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Tilted Cat Head
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
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You can't buy this kind of advertising... or can you?
Quote:
TV close-up of hesitant golf ball scores for Nike
By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY
It was an unforgettable moment that held Tiger Woods and TV viewers in suspense Sunday — and likely made rival golf ball maker Titleist cringe.
A chip by Tiger Woods at The Masters hangs on the edge of the cup at the 16th green before rolling in.
CBS
As Woods' key chip shot rolled toward the 16th hole during CBS' final round coverage of the Masters tournament, viewers got a close-up of his prototype Nike One Platinum ball rolling ever so slowly toward the hole.
The ball poised agonizingly on the lip, then — with the Nike swoosh prominently visible in the close-up — the ball dropped into the cup.
As sports fans discussed Woods' fourth Masters win on Monday, Madison Avenue was abuzz about one of the best product placements since E.T. and Reese's Pieces. Nike launches the One Platinum in the fiercely competitive $4-billion-a-year golf market next month. Countless replays of Woods' magic moment have been the kind of exposure money can't buy. "It was a hole-in-one," says Mitch Kanner, a Los Angeles-based product placement expert.
With Woods' chip shot taking 17 seconds to bounce and roll into the hole, the footage seems ready-made for use in a 30-second TV spot. Chris Mike, director of marketing for Nike Golf, said Monday he's working on several possible commercials.
A possible sand trap? The footage is owned by Augusta National Golf Club, the notoriously finicky owner of the Masters, not Viacom's CBS. "We have a great relationship with the folks at Augusta National. I just got off the phone with them a half-hour ago, and they were great," said Mike, who declined to elaborate.
Woods earns an estimated $25 million a year to endorse Nike Golf, which has challenged established golf ball and equipment makers such as Callaway, Taylor Made, Cobra and Titleist the past three years.
The swoosh got its money's worth in the 2005 Masters. An estimated 15 million U.S. TV viewers on Sunday saw Woods win with the new 460cc Nike Ignite driver, Nike irons and the One Platinum. Mr. Nike also was clad head to toe in his signature Nike golf duds.
"It was one of those magical moments you can't script," says Mike, who points out Woods used a 60 degree Nike wedge to hit the historic shot.
Mike predicts the "Tiger Effect" will boost sales for the One Platinum, which will have a suggested retail price of $54 per dozen. After Woods smashed a 3-wood 300 yards at the Ford Championship in March to beat rival Phil Mickelson, Nike's fairway woods "flew" off the shelf, he says. "We expect there will be a lot of pent-up demand for One Platinum" says Mike.
But Jim Andrews, editorial director of the IEG Sponsorship Report questions whether the chip heard round the golf world will translate into any more sales. "Was there anybody watching who doesn't recognize the Nike swoosh? Or know that Nike makes golf balls? These things can get overstated."
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