Tiger Woods’ image is in trouble. If you have a tv, radio, Internet connection, or a friend or two then you know this. Tiger Woods is also a big time endorser of some big time products and brands: Nike, Gatorade, Gillette, etc. You probably knew that already, too.
So what do we know about athlete/celebrity endorsement deals after their images get tarnished? Ads get pulled.
According to media tracker Nielsen, the last time a commercial aired on tv featuring Woods was on November 29. That’s two calendar days after his car accident. Remember, the tales of infidelity and the long list of supposed mistresses did not start to leak out until after a few days after the accident. That’ll be the last time you see a commercial featuring Woods for some time.
Not forever though. If you asked the average non-golf-watching American to name three golfers, almost everyone would respond with Tiger Woods. After that, you’d get more blanks than anything else. Maybe Phil Mickelson would show up a few times. Woods is such an interesting figure because he stars in a sport that, if not for him, far fewer people would follow. How Tiger became such a mega sports celebrity in a sport like golf is baffling, but it’s also the reason why his sponsors won’t stay away forever.
Some time will have to pass. The mess he’s in now is going to take some time to blow over, for sure. I recently read this espn.com article that describes some actions Woods needs to take to help it blow over (even though the article has a joking tone, Woods would be wise to follow the advice). If you don’t click on the link, just know that Woods has to make a lot of apologies, consider some charitable donations, and most importantly appear on Oprah to expedite the healing process.
The American people are a forgiving people. Also, we love our athletes and celebrities. We love when they fail, but we also love when they admit they are wrong and we especially love when they try to rebuild their image. We support people who are flawed but trying, mostly because we too are flawed but trying.
I remember watching a basketball game between the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. A player on the Nuggets, Chris Andersen, was suspended from the NBA several years ago after testing positive for some pretty serious drug(s). The commentators devoted five minutes to singing his praises and the recovery he’s made while turning his life around. A player on the Suns, Grant Hill, is known for being an all-around great guy who devotes time and money to charities. He’s never been in trouble with the law and is widely considered a positive role model. The commentators had nothing to say about Hill.
You see, it is human nature in this country to offer our support to those who we think need it most. For every person who is and will be vilifying Tiger Woods now and in the near future, there will be just as many if not more applauding the “strides he’s made in his personal life” a year from now. And that’s when the commercials will return.
The biggest sports star to go through what Tiger Woods is about to go through is Kobe Bryant. Kobe allegedly raped a woman in Colorado several years ago. While the charges of rape against him were dropped, he did cheat on his wife. His image took a hit, the endorsements slowed to a halt and he was booed in every stadium in which he played for the next year. But then he bought his wife a big diamond, apologized to his fans and continued being arguably the best basketball player on the planet during that time span.
Now he has a puppet, a children’s toy.
People are pretty worked up about Tiger Woods now, but it’s only a matter of time before we the public forgive and forget. As for his wife? Well, best of luck, Tiger.
————————————————————————————————————————- The Dream Factory Blog is managed by Matt Ruecker. To ask Matt any questions about what you’ve read here, please send him an email at media@dreamfactoryproductions.com.


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