The build up to the press conference – Repositioning Tiger’s Brand for a specific target audience

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John Terry brand

Just as brands are recovering from their association with Tiger Woods, sponsors are grappling with allegations concerning the England football team Captain John Terry who is alleged to have had an affair with the partner of his former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.

The affair may affect the England line up for this year’s crucial World Cup tournament – as well as any current or potential lucrative sponsorship deals.

Terry reportedly took out a High Court injunction to prevent details of the affair becoming public. However once the ban was lifted, the News of the World newspaper suggested that Terry made Bridge’s French model partner pregnant, going on to subsequently finance an abortion and then paying £20,000 “to cheer her up”.

The News of the World, alleged that Terry (a previous winner of the ‘father of the year’ award ) frequently flirted with Bridge’s partner on footballers’ nights out.

Such salacious allegations may have deep repercussions for the £150,000 per week salaried Captain.

A brand own-goal?

John Terry is the public face of sportswear brand Umbro.  He also works with Samsung.

Neither would comment on their agreements.

However a Swedish betting brand, Svenska Spel, which had previously work with Terry, announced that it would not work with him again.

Svenska Spel’s press officer, Johan Tisell, said:

“It has been two years since we had any contact with John Terry and we currently have no business with him,” said Tisell. “Would we consider having business with him in the future? I don’t think so.”

Terry also advertises the computer-gaming series Pro Evolution Soccer and, as England captain, is involved with the national team’s sponsors, Nationwide.

A spokesperson for the UK building society said the accusation was a “private matter” adding that its contract was with the England team and “not any one individual”.

The Brand Forensics perspective

In the case of Tiger Woods’ affairs,he eventually lost sponsorship deals worth an estimated $1m (£617,000).  However, judging by some reactions to the Terry case, the outcome may turn out very different.

To begin with, whilst there is universally public condemnation of too many athletes – playing ‘away’ off the field, local perception regarding many British football players is a very different one than ‘squeaky-clean’ golfers.

Generally, local UK footballers attract a very different demographic and so particular kind of public commentary.

Take this from author Toby Young published on the Daily Telegraph blogging site:

“As far as I’m concerned, John Terry can shag for England.”

He continued:

“I was on the fence about John Terry until Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, called his England captaincy into question. Now I’m four square behind him. If Robin Cook’s affair with his secretary wasn’t a good reason for him to resign from Labour’s front bench, why should Terry’s affair with Wayne Bridge’s wife be a  reason for him to lose his captaincy? “On the field John Terry is a fantastic player and a good England captain,” said Sutcliffe, “but to be the captain of England you have got to have wider responsibilities for the country.

“So it’s okay to have an extra-marital affair if you’re the Foreign Secretary, and quite literally represent your country, but not if your the captain of England, because you symbolically represent your country? What a load of balls.”

If the comment reflects the general underlining mood regarding the conduct of many football players, for now at least , the Terry case is very different from Woods’ situation.

Also, to put John Terry’s actual global brand potency into perspective, consider the latest list (January 2010) of the 100 most powerful athletes on and off the field.

Whilst the list is clearly USA biased, if nothing else it still offers general food for thought.

Bloomberg Businessweek teamed with CSE, an integrated sports and entertainment company and Bloomberg BusinessWeek columist Rick Horrow to produce the 2010 version of the Power 100.

The 2010 rankings  focus only on athletes. Measurements incorporated scores over a two-year period as well as total endorsement income, public opinion polls which evaluated the athlete’s awareness, trustworthiness, appeal and influence to calculate power off the playing field.

POWER 100 LIST

Athlete                       Sport

1. Tiger Woods         Golf

2. LeBron James        Basketball

3. Phil Mickelson      Golf

4. Albert Pujols           Baseball

5. Peyton Manning      Football

6. Dwyane Wade         Basketball

7. Michael Phelps      Swimming

8. Adrian Peterson     Football

9. Shaquille O’Neal    Basketball

10. Lance Armstrong     Cycling

11. Rafael Nadal        Tennis

12. Kobe Bryant         Basketball

13. Larry Fitzgerald    Football

14. Ryan Howard         Baseball

15. Brett Favre         Football

16. Serena Williams     Tennis

17. Roger Federer       Tennis

18. Eli Manning         Football

19. Joe Mauer           Baseball

20. Tim Duncan          Basketball

21. Jimmie Johnson      Auto Racing

22. Kevin Garnett       Basketball

23. Chris Johnson       Football

24. Randy Moss          Football

25. Drew Brees          Football

26. Kurt Warner         Football

27. Usain Bolt          Track & Field

28. Jeff Gordon         Auto Racing

29. Dirk Nowitzki       Basketball

30. Tom Brady           Football

31. Kevin Durant        Basketball

32. CC Sabathia         Baseball

33. Derek Jeter         Baseball

34. Prince Fielder      Baseball

35. David Beckham       Soccer

36. Dwight Howard       Basketball

37. Alex Ovechkin       Hockey

38. Andre Johnson       Football

39. Sidney Crosby       Hockey

40. Hines Ward          Football

41. Mark Martin         Auto Racing

42. Venus Williams      Tennis

43. Donovan McNabb      Football

44. Chris Paul          Basketball

45. Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Auto Racing

46. Mark Teixeira       Baseball

47. LaDainian Tomlinson Football

48. Tony Stewart        Auto Racing

49. Chase Utley         Baseball

50. Jim Furyk           Golf

51. Shaun White         Snowboarding

52. David Wright        Baseball

53. Ilya Kovalchuk      Hockey

54. Ben Roethlisberger  Football

55. Steve Nash          Basketball

56. Lorena Ochoa        Golf

57. Evan Longoria       Baseball

58. Deron Williams      Basketball

59. Paul Pierce         Basketball

60. Carmelo Anthony     Basketball

61. Alex Rodriguez      Baseball

62. Johan Santana       Baseball

63. Tim Lincecum        Baseball

64. Apolo Anton Ohno    Speedskating

65. Stewart Cink        Golf

66. Ray Allen           Basketball

67. Carl Edwards        Auto Racing

68. Yao Ming            Basketball

69. Troy Polamalu       Football

70. Kyle Busch          Auto Racing

71. Landon Donovan      Soccer

72. Manny Pacquiao      Boxing

73. Padraig Harrington  Golfer

74. Vince Carter        Basketball

75. Tony Romo           Football

76. Dustin Pedroia      Baseball

77. Ichiro Suzuki       Baseball

78. Ray Lewis           Football

79. Andy Roddick        Tennis

80. Maria Sharapova     Tennis

81. Sergio Garcia       Golf

82. Fedor Emelianenko   Mixed Martial Arts

83. Derrick Rose        Basketball

84. Vijay Singh         Golf

85. Steven Jackson      Football

86. Andy Murray         Tennis

87. Allen Iverson       Basketball

88. Danica Patrick      Auto Racing

89. Brandon Roy         Basketball

90. Manny Ramirez       Baseball

91. Floyd Mayweather    Boxing

92. Candace Parker      Basketball

93. Shane Mosley        Boxing

94. Diana Taurasi       Basketball

95. Misty May-Treanor   Volleyball

96. Brock Lesnar        Mixed Martial Arts

97. Patrick Kane        Hockey

98. Chad Ochocinco      Football

99. Matt Ryan           Football

100. Ryan Sheckler       Skateboarding

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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Recent relentless events virtually ensured that brands would start to question and even drop Tiger Woods from their marketing campaigns.

Tiger admitted that there was more to the incidents outside his home than he first admitted

A statement on his website said:

“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try.”

“I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What’s most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.”

“After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.”

And the walls began to crumble

Initially some of his  brand sponsors dramatically reduced their endorsements and appearance fees, which at their height in total were estimated to be around £65m a year.

Sports drink manufacturer Gatorade recently withdrew a product branded with his name.  However that decision was reportedly made long before the scandal broke.

Accenture, a global consulting firm once ran an advertisement with the headline: “To accomplish more. sometimes you have to see less.”  The company has now taken this to heart by becoming the first of Tiger’s sponsors to completely drop him from marketing campaigns.

Accenture released a statement saying it was ending its business agreement with Woods, who had represented the company for six years.

“After careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising,”

With Tiger not actually playing for the foreseeable future, Accenture’s move is hardly surprising: Virtually all their Woods featured marketing depends on the player – playing golf.  No tournaments means no context to an advertising campaign.

What are you made of? (Tag Heuer Tiger Woods campaign slogan)

One day after Accenture’s dramatic announcement there are mixed reports whether Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer which has been aligned with Tiger’s brand since 2002, will  maintain its association with Tiger.

“We will continue,”. “He’s the best in his domain. We respect his performance in the sport,” the company spokeswoman, Mariam Sylla, told the Associated Press. Woods’s personal life is “not our business”.

However Tag Heuer’s vice-president of communications stressed the company have not yet made an official decision over whether to continue their relationship with Woods and Francoise Bezzola told the Press Association: “We are not announcing that we will keep Tiger and we are not announcing we will drop Tiger Woods. We are still considering it and we haven’t taken a decision yet.”

Bezzola added that Tag Heuer is expected to make public their decision by the end of this week.

In Australia Tag Heuer has been reported to have  pulled down some poster advertisements featuring.

Perhaps the next in line to consider their agreement with ‘camp-Tiger’ may be the one sponsor best known for making Tiger so high profile in their advertising, Procter & Gamble Co’s, ‘Gillette’.  The brand recently announced it was reducing his part in its campaigns.

A reported statement said:

“As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programmes.”

Of all the sponsors, Gillette has the biggest public relations issue to consider by continuing using Tiger as a ‘pitch-man’. To begin with there is the queue of claimants who say they slept with Tiger (Including one who claimed that she and he had sex the night his father passed away).  Then there were the scenes car windows smashed by his wife with a golf-club… It just seems to go on and on…

For Gillette, the ethical issue must be particularly acute if only because in many cases, women often purchase razors for men.

Ninetendo Wii was banking on Tiger boosting Christmas sales of their ‘Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09 All-Play’ videogame. At the very least, given the reports about his family life, this may become an awkward stocking filler to justify.

However, it is not all bad news for Tiger.   For now, sports goods giant Nike has decided to remain as loyal as a branded Nike cart-pushing caddy.

A spokesman said:

“Tiger has been part of Nike for more than a decade. “He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era. We look forward to his return to golf. He and his family have Nike’s full support.”

(The Associated Press reported that Nike’s golf business generates $650 million a year in revenue around Woods, so the timing of the scandal couldn’t be much worse).

Tiger’s withdrawal from golf would be one in the bunker for the sport in general. According to Nielsen Co the average television rating fell by nearly 50 per cent for a host of 2008 PGA tournaments that he missed whilst recovering from knee surgery.

Ewen Murray, the BSkyB golf commentator, said:

“He should stay away for a year. It will be a sad loss to the game, but I think he should write off 2010 and start again in 2011. I was as shocked as anyone when I heard what had been going on. Like everyone else I put him up there on a pedestal. I thought he was immaculate in shape and form. But he didn’t have a childhood.”

Tiger woods brand – where next?

The brand outlook

By not fully retracting their sponsorship, it seems that for now, many brands are actually hedging their bets – waiting to see how the public reacts next.

From a Brand Forensics view, Tiger is unlike many sports brand spokespeople.  His management team has spent years cultivating a ‘squeaky-clean’ image of the star and his family life. Other athletes have not necessarily made such claims.  It is for this reason, along with being labelled, ‘the billion dollar brand man’, that the story never seems to go away.

Peter Allis, English golfer, BBC television presenter and commentator said:

“He will be a figure of fun to comedians for years to come.”

Clearly to repair his personal brand, Tiger still has to take a very long walk on the road from perdition.

The spin doctors’ remedy: He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone (John 8:7)

Some spin-doctors argue that by publicly prioritising the rich blessings of his family and personal responsibilities before material fortunes, Tiger is broadcasting a contemporary message of a very ‘human’ man who, like so many others, is fallible – rather than an over- hyped hero.

As such a ‘normal’ man, who is more than the outward sum of his material wealth, Tiger has the opportunity to make good a truly dreadful mess for the people who really matter – his family and real friends.

The spin would be that by bravely doing so in the harsh glare of publicity he is indirectly also acting on behalf of many other men who wish that they too could make amends.

Following this logic, such a spin antidote could even turn out to mean that in the mid to longer term, he emerges as an even more powerful brand hero of the common people – one with more dimensions and so character than a ‘squeaky-clean’ corporately sanitised and so unrealistic and so little to emphasise with icon.

I am not so sure that the remedy would be 100% accepted by today’s more enlightened society. An apology shouldn’t condone any alleged miss-doings.  Indeed, if true, the accusations do nothing but show an appalling disrespect for women, children of broken homes and by association, the otherwise innocent men who play the noble game of golf.  (Hardly the appropriate message from a man marketed as the voice and face as well as role model for his profession).

However, today’s society also takes a more lenient approach to occasionally making what some may view as understandable slips. So sincere action– rather than staged platitudes and empty promises tend to earns respect from many sectors.

One possible move for Tiger’s team would be to encourage his wife to publicly state that she will only allow him to play golf on the condition that he sorts out his game off the course.

Arguably that would be a point score for feminism.

However in my opinion it would still implicitly sanction Tiger’s alleged actions and so send the wrong message to children, wives, families and broader society about what should rather than may constitute acceptable behaviour as espoused by brands.  This is a particularly important issue for many major American brands known to be particularly conservative about their public image.

Yet, timed right and managed correctly this Tiger may still have more than just a purr left in him.

Whichever way Tiger goes next, he will certainly have a lot to think about this holiday season whilst walking around the course after his family meal – attended – or not, by the really important people who should admire him at this time of year.

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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Now the brands begin to snap back

CNBC  has reported that Pepsi’s Gatorade brand is dropping the Tiger-inspired drink, ‘Focus’.  However trade magazine Beverage Digest suggests that the decision may have been  made before the current ‘Tigergate’ crises. (Despite the reports, at the time of writing, Gatorade’s press site still featured press releases celebrating their relationship with Tiger.

He is quoted as saying:

“I’ve experienced a lot of amazing moments in my golf career, but Gatorade Tiger is taking me someplace I never imagined with this campaign.”)

PepsiCo is  the first of the major brand-partnerships to change their allegiances with Tiger.  It may only be a matter of time before other brand sponsors decide whether or not to stick with Tiger.

In a statement, the PepsiCo-owned company said:

“We decided several months ago to discontinue Gatorade Tiger Focus, along with some other products to make room for our planned series of innovative products in 2010.”

More brands to topple?

The London Times reported that not one of Woods sponsors has broadcast an advert featuring Tiger since 29 November; two days after the initial car crash. The last prime-time ad featuring Tiger was a 30-second Gillette Co. spot that ran on Nov. 29

Woods was also reportedly absent from commercials on a number of weekend US sports programs.  Darren Rovell, the sports business reporter at the US TV network CNBC, Tweeted that:  “only eight Woods adverts were shown in the whole of November”.

Given the reaction in the US, there is every likelihood that more sponsors will simply stop showing adverts featuring Woods.  At best this will be until media attention slows down.  At worse – and most likely, eventually leading to Woods being discretely dropped altogether by certain sponsors.  (Arguably no brand would wish to be associated with any purportedly ‘serious’ name who turns our to be internationally viewed with a titter and source for wild speculation. For example, David Letterman, the talk show host who was recently at the centre of his own sex scandal, poked fun at the golfer:

“President Obama is sending troops to Afghanistan,” he told his audience on Monday night. “Hell, he ought to be sending them to Tiger Woods’ house.)”

Wider repercussions

Noting prices on Tiger Woods action figures, Duff Macdonald at the Daily Beast recently wrote:

“The Toys “R” Us outside Seattle had four different kinds of Tiger figurines discounted to $9.98, though the store manager insisted they had been on clearance before the scandal. When we asked a sales rep at a Target in Tukwila, Washington, if they carried Tiger Woods action figures, she said she’d never heard of the product, before pausing and asking a sincere question of her own: “Is that intended as a gag gift?”

The cost of losing sponsorship faith

According to First Post, Woods’ value as a celebrity endorser of products has plummeted. A substantial portion of his annual income – about $110m – comes from commercial endorsements and tournament appearances.

Before ‘Tigergate’ ,Woods was ranked sixth in the Davie-Brown Index.  The Index tracks 2,800 celebrities and was created as a means to measure personalities’ influence over consumer spending. (He is currently in 24th place between actress Julia Roberts and former US Secretary of State Colin Powell).

A Yahoo of an opportunity

‘Tigergate’ has not all been bad news for brands. Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz says “God bless Tiger” for spiking web traffic.

“News, photos and other content about the pro golfer, whose personal life has become tabloid fodder since his car accident and cryptic apologies, are helping Yahoo’s sports section, as well as news, gossip and the front page,” Ms. Bartz said.

Would Tiger help the Internet company make the quarter,?

“Oh, absolutely,” she said, adding that he’s boosting more visits than Michael Jackson’s death.

The unfortunate front cover of  Golf Digest in which Tiger offers tips to Obama virtually guarantees sales for the edition from people keen to get hold of what they hope will one day become an -e-bayable asset.

Expect an e-bay golf sale

Out of the bunker

As things currently stand, in terms of personal branding, it appears that there are four main stances that most people take on ‘Tigergate’.

A-    Tiger is a very well paid celebrity – for better or for worse – we often expect celebrities go astray – especially those with opportunity to do so.  He is the one who is being harassed by publicity seekers.

B-   Tiger is not a good role model.  He should be strong enough to concentrate on being a great sportsman and respected member of his community.  He should not be associated with brands that espouse ‘wholesome’ values.  Such a reputation is an adverse reflection on consumers buying the brands.

C-   Tiger is a man who, like the rest of us, is fallible.  If he sincerely dealt with allegations, for the sake of his family, himself and wider responsibilities- perhaps via interviews – and then returned to playing and concentrating on  world-class golf, it will show character, humility and strength – something that anyone would wish to be associated with.

D-   Judge the man on his skill on the course – not with the paparazzi.

PR branding thoughts for Woods’ team

If carefully managed, the Woods’ brand could still emerge well – People love the story of the’come-back’ kid who wins against all odds.  To help redeem his brand persona, Tiger’s PR team could:

1.  Most importantly – make a clear statement, via the press, to his fans and consumers. (Ideally on a tv chat show such as Oprah).  Then request a period of privacy that should be afforded to any person trying to make amends.

2.  Demonstrate that Tiger is taking positive steps to become the ‘the best a man can get’ – e.g. counseling, well chosen interviews…

3.  Appeal to die-hard golf brands to support their golfing hero – for his game – if not, be prepared to lose someone who could have had the potential to become the greatest golf player of all time.

4.  Have Tiger prepared for the golf tournament of his life in which his sheer dazzling skill as a golfer wins admiration from even the most cynical critic as well as nervous brand custodian.

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Sorry seems to be the hardest word

“When will it end”?

That question must have been asked scores of times over the last week by Tiger Woods, his management, family, friends and brand sponsors.

Tiger has clearly been advised to follow many of the classic steps in crisis management, including owning up to any misdemeanours – however he still has not actually stated what he is specifically owning up to.

According to the Daily Mail, on 3^rd December, IMG, his management team went into ‘panic mode’ over the harm to his multi-million-dollar brand persona.

Tiger’s management team is reported to be in talks with a string of corporate sponsors, including Nike, Buick, watch firm Tag Heuer and phone company AT&T, all who last year alone reportedly accounted for the mass of his £66million earnings.

Despite contrary statements earlier this week from Gillette – the razor brand which sponsors Tiger for an estimated £12million a year, it is now reported  that the company may quietly remove him from campaigns.

JasonMaloni, Vice President and head of the Sports and Entertainment subpractice based in Washington DC said:

“Tiger is probably losing money already, and Gillette is his biggest problem. No firm that sells razors wants to be associated with someone who has scratches all over his face.”

“Tiger needs to be concerned because some endorsement contracts contain a “morals clause” that gives the sponsor the right to cancel or change the terms of the engagement. He needs his wife to come out and support him publicly. Until she does, the speculation and the damage to his reputation will continue.”

In a bizarre twist to the unraveling story, the TMZ site reported that it obtained a contract from AshleyMadison.com, a notorious adultery website with 3.5 million members.  The offer was sent to Tiger offering $5 million for “advertisement, endorsement, sale and promotion” of their site.

The general public always has – and always will be fascinated by what really goes on behind the curtains of other people’s lives.  More so if the curtains just happen to belong to a celebrity or leader.  For example it is often reported that some European electors expect their politicians to have the occasional ‘fling’. However in Tiger’s case, his image has been carefully cultured to be ‘clean-cut’.

Perhaps in today’s age of more broadly accepted indiscretions, in the long term, with a combination of carefully chosen interviews, family statements and getting back to what he does best – playing golf, Tiger will emerge from all this a different person, slightly less admired by some, but still acknowledged by many as a sporting genius.

Perception is everything in branding.  Some may actually warm to the idea of an outwardly ‘squeak-clean’ celebrity, being shown to be humanly flawed and naive  as the rest of us, and so who has  character.  That in turn could make some  brands come across as more human and realistic rather than superficial and coroporate.  Especially if the celebrity is seen to struggle between doing the right thing or the wrong thing – and who- like all great movie plots comes out winning for good.

For others reading all about Tiger’s personal life, all the accusations and allegations may lead them to the wonder about many issues including:

• The premium paid for a product that is paying  high fees to celebrities.  (An important factor to keep in mind during today’s tough economic times).
• The calibre of celebrities chosen by brands to represent commercial  interests.
• The underlining messages that celebrities send to the young and impressionable.
• The integrity of the brands who invest in such personalities.

Judging by the accounts on the web and in the press for now it is beginning to appear that, if some industry commentators are correct,  for some sponsors such Gillette, the current adverse publicity may all prove to be a shave too close for comfort.

Earlier this week, Tiger’s official website published the following:

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.”

“Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.”

“But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.”

“Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.”

“I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.”

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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