Full disclosure. I’ve been a fan of Tiger Woods as long as anyone. I watched him as a 3-year-old hitting golf balls on the old Mike Douglas talk show. Sat rapt in front of the TV for each of his three consecutive U.S. Amateur victories. I was in the gallery on that October day in Las Vegas in 1996 when he won his first PGA Tour event. I’ve pulled for him to win every tournament he’s entered and every match he’s played. The level of his talent, the power of his concentration, the strength of his will – are awe-inspiring.
None of that has changed. I still believe Tiger is the best ever to pick up a club (even though Jack Nicklaus is, and always has been, my hero). I still believe he will eventually hold every record of significance in the game of golf. I will still root for Tiger Woods the golfer.
But what about Tiger Woods the man? What about Tiger Woods the Brand? Tougher questions.
As far as Tiger the man goes, I don’t know him, have never met him and doubt that I ever will. I will confess to a certain disappointment in learning that the focus, discipline and will that make him so good inside the gallery ropes didn’t seem to manifest themselves quite as sharply in his life off the course. But in the end, I guess it’s a confirmation of what most us knew instinctively anyway. That’s he’s human, with human weaknesses, capable of making human mistakes. Just like all of us. And that’s all I’m going to say, because that’s all I know. I hope he and his family can find some sort of peace and reconciliation. But in truth, that is none of my business.
Tiger the Brand? Well, that’s another story. Because I do have a relationship with Tiger the Brand. In fact, the late Phil Dusenberry of BBDO was quoted as saying that brand is “the relationship between a product and its customers.” So I, and millions of others around the world, do have something to say about Tiger the Brand. He’s our guy. Our Nike guy, our Gatorade guy, our Gillette razor guy, our Accenture guy. We revere him and trust him and believe him. Or at least we did. Now I’m not so sure.
For me, the problem was the first five days. The Escalade hits the hydrant at 2:30 Friday morning and then all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – nothing. At least nothing from Tiger, beyond the first strange reports. But nature abhors a vacuum, and so do the news, sports and gossip media. So they did all the talking for him, and none of it was good. Finally, on Wednesday, the admission of “transgressions” on a Web site posting that expressed as much dismay about his treatment from the media as it did personal remorse for hurting his family. Better, but still not great.
So where to from here? It’s early yet, but I would be very surprised if his big sponsors – Nike, Gatorade and Accenture – run away from him. They simply have too much invested in Tiger the Brand. Will they lose customers? Maybe a small number, but I can’t envision a mass exodus from Nike Golf or Gatorade over this. The products are good, their customers loyal. And as we’re told over and over again, America is the land of second chances. Just ask Michael Vick, Kobe Bryant or Alex Rodriguez.
Soon, we’ll be hearing from marketing types pointing out, once again, how tricky it is for large companies to tie their promotional fortunes to one person and what the consequences are when that one person messes up. I don’t know. Michael Jordan wasn’t a saint and Air Jordan remains a solid brand for Nike. Kobe Bryant’s jersey is the top seller worldwide. People forget, people move on and commerce continues. With a 24-hour news cycle and plenty of other athletes and celebrities out there doing silly things, the Tiger furor will undoubtedly ebb and eventually die out. Especially if he wins a couple of majors in 2010.
But has there been some credibility lost? For me there has. And unfortunately, each day seems to bring a new revelation, or a new name, into the story. And the golfer who has been telling me for the last 13 years to play with Nikes, drive Buicks, shave with Gillette razors and drink Gatorade won’t come out and tell us what happened.
No doubt, it’s certainly his right to stay away from the cameras. This is, as they say, a free country. I’m sure he’s getting advice from lawyers, agents, crisis control experts and all the others who are called when things go wrong. I’m no expert in those matters, but as a fan and as a consumer, I hope they advise him to show all of us that he is capable of the same focus – and the same courage – that he exhibits each day on the golf course.
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