Tiger Woods Has Failed On His Brand Promise

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Dec 02

Tiger Woods Has Failed On His Brand Promise

Tiger Woods is a powerful global brand, make no mistake. He is one of the most recognisable faces in the world and certainly one of the most bankable brands (and my, haven't he and his handlers taken full advantage of it!). But how much damage has his recent infidelity and car accident escapade done to tarnish it?

Sponsors line up to throw ridiculous amounts of money at him. The value in being associated with his brand is massive. It provides a global marketing and promotional platform that would be impossible to achieve through any other avenue.

Tiger's brand values are so compelling to the general public; clean cut and healthy living, dedicated and hard working, unselfishly giving to others, strong family values, disciplined in all aspects of his life, well on his way to achieving what no other golfer has achieved before. The list goes on.

It's not surprising that his brand is so valuable. Unfortunately by letting his hedonistic instinct get the better of him, he has transgressed the self-imposed boundaries of his brand. He has more money that he could ever spend, a stunning wife and beautiful children, an unrivalled playing career and an almost god-like persona.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some ethical major sponsors pull the plug, just like they did to Kate Moss. It's taken her a long time to rebuild her brand and she may never quite fully recreate the same credibility for her brand promise.

Personally I'm extremely disappointed to see what has happened to Tiger. No matter how great a golfer he is, it's the unexpected little lapses that reflect a true brand personality and value system. Remember Mel Gibson's anti-semetic gaffe? Has your opinion of him changed now? Mine has.

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Tags: brand experience, brand marketing, brand promise, tiger woods

4 comments

§ Carole said on : 12/02/09 @ 14:58

I think it's too early to be calling this? I feel the corporate sponsors will hang back until more details come to hand. Their value surely hangs off his value.

Two things that "Teflon boy" has damaged greatly are trust and reputation. Not so easy to repair these?
§ Wayne Attwell® said on : 12/03/09 @ 09:14
Fair comment. Time will tell what damage his brand has suffered, but it's hard to imagine things returning to how they were.
§ Chuck Blakeman said on : 12/03/09 @ 16:02

Tiger has learned the hard way that in the age of information sharing he is no longer in control of his brand. He can't simply present himself one way in public and a different way in private. That worked in the 1950s, but not today. My thoughts on this from a few months ago - You Don't Own Your Brand - Guess Who Does - http://bit.ly/6mfbiY
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