Tiger Walks On Water In Web-Only Viral Ad For EA Sports Game

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Golfer Tiger Woods, in a promotion for EA Sports' "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09," is appearing in an online ad in which he "appears to walk on water and hits a shot off a lily pad," according to Michael Walker Jr. of GOLF.com. The idea for the ad came as a "response to an amateur video posted last year on YouTube," which shows a "glitch in the 2008 version of the game where Woods could walk on water and hit a shot." EA Sports Product Manager Praveeta Singh: "So far, we [have] gotten a great response; everybody thinks it's hilarious." Singh said that EA "filmed the spot with Woods in June, prior to his U.S. Open win and subsequent knee surgery." Singh admitted that the company "had concerns that the 'Jesus shot' phrase used in the original YouTube video, as well as showing Woods walking on water, had the potential to offend some people," but that so far, the feedback "has been uniformly positive." Singh noted that EA also will promote the game via TV and magazine ads, but added that viral marketing "has become more important as people embrace new technologies" (GOLF.com, 8/22). In L.A., Mark Milian noted the spot is "recorded in a style similar to [EA's] Tiger Woods TV commercials." The ad closes with the message, "It's not a glitch. He's just that good" (LATIMES.com, 8/22). At presstime, the video, which was released Tuesday on YouTube, had been viewed more than 1,129,431 times on the site (THE DAILY).