Lessons Learned from Tiger
While there is more crossover than there used to be, I still believe for the most part that marketing is about building the brand and public relations is about protecting it. Tiger Woods is one of the most successful brands in history and his recent troubles demonstrate how quickly a brand (yes, even yours) can go south if not protected properly.
I have never been one of those people who wanted to write the great American novel, but even I could fill a book with the lessons to be learned from the Tiger debacle. Aggressive and smart crisis management could have kept this a large, but manageable, story rather than the media feeding frenzy that occurred. Here are three quick tips to avoid some of the “Tiger trap.”
Get out in front of the story. I can’t believe Tiger waited so long to issue a statement and even longer to be forthcoming about the facts. His silence left a huge void for the media and pundits to fill with their own stories. While I am not a big David Letterman fan, I think he handled news of his infidelity superbly by getting out, telling his story right away and limiting rampant speculation.
Don’t hide. When Tiger finally made a statement, he posted it on his web site rather than facing the public. At the least, he could have made a statement to the media and not taken questions. Even better, he could have found a respected reporter and agreed to do a short interview with the questions and scope agreed upon in advance. Once again, he kept the story going by allowing room for speculation and gossip. Canceling his appearance at a charity golf tournament and then taking a hiatus from golf also keeps the story going. Hey Tiger! Get back on the course! Change the story. Remind people of why they loved you in the first place!
Listen to your experts. Ok, this is a bit self-serving but I think it is a common mistake made by those who think that being smart in business translates to being smart about PR. Tiger could afford the best in the industry and I suspect his PR people gave him a sound and effective crisis management strategy. But, he thought he knew best and could do it his way because he is Tiger Woods. While Tiger knows what is best on the golf course, he should have followed the advice of his experts who are as skilled at their profession as he is at his.
So, when will we see one of those famous Tiger Woods comebacks? Hard to know, but I hope it’s soon because this has become just too painful for this PR person to watch.