One of the “problems” with technology is that the question “why” isn’t asked nearly often enough. Small business owners create FaceBook fan pages without asking WHY – or more importantly – “what’s in it for me?” from a customers’ point of view. It’s easy to see why small business owners would embrace the “free and easy” FaceBook fan page – but it”s quite another story when a larger company spends a small fortune without asking that most important question – ‘Why?”
It’s only been a few short months since the Tiger Woods brand took a long walk on a short pier. Heck – the South Park episode that took a swing at the events of the scandal just recently aired – yet the 2010 Masters marks the return of Brand Tiger thanks to Nike.
This ad is risky in oh so many ways. Nike is the only sponsor to stand by Brand Tiger – and this could signal the beginning of the next phase if Woods can successfully rebuild Brand Tiger. If Tiger’s “rehab” doesn’t take – then Nike looks the fool.
So – in an effort to stack the deck – Nike is turning to technology to give us yet another episode of Zombie Advertising in which Earl Woods speaks to Tiger from beyond the grave brought to you by Nike.
It’s not the first time a company has used technology to reanimate the dead to sell…. DirectTV did it by using a scene from Tommy Boy which had David Spade talk to the camera while recreating a scene with Chris Farley who had been dead for more than 12 years at the time. Since there was no attempt to reanimate Farley – the commercial didn’t raise many eyebrows.
However, the reanimation of Popcorn King -Orville Redenbacher- is the ultimate in creepy when it comes to zombie advertising.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcn4p213Zg8[/youtube]
If the goal was to generate “buzz” – then the ad above certainly did that. The real question is – did it sell more popcorn?
Obviously Nike’s goal with bringing back Earl Woods from the grave is to try to distract you from the disaster which is Brand Tiger. I guess we should just be glad Nike only reanimated his voice and not his body. Thankfully, we were spared from yet another creepy zombie dance. What remains to be seen is if Nike’s entry into the zombie advertising game is ultimately judged a success – or a failure.
You are so right, this is not only creepy but reprehensible on so many levels. Bet it’s not going to be too long before ‘dead presidents’ begin showing up to “endorse’ the little blue pill.
We know why marketing and businesses get a bad rap for selling, thank corporate marketing bucket-heads. As a consumer, I find the Nike ad and Tiger Woods allowing them to tarnish his father’s image for a buck disgusting.
As a small business owner, I can only shake my head and wonder ‘What the heck were they thinking?!’
Update: When SNL makes a skit satirizing your commercial – it’s not a good sign. Shortly after this post was publisher, Saturday Night Live aired this beauty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEdNGuCor2M
Using the voice of your dead father to try to manipulate people to forgive and forget is almost as bad, if not worse, than cheating of your wife with multiple partners. Tiger screws everyone around, including family.