Nike's Tiger Woods ad 'Winning takes care of everything' has plenty of critics

Tiger Woods' new Nike promo is creating quite a social media storm with its online ad's tagline.  The ad — which has a picture of Woods overlaid with a quote from him, "Winning takes care of everything" — has already garnered over 8,000 likes and 2,000 shares on Facebook but also has its critics, reports The Associated Press.

Woods — who regained his ranking as No.1 golfer in the world Monday — has reportedly used the phrase many times with reporters since 2009 when they asked him about rankings.

The ad, posted on Facebook and Twitter, is supposed to champion the fact that the golfer recovered from career setbacks to take over the the top spot once again after losing it in October 2010.

While many people are congratulating the one-time pariah for his comeback, others are commenting that the ad sends out the wrong message in light of Woods' past marital woes — including the end of his five-year marriage to Elin Nordegren after a serial cheating scandal in 2010.

“Winning takes care of everything.” @tigerwoods, World #1. twitter.com/nikegolf/statu…
— Nike Golf (@nikegolf) March 25, 2013

It’s the latest controversy from the athletic giant's marketing department. Nike recently had to cut ties with cyclist Lance Armstrong and runner Oscar Pistorius due to their own respective scandals.

Critics on Twitter say the ad "sets a bad example for children" and call Woods a "poor choice" for Nike. Or they claim the 36-year-old is rubbing it in their faces after two-and-a-half years of being called over-the-hill.

Nike spokeswoman Beth Gast said that the ad references Wood’s refrain that he competes to win.

“When asked about his goals such as getting back to number one, he has said consistently winning is the way to get there,” she said in an email response to a query. “The statement references that sentiment and is a salute to his athletic performance.”

Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates in New York, said the ad signals that Nike believes it is time Woods — who in addition to his new No. 1 ranking is now in a much-touted relationship with Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn — is back in the spotlight.

“They’re looking at this and saying, ‘Time has passed, he’s winning again, it’s time to turn up the volume on our association,’ " he said. “But it’s risky when you associate with a celebrity only based on winning or losing. Consumers care about how you play the game: both the actual game and the game of life.”

Apparently many people don't see the difference.