Can Tiger Woods Press Conference Help his Brand?

Nearly three months after Tiger Woods’ life entered a tailspin, the disgraced golfer is ready to tell his side of the story. Today, Woods will speak publicly to a small group of close friends and family to “discuss his past and his future, and he intends to apologize for his behavior,” according to an official statement. Speculation about his future in golf has been buzzing ever since the revelation of his many affairs and subsequent disappearance from the public in November. Now, not only is he facing serious personal repercussions, his image as an athlete and role model are now tarnished as well. Through his incredible athletic prowess, he has branded himself a leader in golf, both on and off of the course, a process that took years to complete. Now, he faces the daunting task of restoring his public image — which will be made infinitely more difficult due to poor public relations decisions. Could he have avoided or at least quelled such an incredible PR fallout?

Though he released a written public apology shortly after the scandal broke, Tiger Woods hasn’t been seen in public since late November. This lack of action to address the issue head-on was poor crisis management on the part of Woods and his team. Usually, when celebrities, CEOs, and other leaders find themselves in a scandal, they immediately embark on a media tour to make apologies through every outlet imaginable. Letting months go by with no official statement or knowledge of his whereabouts, speculation and rumors have only grown, only exacerbating the crisis at hand.

Though many sponsors have ended their contracts with Woods — AT&T, Gatorade, and Accenture were the first to do so — his status with his many other sponsors hasn’t been affected, with the remaining companies stating that they will stand behind him. This is a bold move, and perhaps an effort to help him hold on to the little positive image that still remains. Online, Tiger’s brand shows no signs of his recent public downfall. His Facebook fan page has more than 1 million fans, and the traffic on his official Web site has nearly tripled since the scandal broke – though neither site addresses Tiger’s current situation. To top it all off, Forbes ranked Woods as the top athlete brand on its Fab 40 list, released earlier this month. Forbes’ rankings are based on sponsorships and earnings, and don’t focus on personal situations. If Tiger’s personal drama had been considered, however, chances are he would not hold the top spot.

The Tiger Woods brand is a combination of his personal and professional personas, which is the reason this scandal has been such a major issue. Woods’ marketed himself as a family man, and has been quoted as saying that “[Having a family] has been great, actually, the best thing that ever happened to me,” and that “family first, golf second.” Unfortunately, because these brands were so intertwined, one of these brand images could not be damaged without affecting the other. University of Pittsburgh law professor Mike Madison of madisonian.net took an interesting view of Tiger’s situation, comparing his persona and brand to intellectual copyright. He wrote in a recent blog post that, “When a celebrity turns himself or herself into a brand, as Tiger has done so effectively, then the challenges of maintaining brand integrity, and the risks associated with what trademark lawyers sometimes call self-dilution — in this case, self-tarnishment, are enormous.”

Many athletes have faced similar personal branding obstacles – most recently Michael Phelps’ marijuana scandal – and have seemingly bounced back to their former super-star statuses. Phelps immediately addressed the issue by apologizing publicly, admitting to using drugs, and handling the fallout professionally. Though he too lost sponsorship deals and was suspended from his sport for a short time, Phelps returned to the sport and didn’t dwell on his past actions. Will Tiger be able to follow a similar path? Today’s small press conference may not turn his image around automatically, but it is a small start.

Prior to Tiger’s sex scandal, his wife and children were fixtures on the sidelines at all of his tournaments. Going forward, Woods should keep his family out of the public eye, and instead focus only on his professional and athletic endeavors. Though it may take away from his status as an “everyman,” it is the best decision for his brand right now. Ultimately, personal brands are built upon character, integrity, and action. As long as Tiger can maintain a positive image in these areas of his life, he may be able to undo the past and find his footing once again.

Image by parry bedi from Stock.Xchng

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