Static, lone “athletes” dressed in garish chequered
clothing, tapping a small ball around a big field – when it comes to sports,
golf is definitely on the least sexy list.... (
Nike is a brand synonymous with power, success and hot
bodied athletes. Most of their ads feature sexy, powerful, professional
athletes such as Maria Sharapova in tight clad Lycra, taking part in some
fast-paced, dynamic sport. Although it would perhaps be amusing to see Nike
attempt to make similar ads with golf, it may just have been a bit too far-fetched
to be successful. Instead, Nike chose to utilise creativity and revolutionised
the sport into a window-smashing, drink-splashing game of one-upmanship between
two of the sport’s top dogs.
Celebrity endorsement runs on the principle that we tend to
trust the judgement of successful others and want to conduct ourselves in similar
ways or have products to which they are associated. One study found that
celebrity endorsement on adverts for political parties, significantly increased
voting for that party if political salience was low (Veer et al., 2010).
The ad starts with standard competition between the two
well-known players trying to hit more accurate shots when swiftly, the aim of
the game becomes hitting the ball into the cups and bowls of unsuspecting
persons in the far distance. Adverts utilising contrast between everyday life
and unexpected events have been shown to be humorous (Alden et al., 2003),
increasing the likeability and memory for the advert, in line with the extreme
situation template (Goldenberg et al., 1999).
The jazzy soundtrack fits the laid back nature of golf, (compared
to the use of modern club music often used in sports ads), builds with the
action in the advert and also has some comic, cheeky feel to it which fits the
humorous nature of the ad. Research shows music in adverts can affect the
impression of the brand (Zander, 2006), therefore the use of upbeat, catchy
music in this ad should have a positive effect on the memory and likeability of
Nike as a brand.
Goldenberg,
J., Mazursky, D. & Solomon, S. (1999). The Fundamental Templates of Quality
Ads. Marketing Science, 18:3, 333-351
Veer, E., Becirovic, I., &
Martin, B. A. S. (2010). If Kate voted conservative, would you? The role of
celebrity endorsements in political party advertising. European Journal of Marketing, 44(3-4),
436-450.
Zander, M. F. (2006). Musical
influences in advertising: How music modifies first impressions of product
endorsers and brands. Psychology of Music, 34(4), 465-480.
Fiona Angell
Great choice , great tone, could have ended it better.
ReplyDelete