tiger succeeds this weekend, then the result of the “accident” we have all been privy to these past few months, may have been worth the wait. At the end of the day, his performance as an athlete is what built his brand and what will sustain it. It is what the sport of golf needs, and what those brands who survive in the space need. If Tiger succeeds on the links, then Nike's controversial play this week grows in popularity and buzz, as does their golf business. If he doesn’t, then Nike took a calculated risk with the commercial and it will be forgotten with the next wave of news. Will people not buy Nike products because of the a. Doubtful. Will people be talking Nike this week because of the a. You bet, especially if their lead guy continues to deliver on the golf course.
The measuring of the moral compass by individuals with regard to Tiger Woods and his supporters and detractors, has to be done by the individual. That is not what Nike is all about. The Nike brand is about being challenging, different and setting the subject apart from the rest. They have done that with campaigns before and did it again this week with their latest Tiger ad. Whether you like it or not you are talking about it, and at the end of the day that is the goal of the spot, and of Nike's support of Woods as he rides the comeback wave, shocking or not.
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