![Tiger Woods Ad Prompts Hundreds of Spinoffs [VIDEOS]](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/archives/01gP7hwpekRqPB4pnm7Vrh7/hero-image.fill.size_1248x702.v1647018553.jpg)
This morning, the company's blog released some pretty interesting stats with regard to the exposure that the new ad has gained; the commercial, featuring Tiger Woods staring into the camera while a voiceover of his late father plays, aired about a week ago, prior to the Masters.
According to Visible Measures, the ad has prompted the creation of more than 100 spoofs, parodies, mashups, etc. These clips have garnered more than 7.1 million views and 15,000 comments.
The proliferation of spoofs -- which was apparently touched off by one created by Jimmy Kimmel -- had led the Internet video study site to wonder if the ad was created with the conscious decision to go viral and spawn parodies.
While I myself will refrain from speculating on that matter, it is interesting to look back at the landscape of ads and note some similarities between the viral nature of this ad and other campaigns.
During this year's Super Bowl, Google took the bold step of actually airing a commercial -- on television. The ad, which dealt with a student who falls in love with Paris, instantly prompted jokesters to take to YouTube, where they unleashed a torrent of spin-offs.
Google's ad made for good parody fodder for reasons very similar to Nike's spot:
1). It's an extremely simple ad. All you need is a Google browser -- which pretty much everyone has -- and some kind of camera. The Nike ad, as Visible Measures points out, is merely a continuous shot of Woods paired with a voiceover.
2). It's an ad for a big company. People love to take down the giants. If you subbed Google for Dogpile (which is still around for some reason) and Nike for... I dunno... lame knockoffs, then people probably wouldn't care enough to get out the sling shot.
Go Daddy/Tim Tebow/ManCrunch
Enter the roundup of ads that are, by nature, divisive. During this year's Super Bowl, every single one of these ads (Go Daddy's ad featuring a football player-turned-fashion-designer; Tim Tebow's pro choice spot; and ManCrunch's advert for a dating site for men) could potentially cause viewers to choose sides -- pro life vs. pro choice, gay marriage vs. anti-gay marriage, etc.
The same could be said for Tiger's ad: Tiger fans (who may be willing to forgive him) vs. Tiger detractors (those who are sick of Tiger and news about him). Therefore, you get a two-pronged attack in terms of sharing: Those who support and like Tiger will pass it on, those who dislike Tiger will also pass it on and/or tear it to shreds via parody.
E-Trade
And -- lest we forget it because it's oh-so-obvious -- nothing gets people going like a good celebrity scandal. After Lindsay Lohan took on E-Trade because she thought it was lampooning her in one of its talking baby ads, the spot instantly went viral. Woods is currently being ground through the famous person scandal mill, and anything related to him will obviously get clicks.
Marketing Plan of the Future?
It's really interesting to see how companies are attempting to make bank on the viral nature of the Internet -- from Chatroulette to flash mobs. We're not sure whether it was Nike's intent to spawn parodies, but it would be a pretty fascinating method of advertising -- that is, assuming, that all of this attention is actually selling sneaks.
What do you think: Did Nike make this ad knowing that it would spark our creative ire? Or is this just a happy(?) accident?
In the meantime, check out the original ad and the parodies below:
The Nike Ad and Its Parodies