The Art of Timed Advertising

The Easter holiday and warm weather of April have been great, but the highlight of my month by far was spending a weekend glued to the Masters. Few things in life have made me feel the way I felt when I watched Tiger’s winning putt on the 18th hole, followed by his iconic (double!) fist pump and unforgettable embrace with his son. I wasn’t crying. You were crying.

Tiger Woods is back, y’all. It’s been a long journey. In 2010, most people probably thought his career was over. After a long road of scandals, lost sponsorships and health problems, I, along with the rest of the nation, watched history be made in Augusta at the 83rd Masters Tournament. And Nike was prepared to celebrate accordingly with a perfectly timed ad guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings.

Nike has partnered with Tiger Woods since 1996 and didn’t leave his side during his ups and downs. Even though it seems unlikely that he would win his 5th green jacket this past weekend, Nike was ready for the impossible. Agencies and advertisers should take a note from Nike and always be looking for improbable opportunities to be creative and lead the pack. If you don’t, someone else will. In celebration of Tiger Woods and Nike’s excellent act of timely marketing, here are four tips for staying ahead of the curve and making the most of your marketing efforts.

1. Be prepared – Prepare content in advance. We don’t just mean two or three days before it should be posted. More like two or three weeks. This will free up your time to jump on any last-minute opportunities.
2. Pay attention – While it’s good to keep an arsenal of evergreen content in your back pocket, you need to be in the know to capitalize on the perfectly timed advertisement.
3. Position yourself – Prepare for last minute opportunities. Nike’s been on the lookout for this opportunity. They knew there was as chance, no matter how small, Tiger would win The Masters this season. A marketer could bet they had this ready to go well before he made the cut.
4. Take advantage – Use current news events to draw attention to the story you are trying to tell