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I know, I know – we’re all getting tired of hearing about Tiger. But, for me, it’s a little like a train wreck – I just can’t stop watching and reading. From a personal perspective the whole thing makes me a bit sick. But, from a marketing perspective it’s really pretty interesting. What has he done to his brand? What will it mean for the brands that sponsor him? And will he ever really recover?
Tiger Woods is a phenomenal golfer – no question about it, and no one will ever take that away from him. He used his athleticism to build an amazing personal brand that stood for excellence on and off the course. For years, people have associated Tiger with integrity, honor and family. And companies have paid big bucks to associate their brands with this “one-man brand.” Apparently, however, the “brand” was all just a well-orchestrated illusion.
Tiger’s recent “transgressions” have resulted in late night talk show fodder and generated a tremendous amount of online chatter. According to information reported by the New York Times, 91 percent of buzz about Tiger pre-accident was positive. The Friday following the accident, that number dropped to 43 percent. And those late night jokes? Not so funny if you’re one of the companies paying Tiger millions to represent your brand. The same New York Times article cites Nielsen research that states that through Dec. 7, there were more than 20 Tiger jokes pairing him with at least one sponsor by name. Of course, there’s always going to be someone out there that claims any publicity is good publicity. But, in today’s digital age where reputations can be built and destroyed faster than ever before – and consumer trust and credibility are increasingly harder to earn – companies have to be that much more careful of the personalities they choose to represent them.
What would you do if your company had a multi-million dollar sponsorship agreement with Tiger? Companies like Accenture and P&G have decided to cut – or at least loosen – their ties with the iconic golfer. Other sponsors like Nike have decided to stick by him, citing this as a “blip” in his career. Meanwhile, Tiger’s decided to take a hiatus. When he returns – be it six months or a year from now – will people – and sponsors – be willing to forgive and forget?
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February 16th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
I don’t buy into that… I mean how should that even be possible when we’re already well into the 21st century?? What I would prefer is to start over, grab my atnt cell phones, and re-activate the entire list.