As fresh today as it was in 1999—even though trick shot videos have become a cottage industry—the iconic “ball juggling” ad has no script or dialogue. It needs no accompaniment. The spot was directed by Doug Liman (known for Swingers, The Bourne Identity and the original Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and began as an outtake, with the commercial crew spotting Woods warming up by bouncing the ball with his club. With only about 28 seconds to work with, Woods nailed this ad on his fourth try. It’s often cited as one of the best and most fortuitous pieces of modern-day sports marketing. (Ad nerd trivia: Which ad was Woods intending to shoot that day? “Driving Range,” which turned into a classic of its own; see below).
“Tiger is Back”
While his competitors may have loved him to pieces, they took full advantage of his absence during the eight months he spent recovering from knee surgery in 2008. That’s according to “Tiger is Back,” which dropped in early 2009 and starred fellow Nike pros Justin Leonard, Trevor Immelman, Carl Pettersson, Anthony Kim and Stewart Cink raking in the wins while Woods was away. Suffice to say, they were living their best lives, which couldn’t last forever. The ad, with the classic pop tune “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” from Lesley Gore as its jaunty soundtrack, poked fun at Woods’ dominance and ended with him showing up in the locker room like the returning king.
“Driving Range”
Did Woods have the kind of skill that was actually transferable? Could it rub off on those around him? At the very least, folks hacking away at the driving range shot an awful lot better when he was there to lead by example. When he left? They sliced. The spot, among the many light-hearted in the Nike-Woods repertoire, again skipped the dialogue in favor of cheeky show-don’t-tell visuals.
