Nike is taking some heat for its online ad with a picture of Tiger Woods overlaid with a quote from him, “Winning takes care of everything.” The golfer recently reclaimed the world number-one ranking for the first time in over two years.
The issue that some take with this is they feel like it doesn’t put Woods’ life in proper context. His marriage to Elin Nordegren disintegrated after a multitude of extramarital affairs were revealed in 2010; he recently announced that he and skier Lindsey Vonn are dating.
“When asked about his goals such as getting back to number one, he has said consistently winning is the way to get there,” said Nike spokeswoman Beth Gast. “The statement references that sentiment and is a salute to his athletic performance.”
Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates, said the ad shows that Nike wants to put Woods back in the spotlight. “They’re looking at this and saying, ‘Time has passed, he’s winning again, it’s time to turn up the volume on our association,’ ” he said. “But it’s risky when you associate with a celebrity only based on winning or losing. Consumers care about how you play the game: both the actual game and the game of life.”
“The reality is what he said is true,” noted Marketing consultant Laura Ries. “Whether or not they should have said it in an ad is another story.”
Source: ABCnews.com
