You Are the Brand

Tiger Woods: No One Walks on Water

When I decided to write this book in 2008, I considered writing about Tiger Woods as one of the greatest American brands ever. In fact, it was a tossup between Tiger and Oprah as to who, in my mind, was the strongest individual brand on the American scene today. Needless to say, all that changed on November 27, 2009. Unless you live in a cave, you know the details—virtually every gory, embarrassing, graphic, and lurid detail—associated with the Tiger Woods infidelity scandal. It seems that within a nanosecond, Tiger Woods went from literally “walking on water” in an ad for the EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2009 video game to being an international joke.Women were coming out of the woodwork saying that they had slept with Tiger Woods. Embarrassingly stupid and sophomoric text messages that Tiger sent to some of these women were released to the tabloids and posted on Web sites all over the world. Some women said that Tiger Woods had fathered their children. The golf crowds and then, in turn, the golf gods started to turn on Tiger. In the summer of 2010, it was reported thatTigerWoods lost approximately $100 million in endorsements, including being dumped by AT&T, Gillette, Accenture, Gatorade, and Tag Heuer.1 Further,Woods’s golf game is off—way off. One wonders if his game will ever fully recover. And remember, it is Tiger’s ability to win golf tournaments, especially majors, that is the cornerstone of his brand. I don’t know exactly how this story will end, but the Tiger Woods brand will never be the same—not even close.We will never have to hold a fundraiser for him, and he won’t be poor, but Tiger Woods blew it big time. For a person of lesser wealth (like you and 10 Tiger Woods No One Walks on Water Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:27 AM Page 10 me),Tiger’s mistakes would most likely be devastatingly destructive and career ending. It’s worth a look at the series of mistakes that could lead to this sad end. Infidelity Isn’t the Issue I’m not just talking about who Tiger screwed around with outside of his marriage, because frankly I couldn’t care less. It’s not my business.That is, in fact, between him and his wife. But at a certain point, Tiger Woods brought a lot of this on himself by allowing those who managed his brand to put him out there in the public eye as a godlike figure—perfect in virtually every way. Superhuman . Out of this world.Too good to be true. He made himself a target. And then, when it all hit the fan, Tiger proved that he was not only mortal but that he was a terrible communicator under pressure. He folded. He hid. He evaded, and avoided, and looked like a coward. By refusing to speak to police authorities about the car accident, he encouraged the media and the blogosphere to speculate and, as usually happens, this speculation and rumor mill went wild. Tiger didn’t have to give all the details. His marriage, of course, is private, but the incident was very public.There was a 911 call; he was reportedly lying unconscious on the street for five minutes; a neighbor in Florida called the police; and the tabloids were on fire. After a few days of keeping silent and not speaking to the media, Tiger posted a statement on his Web site in which he blamed himself for the accident and said his wife helped him at the scene. Said Tiger: “This situation is my fault, and it’s obviously embarrassing to my family and me. . . . Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded, and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible.”2 These initial online comments didn’t cut it. One thing is clear in a crisis: When communicating, you have to do it in person— especially when you are the brand. Sure, online posts are easier and much more distant, but that is the problem with them as well. When you are such a high-profile personality, people need to see you, hear you, and have a gut sense of you and your words. TIGER WOODS 11 Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:27 AM Page 11 Then...