I like that Nike stuck with Tiger. Dropping him would have been understandable- and gutless. Note that the decision itself is consistent with Nike's mission statement:
Just Do It.
Deciding on a direction for this would have been agonizing. The trick was finding a message that would surprise and intrigue the viewer. One that avoids mitigation and contrition. One that doesn't try to repair the hero, or rebrand with a "bad boy" skew.
Instead, they went with a fascinating "what if," built on the question "what would Earl think of all this?" And they resisted the temptation to resolve anything.
I don't think the ad is 'great' in the way we define great on our show.
But I do think it's perfect.
