Privacy's Wake

Tiger Woods' hiatus leaves a hole in the marketing playbook of Nike, others.

Larry Woodard-New York

Tiger Woods has a 155 foot mega yacht built by Christensen Shipyards. Tiger named this oversized luxury yacht, commonly called the Hull 026, Privacy. The bow wake of large freighters has been known to reach as high as eight to nine feet putting boats behind them in peril. The news that Tiger is stepping away from golf, just 4 short of Jack Nicklaus’s major record to save his marriage; has stunned his advertisers. Real life Tiger is not reacting the way we believed he would. He didn’t come out and talk to the world. He didn’t explain himself. He didn’t blame the media or lash out at the world. He may not have even listened to his handlers. Instead by all appearances he seems to desperately trying to deal with his inexcusable behavior and repair the most important relationships –those with his family. How will his advertisers cope?

It has been an unbelievably rapid descent for Woods. From allegations of an affair with one woman reported by tabloid newspaper The National Enquirer a little over two weeks ago, to an early morning single auto car crash with Tiger at the wheel last week, to the discovery of a Pandora’s box, engraved with Eldrick Tiger Woods’ full name and filled with cocktail waitresses, escorts and even a prostitute; by early in the week, it was obvious this was not a nightmare but a straight up, wide awake, public relations disaster.

Nothing Tiger has done in his career to date has been the easy or expected. When we were introduced to his prodigious talent as an amateur we expected him to win. But as he become a professional and easily continued his winning ways, we began to understand he was truly special. His popularity has helped him become one of the most well paid pitchmen of all times. Now as he takes this unexpected hiatus from the game he reinvented we are left with many questions. When will he be back? How will the business of golf air without its star? What will sponsors do? What part did the media play and did it overstep its bounds?

Advertisers will forge ahead bravely and try to see what they can salvage of their sales forecasts without the help of their main engine. Nike road Tiger’s popularity into golf and now is one of the biggest players in golf equipment and apparel with annual sales in excess of $600 million. They will lead the group of Tiger Sponsors in lighting daily candles until Tiger returns. There simply is no one on the horizon with his wide appeal. Golf will take a big hit in interest and for the time being go back to being the elitist niche sport of the pre-Tiger era.

Tiger’s sponsors can be put into two categories. Those who will have to scramble to salvage their sales and marketing plans: in addition to Nike that group contains Accenture and EA Sports. The second category overtly uses Tiger but because of their target and broad-based marketing will suffer less: this group contains Gatorade, Gillette, AT&T, Tag Heuer and Upper Deck.
The media will point fingers at itself until the next ambulance comes flying down the street with its sirens blaring and a barefooted celebrity hanging out the back. The public will be split between those who are growing increasingly ravenous to eat its celebrities and those who had had enough the day after the crash.

Tiger on the golf course has shown an unmatched ability to take a game where many things can’t be controlled such as the weather and the lie of the ball and somehow make everything work o his advantage. Golfers the world over believe golf mirrors life. Tiger can only hope so. Advertisers hope so. Many golf fans do as well.

I predict Tiger will be back. New Tiger will be changed like Moses after the mountain experience. He will better understand his mortality and his place in the world. He will savor his time on the field of play and recognize it is a blessing and a privilege. He will be a better endorser because he will no longer be invincible and that will make his success even more appreciated and revered.

read my abcnews column on Tiger.

Holiday Helping

Many holiday celebrations from Kwanza to Hanukkah from Diwali to Christmas emphasize selfless giving. As the world’s wealthiest nation, America, even in a recession, has millions upon millions to give to those less fortunate and to organizations that assist them. The internet with wonderful sites like http://www.charitynavigator.org/ has made informed giving easy. During this holiday season, I’ve compiled a list of traditional and not so traditional charities that I’ve supported. I urge you to make a donation to one of these or find your own.

Angel Tree-The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program provides new clothing or toys for children of needy families, with angel tree’s often found in high-traffic areas such as malls, churches and corporations. Each tree is decorated with numbered paper angel tags with the first name, age and gender of a child who will receive the gift. To sponsor a child from the Angel Tree, simply remove one or more tags from the tree and purchase appropriate gifts for the child or children described on the tags. The organization displaying the Angel Tree is also the collection point or drop-off location for all gifts.

Africare– Is the oldest African-American led charitable organization focusing on Africa. It reaches communities in 25 countries in every region of Sub-Saharan Africa. Its primary focus is on Food security, agriculture, health and HIV/AIDS and water resource development but its reach extends into emergency response, environmental management, literacy and vocational training, micro-enterprise development and civil-society development.

UNCF-For 65 years the United Negro College Fund has been supporting the 39 member colleges of the fund, giving scholarships and advocating for minority higher education. With its famous slogan “A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste” , the UNCF has a long and storied tradition of helping minority students—many the first in their families to attend college (60%)—attend college and close the educational attainment gap between African Americans and the majority population.

Toys for Tots- The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program helps needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; playing an active role in collecting and delivering a shiny new toy at Christmas. Local toy collection campaigns begin in October and last until December 22, with toy deliveries normally taking place on December 23 and 24. Community members drop new, unwrapped toys at toys for tots locations, which are collection boxes positioned in local businesses. These toys are stored in warehouses, sorted by age and gender, and then delivered to needy children at Christmastime.

Operation Christmas Child- Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to needy children around the world through shoe boxes or small plastic containers filled with unwrapped toys, school supplies, candy and other gifts, then shipped to needy children overseas with a personal note included. Suggested gift ideas include toys like small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, and toys that light up and/or make noise. Christmas gifts of pencils, pens, crayons, markers, coloring books and other art supplies are encouraged, as are gifts of toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap, and other personal care, hygiene items.

Make a Wish Foundation- You can make this holiday season special for children dealing with life-threatening medical conditions and illnesses by your generous donations to the Make a Wish Foundation of America Adopt-A-Wish program, thus helping a child’s dream come true. Make a Wish’s unique holiday donation options help grant the wishes of children, creating special memories for the wish child and family. Those who adopt a wish by making a donation are provided a unique and special story of how your donation bought joy to a wish child.

My Two Front Teeth- My Two Front Teeth is a non-profit, charity organization that provides donated toys to underprivileged children in daycare, preschools and community agencies. You can donate toys online; just sign up to receive an email notification prior to the holiday season, choose a child to sponsor and purchase and donate toys to children in need via My Two Front Teeth. My Two Front Teeth offers a personalized, online gift-giving experience to aid underprivileged children. Children are selected through community organizations and allowed to individually pick their one holiday wish.

Click here to read my ABC column about how the Advertising Industry through the Ad Council and The PDFA donates its time and money to raise awareness about quality of life issues.