Misadventures in Marketing: Tiger Woods New Nike Commercial Isn't the Only Ad Misstep Out There

If Tiger Woods motives for cutting short his "rehab" and returning to golf wasn't readily apparent, it should be now.  With the release of his latest Nike commercial, which manages not only to crassly cash in on his cheating scandal and marital woes, but also exploit his dead father in order to do so, it's obvious Tiger's competing in this week's Masters Tournament is about one thing and one thing only:

Keeping his sponsors happy and the money flowing.

** You think Nike would appreciate the free publicity and distribution, but apparently not. You can view the spot on the NikeGolf YouTube channel...

In the cryptic yet blatantly calculated thirty second spot, Tiger manages to convey more shame and remorse than in his 14 minute apology speech two months earlier.

Wonder how many takes it took to achieve that...

Even more so, I wonder what advertising genius thought it would be appropriate or particularly effective to use the scandal to sell sneakers? Whoever they are, they join a long list of WTF? moments in advertising. There are plenty of great commercials that have been memorable, effective and even entertaining. And then there are those like this latest Tiger Woods Nike ad that are exactly why God created the "fast forward" button. A few of my "favorites" in the latter category are:

There's been much ado about the Burger King commercial which depicts the plastic-masked mascot going bonkers. The Washington Post reported that the insensitive portrayal of "mental illness" had mental health professionals up in arms. But it's this promotion of BK's new breakfast sandwich that has me scratching my head. Seriously, who thought it would be smart to admit to ripping off your competition in the advertisement promoting a new product? All of the Burger King commercials featuring this creepy character (and people think clowns are scary...) have been questionable, but this one takes the cake. Or the fries...

Every time I see Megan Mullally dancing in the dairy aisle to a cheesy parody of Vicky Sue Robinson's "Turn the Beat Around" I wonder, "Is someone holding an unreleased sex tape over her head?" It's doubtful that the former Will and Grace star is hurting for cash. Either she's being blackmailed, was convinced that showcasing her singing and dancing skills will land her the lead in a Broadway musical, was told that the spot would only air in Japan or--like the Burger King mascot--is just plain bonkers. In any case, I hope she's fired the agent who arranged this deal. No amount of money is worth the degradation of having a tub of butter substitute as a dance partner!

I am thankful that DVR technology makes it possible for me to avoid watching many bad commercials. Unfortunately, they've now invaded the multiplex and I've had to suffer through some of the most horrendous advertising affronts known to man in order to catch the latest flick. I realize that I'm not Axe's target demographic, but not only would I not buy this douche-tacular product, I refuse to associate with anyone who does.

The whole Old Navy model-quin campaign creeps me out even more than the Michael Myers-esque Burger King mascot, but this whole thing of breaking off fingers does nothing to encourage me to buy...uh, what were they selling again?

The $300 million dollar campaign undertaken by Microsoft to fight against the ever-popular Mac vs. PC ads featured funny man Jerry Seinfeld and sidekick Bill Gates in a series of mystifying ads/short films that weren't funny, entertaining, informative or even watchable. The campaign died an early death withj Microsoft flacks claiming it was only meant to be a short-term promotion. Yeah, right.

What are some ads that completely turn you off? Let me know in the comments!