Tiger Woods: A PR Disaster

I am pleased that Tiger Woods is back playing. It makes the game exciting yet again.

Tiger needs to deal with this with his wife. He doesn't owe me an apology or an explantion, no more so than I owe him one for any of my behavior.......I never planned to select my auto, accounting firm or anything else based upon Tiger's opinion or endorsement of any product, never had and never would, regardless of his behavior. This is an issue between him, his wife and his savior.

Sorry I just don't get all this "PR advice" over an apology. Why exactly do you think Tiger Woods should apologise to you or any other member of the public? It is just naive to think that an immediate apology would have prevented all the tabloid stories - there are papers to sell, news needs attention to sell adverts, and plenty of women who were able to make a fast buck or grab 5 minutes of fame. This really isn't even a PR issue - it's just about publicity. And, when you're as famous as Tiger, you'll get that in spades, good and bad, no matter what approach you take.

Alex, I read that as a very snarky post, not one of thinking he really nailed it...

"He also managed to apologize to sponsors and even discreetly pat himself on the back for all the good works of his foundation. He did not take any questions, which could have ruined the moment. His wife was not there since a camera shot of her rolling her eyes would have ruined the mea culpa."

Brigitte's and Brad's points about looking at family values and traditions is interesting, but we could argue both sides of the coin on everything from the 12 step process to who he was apologizing to.

My point is this, from the very nature of it not being honest or transparent, and that it took him three months to appear, is a PR nightmare. Through and through.

"PR Gold" is how this communications pro put it:
http://www.bottomlinecom.com/kcnews/tigernailsapology.html

What do you think? He cites Tiger's squashing of rumors and leaving the media wanting more as reasons Tiger nailed the apology.

Great topic!

If I recall correctly, Tiger did release statements 48 to 72 hours after the initial BOMB dropped! I think he had to wait for the "dust to settle", because of the sheer number of women that were coming out of the woodwork and the various companies he was working with on endorsements. Some dropped him immediately, no if and or buts. And, some stayed with him. Once the dust settled, he and his team could begin the PR campaign ... which included his admission to SEX THERAPY in January, so I think he has been handling it both on a personal side with Elin and a business side from the very beginning.

I can't begin to walk in his shoes, but for me I'm just big into forgiveness. That is if he sincerely walks the walk, and is not just talk.

I wish him well for the sake of Elin and the kids. I know that the game of golf will miss him. And, when he comes back and begins to win again, his endorsements will comeback.

Ces

Gini - Right after I read your post, I saw this post in my reader.
http://bitchphd.blogspot.com/2010/02/woods-apology-asian-mothers-and-ethnic.html

It's interesting, because it looks at Tiger's apology from the lens of the Asian American experience. The article concludes by positing, "The press was miffed there was no Q&A - well, the press was just a minor necessity. The real focus were those people sitting in the front row. The apology was less a PR stunt (though it served as one, too) than a necessary step in repairing his bonds with his Asian identity and upbringing - embodied by his mother, in particular. Seeing him like this, almost like a brother, made Woods less of a joke to me; family traditions and cultural obligations are never a joke."

I agree that the apology was a PR fail, but I enjoyed reading a very different perspective on the cultural influences that may have played out in front of us.

Gini: This is not an issue that I care much about. I did not seet the "apology" but have seen bits of it as reported in the media. I think that people do the best they can. I was disappointed that it had to be read. I believe that this is just one step that he took infurtherance of the "program" that he is following at the clinic. There may have been or will be other private apologies. I think this was crafted as an apology to fans and that questions and answers in a news conference format do not apply. So, I would agree -- why not just release a video? The only answer that I can ciome jup with -- is that the hug with Mom seems too "scripted" that way.

Tom

One of the biggest takeaways in what is yet another great post by you Gini is that he is a brand. A personal brand.

The brand was okay when things were going "well." But to duck and hide, then when you finally address the issue to do it scripted with no interaction at all. Well, really poor.

You are right on target.

I am so over the whole Tiger Woods ordeal, but this I think is the first editorial I've seen on the subject that really addresses what seemed so "off" to me about how he handled it. I've seen it said that his rehab schedule called for him to apologize now and then return for more treatment, and I believe that, it seems about right given the general schedule of 12-step programs. But he didn't have a rehab program preventing him from apologizing immediately after the mistresses started crawling out of the woodwork, nor did his rehab program now demand that he apologize the way he did.

If he wasn't going to take any questions, why didn't he simply meet the rehab requirements by apologizing privately to his family and business associates, then release a prepared statement saying he'd done so and extending a generalized apology also to his fans? Why monopolize the television networks, interrupt other coverage, for a one-camera "press conference" that wouldn't include any questions or reveal anything we didn't know already?

In Tiger I still see someone playing by special rules, from scooping paparazzi by releasing the photo of his jogging excursion to secluding himself from the press at a "press conference" to refusing to give any real information on his plans for his future as an athlete or a husband. Okay, Tiger is a sex addict, Tiger is very sorry(ish), Tiger would like to stay married, Tiger would like to play some more golf. Great. What about that couldn't we have just read on TMZ?

spin, spun, sunk. I have to agree that in the absense of bing in the conversation the conversation will go on without you. Tiger should not have missed any golf, should have taken questions, kept up the conversation and taken this smaller hits as he went along instead.

Gini, Tiger is still displaying that he is above normal rules. In that way, he's acting as one who is showing remorse because he got caught. It certainly has been a disaster waiting all this time for Tiger to make a comment. But given that he did, one would expect there would be fruits of repentance--not just words--that he truly knows he is not above everyone else. However, how he handled the presser shows that it's much of the same old thing.

The only point I disagree with in your post is this insistence of having the "good wife" standing behind her man at the presser. I think that PR strategy should be retired because most people now see through that. How in the world does a man under fire for cheating on his wife look better if he is humiliating his wife by having her there? That Elin was not there was one of the few things Tiger got right, IMO.

Good post. Thanks.

It was painful to watch because it was so scripted and stilted. I was embarrassed for him. The man is messed up - he didn't get that way overnight; therefore, his recovery will take years and can't be "hurried" by a control apology. Yes, he said the right words, but timing and authenticity are everything. Finally, it appears that he's being advised by his agents, managers, etc., not seasoned PR counsel, but what do you I know?

Gini:

As a PR case study I agree with you, it's a disaster. As a case study in pride and arrogance it's also instructive. He didn't do a presser 3 months ago because he believed the normal rules don't apply to him. He didn't take questions, and wasn't more open now because he is still holding onto some of that. I'm Tiger, I can do what I want.

All of that said, he's still a man in a bad situation, who's learning a lot and paying a high price for that. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt. Getting back to golf may be the best PR move for him, but might also lead to further mistakes, heartache and chaos. Maybe he's doing the best he can navigating some very real challenges (of his own making) and trying to make change to be a better person. Doing that might mean he needs to be away from the limelight, and golf.

Making that kind of change is hard, and messy, and doesn't fit well into the "rules" of PR. Yes his agency should fire him because he's making a mess of it. But that might be just what he needs to do in order to find his way to a better Tiger. As much as I'd love to see Tiger out on the golf course, I'd be happy to never have him back in golf if he can heal his marriage and raise strong sons.

I'm not being as articulate here as I would want to be here, Michael Hyatt published his reaction this morning too and it's worth taking a look at what he said, http://michaelhyatt.com/2010/02/what-does-tiger-woods-apology-require-of-you.html

Brad

Gini, can I hire you as Dashal's PR person? Well as soon as we can pay you more than Diet Mountain Dew, Pizza and queso. lol

He's like the NCAA or NFL of personal brands--top-down, out of touch, egotistical, and control-freaked. OLD SCHOOL, missing the whole point. He is also letting the press set the agenda. Bad move. As Nick said--apologize, go golfing! The sponsors will be back as soon as he wins his next major. Until then, he can afford to let that part slide for awhile.

Louise - I TOTALLY agree! I know it can't be easy to stand up there with a man who had as many affairs as he did, but if they're going to make the point that he is working on his marriage, she absolutely needs to be there. Otherwise, do as Graham says above, admit the marriage is over and move on.

But, like a few of you have commented here, this shouldn't have been about his marriage. This should have been a quick swift kick in the pants to get back to golf and leave the media out of his personal life.

It's a disaster, all around. I really hope a PR person, or two, fired him for not listening.

Hi Gini,

I agree that this has been a PR disaster and we have had a lot of discussions about it in the office from a PR point of view. I'm sure he is being advised by PR professionals but, as we all know, we can only make recommendations; we can't force our clients to do anything. I watched his entire statement on Friday morning and, while I'm not a body language expert, I didn't see genuine contrition. What came across to me was a guy who is really sorry that his life has changed for the worse and he has to dig himself out of a hole, not a guy who is genuinely remorseful. The fact that he read from a prepared statement, dictated the media list and didn't take a single question says this is a guy who still feels the rules do not apply to him. It's good that he finally came clean and admitted what he did for the first time but the statement should have been a pure apology. Peppering it with accusations and blame towards the media was a bad decision.
Finally, I think that, if his wife is staying with him, she needed to be by his side, whether she wanted to or not. It was great that his mother was there and that she forgives him, but she is a mother. Of course she will forgive him. It should have been his wife that he embraced after the statement.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is coming from a man without a communication background. Thank you, Nick! That pretty much sums it all up!

Here is how I would have handled it. I would have made Tiger go to sex rehab within a week of the incident. I would have had him make a statement saying that "I am not perfect, I made some mistakes and it is time for me to learn from them." I would have already had him playing golf by now. The quicker he is playing golf, the quicker people will shrug it off. The press was already lingering off the story and then he apologies and brings all the scrutiny back. I wouldn't have ever had him make a full blown apology because he never had to. We watch him for his golf ability, not is marriage ability. He has basically invited the press into his personal life even more. He should have make a quick statement and then just tried to move on. His PR person is an idiot.

AND at the same time as HAPPO - we're trying to help our industry peers find jobs and he has the gall to go on at the same time!? :)

It sounds like we're all in agreement that there is no authenticity or remorse. He seems to be treating this the same way he does when he loses, like a poor sport.

Gini: As usual, I'm in about 99% agreement here.

The 1%? You didn't mention his arrogance toward the news cycles and the world of sports. Accenture, a former sponsor of Tiger, is holding one of the largest non-major golf tournaments of the year at the exact same time as Tiger's announcement. NBC, the network that he relies on to make him look like an All-American during the US Open AND an All-American Team Player during the Ryder Cup, has its entire staff in Vancouver for the Olympics.

The Olympics! Tiger has the gall to time his announcement during a quadrennial gathering of the world's best Winter Sports athletes - many of whom get only a few minutes of fame, then go back to their daily grind schlepping packages during the day and training at night so they can have a chance at a podium.

This continues to be a train wreck of bad advice followed by even worse advice - and devoid of all authenticity.

What a disaster. I too would hope that he is not being given "professional" advice in the handling of this fiasco but I know that the chances of that are slim to none. A sad comment on the profession.

Tiger's recent public apology has done more harm than good because as Gini so aptly put it - it is crazy. When faced with a crisis management situation you must respond FAST and the response must be well thought out and strategic.

That is why you should have a crisis management plan in place so that if the crap hits the fan then you know what to do and guess what we live on planet earth and people do stupid things so crap is gonna hit a few fans now and then.

It's funny, I was so wrapped up in HAPPO on Friday that I chose not to listen to any of it in real time, and listened when I got home from work that day. My husband and I KEEP talking about it, and yes, I agree with everything that has been said above. Moving away from the time frame and the horrifyingly bad speech, the whole thing made ME feel like Tiger doesn't feel any remorse, and was put there by his legal/pr/agency team, and felt no emotion connected to the (really bad) speech he was reading. Which, I guess, is fine? But if you're going to be that much of a robot about it, I would prefer not to see anything at all. It brought him back to the forefront of the "conversation" but I think he would have done better to actually disappear if he's not planning on returning to the game any time soon.

I'd like to think there weren't any PR professionals involved...that he wasn't listening to any professional advice. But, then again, there was some crazy woman on CNN on Thursday night claiming to be a PR strategist that said this is exactly what he should be doing. I was in the airport and I actually said out loud, "You are crazy!" Of course, who was the crazy person talking to a TV in the airport?