This is a perfect example of a brand using new media - Youtube in this case - to respond to and play off of user generated content while showcasing a product. I caught a glimpse of this Tiger Woods video on a TV news program the other day, and then was led to a post on Adverblog.com (via Twitter, my absolute favorite information stream) that shows the video, from EA Sports, which offers the Tiger Woods Pro Golf video game.
When the Tiger Woods Pro Golf 08 game came out, it featured a 'Jesus Shot' where Tiger could walk out on water to hit the ball. So a consumer took a video of this feature and posted it on Youtube, where it gained a lot of attention. And then - and this is the part I love - EA Sports comes out with this new video where it plays a portion of the consumer video ... then segues into this masterfully crafted parody, where a very real Tiger Woods seemingly walks on water to hit a perfect shot. The video is perfect, hardly any audio, very casual and understated as noted by Adverblog.com. And now EA Sports has a hit video going viral to promote its Tiger Woods Pro Golf 09 product. Brilliant.
Tiger may be out of action recovering from knee surgery, but he's the ultimate iconic brand. And sponsors like EA Sports, Nike and others should keep him in the advertising spotlight. Consumer go absolutely nuts over anything Tiger. The massive drop in TV golf ratings since his surgery shows how much he owns the game. But he transcends the sport, like Michael Jordan did with basketball. So bring out Tiger ads ... show him doing incredibly impossible things while he's rehabbing his knee ... and consumers passionate for Tiger (and advertising that connects) will soak it up.
