Tiger Woods and PR
Those of us in the business of PR have a few worn out sayings. One is: “No news is bad news,” or “All press is good press.” In light of the recent controversy concerning his love life, Tiger Woods may beg to differ.
So, if all media attention were good press, why would the brand of Tiger dislike the current stories about cheating, or any other controversy? It has to do with values. And, this lesson can be applied to every type of business out there. Whether you are in the service industry, a nonprofit organization, or sell products, your company needs to align its values with public perception—and they had better be matching. Your customers, the public and any potential customers you might attract will pick up any incongruence in your messaging and brand. From pricing, to promises, your customer expects and demands consistency.
The brand of Tiger Woods portrayed an image of a calm, talented, disciplined family man with a beautiful wife and two babies. People do not like to be deceived. If he were a rock star, wore shirts open to his navel, long hair, tight jeans, and was shown drinking and carousing in the media, there would be little uproar with the new stories of him carousing, cheating, and lying to his family. So, what is the big deal?
The big deal is that if he were the rock star I portrayed above, his endorsements would have been in alignment with his image. Today, Tiger Woods is losing endorsements right and left. Big companies that endorse athletes probably don’t care what they do in their private lives. After all, it is the bottom line that drives their decisions. However, image, perception, and branding is everything. Many of the companies that signed Tiger for endorsements, wanted to align their branding stars to his, creating a perfect galaxy of reliable messaging. The underlying value here is trust. If you build trust, you will have customer loyalty. If your customers feel betrayed they will bail—fast. They will take their business elsewhere. And, this is where the bottom line is affected!
What does this mean for you? Take this example of Tiger Woods. Take a look at your brand, your image, and your messages. Make them seal proof. If your business has a spokesperson (maybe it is you, the business owner) make sure that you live up to the image you are portraying. If your image includes the messages of solid family life, wholesome living, going green, make sure that the message is authentic to your life both personally and professionally. In case you become famous, your brand takes off, and your image becomes a household name, you will not have to hide behind a false persona.
Your customers may be tolerant, forgiving, and lenient. However, they will not tolerate dishonesty and incongruence.
