Recently, I read the Vanity Fair article on Tiger Woods. I think the cover shot by Annie Leibovitz perfectly depicts the new direction of the Woods brand - bad boy.Pre-scandal, Woods was the golden boy of golf - outstanding performance, control, integrity & grace. It was no wonder so many brands wanted to align with his personal brand - they wanted some of his golden boy magic associated with their image!
But now, with the uncovering of Woods' infidelities, his reputation will never go back to its once squeaky clean self. It will be too hard for the public to trust him as a squeaky clean celebrity.
In fact, according to the article, Woods' brand experienced "the greatest single fall in popularity of a non-politician in the history of public-opinion surveys". He went from an 87% approval rating to a 33% approval rating! People no longer trust the good boy brand - Tiger must work with what he now has and feature what's broken.
Knowing this, Tiger should embrace his new bad boy image! It's time for a rebrand.
Golf has never had a rebel player - it's a gentleman's sport. All the players are pretty straight and narrow. But, if Woods comes back and outperforms the competition, I think we will see the first bad boy of golf!
I mean why not - like all successful brands, their actions must reinforce the public's perceptions of the organization to maintain its brand value. And frankly, Wood's actions do not align with his previous image. So, if he wants to be a play boy who lives life as hard as he plays golf, embrace it - don't create a superficial image which, in this case, can hurt people (i.e. Woods' poor wife & children).
Yes, he will lose current endorsements like Accenture, because this new image does not align with the brand perception Accenture is going for. However, Tiger's new brand will attract new sponsors. The important thing is that he represents something and avoids deceiving the public which harms his public approval rating (i.e. brand value), and therefore, impacts his endorsement revenues!
The lesson to be learned here applies to all brands, not just Tiger - a brand's true actions speak louder than all the messaging and facades one can produce to create a faux image, because today, with all the information people have access to, the truth will always rise to the surface! So to maintain and grow brand value, organizations must act according to their brand purpose and values everyday.
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Hmmm... which brands do you think are a fit for Tiger now? Virgin? Red Bull? American Apparel! :)
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if I agree with the proposed ‘bad boy’ image for Tiger. The media of course is going to focus on what makes the best story and basically Tiger is great for ratings.
ReplyDeleteThe questions is what is more important when it comes to personal branding - reputation or character?
The strength of our personal brands are determined by our character, which is a product of our habits. Tiger is the poster child for impeccable reputation. Reputation by definition can be distorted which was clearly the case for Tiger. Strong character can be developed.
I want to see Tiger recover as a person more than I do as a brand, because if he recovers as a person the brand will take care of its self.
Thanks Bhupesh for reading!
ReplyDeleteI see reputation and character working together - the habits that form your character will inevitably impact your reputation.
I think Tiger's pre-scandal character was heavily crafted and not truly representative of himself - rather than duping everyone to think he is one way does not instill positive feelings (approval rating in this case) for Tiger. Maintaining a facade will eventually have the greatest negative effects on his public perceptions, not to mention continue to hurt his poor wife who is better off without being married to Tiger.
Personally, the man and the brand are the same thing!
I think Woods is ill suited to the kind of curtain raiser demanded by the 'bad boy' approach.
ReplyDeleteIt is the element of 'secrecy' that is making this episode so intriguing.
Lets look at Bill and Hillary Clinton as examplers of the 'family first' approach - once Hillary said it was between Bill and her, the heat went down. If Woods can get his wife to support him, he can pick one print and one broadcast channel and then never talk about it again.
On the other hand, he has the the huge advantage of still playing really well. As long as he can manage to hit the balls (no pun intended), big companies will want to walk in his stride. Nike and Gatorade have already come out in his support.
I am no expert but probably the need of the hour is to:
* Come out of hiding and talk to the public directly (not through his blog)
* Restate his shame and apology to his family - this is the time to show vulnerability and let his guards down
* Get back to the course and remind people why they loved him in the first place
* Commit to change and use his own example to stand for a cause
It surely will be tough to stomach the near-term humiliation. Lot of brands goof up, but by owning up to the audience they come out stronger - for Woods the chance of a reset is a prize bigger than winning a Major at this hour.
Totally agree Bhupesh.
ReplyDeleteI believe Nike will continue sponsoring Tiger as long as he keeps winning. Their relationship is based on his athletic abilities not his family values.
I, however, don't think he should uphold an image (i.e. having his wife stand by him) when that really isn't who he is. Plus it would be a complete insult to ask that of her.
Having said that, you are totally right, he needs to come out and apologize for his actions and stop hiding. Open and honest communication is key.
I'm simply a believer that he cannot go back to being the good wholesome golfer with a loving wife and children. It's not him - why fake it!
He just needs to be an amazing golfer - with a bit of an edge!
it is a great topic. thanks for share it.
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Golfing has not wereCheap RS Goldbuilt with a rebel gambler ( space ) it's actually a gentleman's sports activity. All of the players are usually pretty straight and also thin. Nevertheless, in the event that Timber comes home as well as WOW Goldoutperforms competition, I do think we will have the initial bad child associated with golfing!
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