Thursday, April 8, 2010

Shut up and play

Tiger's back. Not just for the Masters but, in somewhat of a surprise to me, also in a new spot for Nike.

He looks contrite in somber black and white cinematography as his (unidentified) father's voice asks, "Did you learn anything?"

My answer is, "apparently not."

Tiger's rehabilitation depends not on staged press events or 30 second spots, but through his play on the course and his actions off it. He's made his statement about how sorry he is, how lost he became, but the only way he's going to regain his stature as the world's greatest pitchman is to first retain his title as the world's greatest golfer.

This spot from Weiden & Kennedy is trying too hard to make us feel sorry for Tiger, the poor billionaire who found inappropriate ways to deal with his urges while on the road. It won't work.

If Tiger is to become an effective spokesperson for Nike again, it's going to happen one shot at a time, not 30 seconds at a time.

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