Forbes took a look at what has become a controversial Nike ad featuring Tiger Woods and the voice of his late father.

Here is how they set it up:  “Golf superstar Tiger Woods has fielded tough questions about his extra-marital affairs. Now the disgraced athlete faces them from his late father, Earl, whose voice-over is used in an unusual new Nike commercial.”

From a marketing perspective, the ad does more than create controversy and the complementary public debate.  It moves the story forward from where it is to where Nike and Woods want it to be — on golf and the stuff one needs to buy to play the game.  I said as much in the article:

“‘The emotional content, Masters’ timing, black-and-white treatment, Tiger’s silent gaze and his late father’s prescient voice-over creates context that demands viewer attention. It has gotten people talking about what comes next. Nike deserves a lot of credit for the concept and convincing Tiger to just do it,’ said John Berard, CEO of communications consultancy Credible Context in San Francisco.”

I might not want to have Mr. Woods over the house for dinner, but I can appreciate the campaign to reconstruct his brand.

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