Yup. This Guy.

I'm sure you've all seen this already, but if not take a moment to:



There are a lot of people that love it and find it powerful and intense, and a lot of people that don't and think its shallow, contrived and disappointing. I fall into the first group. I think that its smart and a great move by Nike/Weiden+Kennedy. There are few criticisms of the spot:
1. Nike's promotion of an individual versus a product crosses the line of traditional advertising
2. The use of his fathers voice (post-mortem) is shallow and self-serving on both the part of Tiger and Nike
3. The speed of which this was released shows that Tiger is not remorseful and has prioritized his career/image over his family

And, while that might be true, I think its being looked at from the wrong perspective. From a business perspective, Nike is invested in Tiger. His success as a golfer impacts their success in the golf vertical. It also proves that Nike didn't just use Tiger in the way that other advertisers did (Accenture, Gatorade, etc.). Nike didn't drop Tiger when times got bad...and what does that say about an advertiser that's so quick to drop someone for their faults. What I love about Nike is that they stand for something; right or wrong they stand for something and are willing to put their reputation on the line for it. If you love them for it or hate them for it, it doesn't matter because you'll still respect them for sticking to their guns. And at the end of the day they are still one of the only brands left that not only respect their consumers enough to appeal to them on an emotional level, but still create quality products.

I also think that the use of his fathers voice was really intense, emotional and powerful (not to mention the flash of lights towards the end). I think it really shows the dichotomy of his situation and how he not only has to endure private tribulations, but public ones as well. I understand that his father passed away and that people may think that using his fathers voice to extend his own career is shallow, but at the same time Tiger is a broken man (whether he deserved it or not) and he's just doing what he can to show his remorse (for better or worse).

Additionally, while I will agree that he quickly came back to golf and the public eye, I think it was the right thing to do. We are too forgiving sometimes. We let people hide away behind rehab and psychiatry and yoga and buddhism and whatever other forms of therapy there are. Then after a period of time they emerge and find success all over again (how many athletes, musicians, actors, politicians have done this before). And after a while they are forgiven. And as for their mistakes? Mere blips in an otherwise successful career of a person who faced hardships and climbed his/her way back to the top -- they are again praised. I'm sure not all cases are this linear, but they've happened before. What I love about Tiger is that he's not hiding. He's immersing himself in the one thing he can: golf. So let him focus on that while he's figuring out everything else. Let him channel his guilt, anger, embarrassment, failure into the game that he built his name on.

Often times we neglect to recognize that we are human beings and as human beings we are susceptible to vices -- we all have them. No one is perfect -- I mean we don't all have numerous affairs with strippers, but we all have vices. I think its time we embrace this fact and not pretend that we're all perfect beings. I think Nike and Weiden+Kennedy are on to that.