Nike Ad Left Viewers Confused, Skeptical

by Wayne Friedman , April 12, 2010

Nike ad spot Tiger Woods

If the aim of Nike's new ad featuring Tiger Woods was to cause confusion and skepticism, it's a hole in one.

Perhaps more importantly, a survey of 600 U.S. viewers by Flemington, N.J.-based HCD Research also noted the controversial commercial's "favorability" for the Nike brand has dropped off, falling from 92% to 79%.

But favorability over Woods himself declined only slightly to an average of 3.5 (on a scale of 1 to 7) from 3.7. The results say 29% of viewers are less likely to purchase products endorsed by Tiger Woods after viewing the spot.

Some 65% says effects of the commercial yielded no change in their decision to buy products endorsed by Woods; 6% said they would likely buy more products associated with Woods.

HCD asked respondents about a number of emotions concerning the commercial, with "confusion," "skepticism" and "disturbing" topping the list. On the low end of emotions were "inspiration," "pride," and "happiness."

Emotion	Percentage
Confusion	44
Skepticism	37
Sadness	26
Disturbing	25
Embarrassment	13
Anger	10
Inspiration	9
Pride	3
Happiness	1

The Nike-Tiger Woods commercial showed Woods in a static black-and-white shot listening to the voice of his late father Earl Woods, who is apparently quizzing his son about extramarital affairs, asking: "Did you learn anything?"

apparel, retail, sports

2 comments about "Nike Ad Left Viewers Confused, Skeptical".

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Jerry Foster from Energraphics, April 13, 2010 at 2:12 a.m.
I will boycott Nike now for succumbing to the Victorian ideal of what a man should be. That ad would have turned off the entire young male crowd with any testosterone in their blood.
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Jerry Foster from Energraphics, April 13, 2010 at 2:23 a.m.

Nike managed to turn off everyone with that ad: social conservatives and hen-pecked liberal husbands would have only been reminded that they were supposed to revile a man who act against the interest of older women everywhere (and the company that would still sponsor someone who didn't consider the interests of married women first even though the main target demographic would be young men), while most of the young single male crowd, not impressed with the quality of the women he slept with in the first place, would be flabbergasted that the company would be quasi advising them to put themselves in Tiger's shoes (get tied down).