Did Nike Hit the Fairway or Slice into the Rough with their New Tiger Woods Spot? ((Tiger Woods, Nike, Advertising ))

Did you get a good look at that? I mean a really good look, take a minute to re-watch a couple of times in 1080p full screen.

What is the message that Nike is trying to convey with this spot? Nike, is true to their word, unlike other sponsors including Accenture, Gillette, and AT&T that said they would stay faithful to Woods and then abandoned ship. Nike isn’t happy that Tiger went around sleeping with a bunch of women other than his wife, but in the end, they stood by Tiger, however they want him to face the music. Or perhaps the message is “Tiger, we aren’t mad, we are just Disappointed” 
The reason that Nike decided to stand by Tiger is interesting, it could be because they had a contract, and Nike decided to honour it. Perhaps it’s because they didn’t want the image that they would abandon Tiger, or because they were in hot water themselves with accusations of using child labourers. Whatever the reason, this new spot is generating a lot of conversation around the water cooler, Twitter, and blogosphere.

Everything in this advertisement has been very purposefully calculated, the timing of the blinks, the way the camera moves, Tiger’s late father Earl questioning him, how one part of Tiger’s Collar is a little more centered than the other. It has been very calculated, and executed in a way that makes you stop and think. It’s everything from thought provoking, to creepy, to moving.

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Great Ad from Burger King

I saw this commercial for the first time over the weekend and all I could think was “Wow, that’s _really_ gutsy”. So would I try the new BK Breakfast Sandwich? Sure I’d give it a try, but just as a Tim’s Bagel B.E.L.T. is good, it feels like your cheating on McDonald’s.

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Office Muzik - A Clockwork Mashup

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How do You Know You’ve Made it as a Company?

It’s one thing to own a logo, everyone knows what the Coca-Cola, Disney, and London Underground logos look like. Some companies make slogans famous, sometimes as short as one word like 7-Up and “Un-Cola”. It takes a truly remarkable company to claim ownership to a single letter however, and not just on the stock market.
There are a few examples of this, if you think of anymore please put it up in the comments;
  1. Apple. They have claimed the letter “i” as their own. iMac, iPod, iPhone, etc. This has done wonders for Apple of the last decade as they have continued to reinvent themselves, but its also lead to an onslaught of jokes, i.e. the iTampon.
  2. Google. Any thing “G” is Google, but  - G-maps, G-mail, G-Chat, but it seems to only work for a few things “G-Buzz” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it does it?
  3. McDonalds. Technically its two letters, but its also been the butt end of a few jokes, some of which have turned out to have cultural meaning. McJob
What other brands out there can fully stake a claim to a single letter?

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How to Fix the TTC in Three Easy Steps

Step 1: Clean House Step 2: Get rid of the union and political involvment. Step 3: Build a new business model.

Poor Salty

Not only is the poor guy unable to meet women on the internet.. he is forced to us IE6.

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Half Baked Idea #7861

Incorporate some paraolympic games into the regular olympics.

It wouldn’t be that hard to have a few more people in the opening ceremonies, and it would help prove that people with physical challenges are able to compete at a high level as well. A lot of winter paraolympic games look challenging and competitive like downhill skiing, and sledge hockey? And wheel chair curling, I’m sure that’s just as exciting as traditional curling. If these sports were broadcast at the same time as the regular Olympics, I’d watch. And at what cost would it be? Running the Olympics for maybe two or three days more to accommodate the extra events.

As with all half baked ideas there are still a few kinks to be worked out, but hey, that’s why they’re half baked.

Half Baked Idea #5308

With more and more possible employers, family members and those you just generally don’t want to offend on Twitter, watching what you say in public internet areas is getting more important than when it was just your college buddies, and friends you met on the/b/ who you had on your social networks.

Enter half baked idea #5308. Make it possible to create a Twitter list labeled “private”. This list sees all of your posts, but if you use the hashtag #p only those on the private list will receive that tweet. This would eliminate the need for a professional and a private account, as well allowing you to make the kind of off colour remark you only want your friends to see, not so much your mother and boss.

There are still a few kinks to be worked out, but that’s why its a half baked idea.

The Audi Green Police was the best Super Bowl ad in my opinion. While The Simpsons and Coca Cola may have been my personal favourite, this one was the most well executed. Now I know that many people would disagree, with the Google’s Parisian Love, begin a trending favourite, I think that Audi hit the mark with their Green Police. Actually they hit two marks, which is why I think it was the best.

Most Ads only target one demographic, for example look at the difference between Dodge and Dove. Dodge directly focused at men, you’re a man you deserve a Dodge. Dove on the other hand, had an ad that was more focused at women, typically wives and girlfriends who are shopping for their men. But I’m not here to talk about Dodge and Dove, so for a more detailed comparison check out the post over at Ross Simmonds’ blog about the two.

The reason that Audi’s execution works so well is because it hits two markets, the very environmentally conscious, and the much less conscious. For the greener of the two this is what they want to see, no more plastic bags, no incandescent light bulbs, turning down the temperature in the hot tub, and finally a greener car. On the flip side, those who aren’t as green appreciate the commercial because they see the green police as that one friend they feel guilty about drinking bottled water around.

While the former group is much more likely to want to purchase the green diesel Audi, the less green folk can’t help but tap their foot to the jingle, and chuckle at hyperbole of dumping a couple of kids bottled water out, and someone who resembles a bail-out CEO getting arrested, and because of this, Audi leaves a good taste in their mouth and pleases two differently minded demographics.

This is my favourite Super Bowl ad. Not because I’m a die hard Simpsons fan, or over passionate Coke drinker, but because it gets across something that is very true about Coca-Cola, that Andy Warhol said:

“What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it………..”

While it wasn’t the best or most popular, and I admit there were a few things I would have changed, Nelson Muntz laughing at Mr. Burns as he is kicked to the curb for example, it was my personal favourite.

About Me
Welcome to my Tumblr. I am a fourth year business student at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. I am focusing on marketing but I also have a passion for HR. You can find me on Twitter @WalkerLucas