Andrea Smith

EA SPORTS stands firmly behind Tiger Woods, and to demonstrate, released the first in a series of videos designed to promote Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11. The spot debuts on ABC on 6/6.

In a blog post on its  website, EA Sports President Peter Moore says: “after a tumultuous six months, both off-and now on-the course, we were ready to see the world’s best golfer smiling,  laughing and having fun, something that you’ll see in abundance in these creative spots.”

Here’s the full post:

Tiger Returns Again

A lot of eyeballs will be on the Memorial Tournament today for Tiger Woods’s latest return to golf.  With the launch of our Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 franchise just a few days away, we’re obviously watching this weekend’s events in Ohio closely in the hope and anticipation that Tiger is once again healthy and regains his top form on the course.

The past six months have obviously been an interesting chapter in what has been a strong partnership for us over the past 12 years with Tiger.  This will probably be one of the most closely scrutinized product launches we’ve had in some time, though as CNBC’s Darren Rovell pointed out last week in a blog post on this topic, our partnership has remained largely unchanged.  As I’ve said a number of times, our relationship with Tiger has always been rooted in golf and, until someone proves otherwise, he’s still the greatest golfer in the world and worthy of the role he plays in bringing the world’s best golf game to market.  With such an important milestone in our business coming with next week’s launch, we obviously hope he performs well not only this weekend, but also at the upcoming U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

In addition to the start of the Memorial, our attention will also be on how fans react to the debut of today’s new marketing campaign for this year’s game.  Fans who tune in to watch our new  commercial and online videos on Facebook today will not only see work that showcases the team element of golf, which is the core new innovation in this year’s game and ties well into our Ryder Cup license, but they’ll also hopefully notice something a lot of us haven’t seen much from Tiger in a while – the lighter side of a guy who from my personal  experience is a more good-natured person than many had seen over the years.

We’ve taken a much different approach than Nike did in their well-publicized TV spot that aired during the Masters in April.  But after a tumultuous six months, both off-and now on-the course, we were ready to see the world’s best golfer smiling,  laughing and having fun, something that you’ll see in abundance in these creative spots.  We hope you agree with our approach, and enjoy what we’ve done with the game, which hits stores on June 8.  Please feel free to let us know what you think…

And EA SPORTS’ Press Release:

EA SPORTS Launches New Advertising Campaign For Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11

Commercial and Online Videos, Featuring Tiger Woods and Professional Golfers, Highlight Ryder Cup and Team Play Features

June 3, 2010 - To support the highly anticipated launch of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 on June 8, EA SPORTS today released a new commercial and the first in a series of online videos, that highlight two key enhancements to this year’s game – the Ryder Cup and team golf. The creative extensions feature various golf professionals including Tiger Woods (U.S.), Rickie Fowler (U.S.), Ian Poulter (England) and Edoardo Molinari (Italy).

The commercial (“Welcome to Team Golf”) and first online video (“Curling Meets Golf with Tiger Woods”) debuted today on the EA SPORTS Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 Facebook page. The spot will appear nationally on June 6 during the NBA Finals on ABC. The commercial and other media-rich banner ads will appear on various popular sports and gaming websites beginning on June 4.

“Welcome to Team Golf,” opens with the U.S. Ryder Cup team storming onto the golf course to fireworks and the excitement of a boisterous crowd as the European team taunts the U.S. players and their eagle mascot. After each team tees off, the U.S. team huddles together and listens to advice from their captain, played by NFL Hall of Fame coach Mike Ditka. The spot cuts to Tiger Woods who sinks a critical putt to secure the win for the U.S. team as the crowd erupts, a marching band begins to play and jets fly overhead. The spot concludes with gameplay footage from Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11and a voice over reminding viewers that this year’s game offers, “golf like you’ve never played.”

To further reinforce team play features in this year’s game, EA SPORTS will also release a series of online videos, called “Team Sports Meets Golf,” showcasing Tiger Woods and other golf professionals attempting shots in a variety of unexpected team sports environments like basketball, hockey, football, soccer and curling. The videos will be available leading up to and following the launch of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 on Facebook and YouTube.

Developed in Orlando, Fla., by EA Tiburon, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment systems, Wii™ and iPhone™.