Engine Room Insights

Lessons Learned from Rock and Roll

Tiger would?

Posted by admin On December - 6 - 2009
Tiger Would?

Tiger Would?

As the cult of celebrity thickens, it’s fast becoming an epidemic. I’m sitting in Orlando just down the road from the once squeeky clean Tiger Woods who’s now looking like he was a tiger after all. He only ever popped out for a round of golf but now he’s got to be feeling a little caged in with the world’s media camped outside his Isleworth estate.

And now we discover he’s had more than one illicit affair. Each day we have another ‘Woodette’ stepping in to the media circus. Apparently the girl who originally had denied any wrong doing might admit to doing right by admitting to doing wrong. Could it have something to do with the other scarlet woman having just landed $150,000 from US weekly.? Maybe I could convince someone I was his love child and land a pay check? Er, maybe not…

While his Escalade  needs an extreme makeover somewhere to the tune of $8,000 he seemed to think his image would remain untarnished. His check book can more than cover the cost of the vehicular damage yet I can’t help wondering why his millions weren’t better spent protecting his image. We have actual persons deployed nowadays as image consultants and why he didn’t find the best we’ll never know. Did he really expect that by keeping quite this would go away. Yes you Mr Woods billionaire and most rewarded sports star on earth. This was NEVER going to go away and now when a simple ‘I fucked up’ statement to all and sundry might have sufficed it’s a big time headache. All the vultures are out and it looks like they are baying for blood. His sponsors were quoted as saying they didn’t have a problem with this but now as each day goes by they must be wondering that this is bad publicity. I’m looking at it and wondering how much could one man possibly lose in one week. Never mind the sponsors what about the missus?  He’s already apparently ‘renegotiating’ the pre nup. Is that a prenupshutmeup  to stop her selling her side of things to the press? And  what could that be worth! Then there’s the publishing advance from hell. Here fill in whatever you want, just give us the meat and bones

I firmly believe in this day and age of people making fortunes out of celebrity fuck ups he should have found one image consultant supremo and slapped an open check on their desk and say, ‘Get me out of this, whatever it costs, just get me out of this.’ Money well spent and money very well saved.

Let’s be honest a man knowing what he’d done and with unlimited funds to employ the best would have someone come round, cut a check and say, ‘Make this go away.’ For a guy who seemed to have it all and the type of brand sponsors fall over you would expect he would have made a better job of all this. Where are his advisers, he must have them? If not …Tiger I’m here, I’d have done it for you!

Even though his sponsors are saying they are sticking by him, how long can all this bad publicity realistically be tolerated? I feel particularly sorry for one of his sponsors, Nike who’s slogan is ‘Just do it.’ A TV ad with Tiger Woods on…….and a tag line that fires across the screen saying ‘Just do it?’ I think there might be some people sat behind closed doors rethinking their marketing plan or at least who their marketing plan should involve. Here is a brand that can, after all attract the creme de la creme from the sporting world and there are a good few few celebrity sports people that are far less maintenance. And you have thought a golfer would have been so much ’safer’ than a football or baseball player. Maybe not..

There is plenty more to come from this story. Tiger, Tiger’s burning bright but for now I’ve gone.

Leave a Reply