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What?  No Oprah?  In typical Tiger style, he is conducting a press…, sorry, I got that wrong.  I guess it was wishful thinking.  Tiger will be reading a statement in front of selected media and taking no questions.  Which will only lead to MORE questions.  See more here and my quote in the LA Times Article this morning.  I have written in this space with my insights.  I agree with the article, he should have followed the Andy Petite approach to handling adversity.  What approach is that, you might say?  That is precisely my point…

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In today’s LA Times article about Tiger, I was quoted by Diane Pucin.   I want to augment the quote and lend some editorial.  You’ll see several posts on this subjects in my blog.  To get the full picture of my perspective, I suggest you read them all.

Here is my quote and it is also hypertext to the article.

Dan Beeman, founder of the Woodland Hills-based Sponsorship Insights Group, a global networking and sponsorship agency, said Woods’ unwillingness to take control of the situation “smacks of selfishness.”

“Tiger should have come out by now and released all his sponsors from their obligations and publicly rededicated himself to working for his foundation,” Beeman said. “Instead he and his representatives are letting his sponsors hang out there and fall like dominoes, one by one.”

The dominoes falling and his silence  is only extending the story.  Tiger is going through a self-inflicted ordeal that none of us can relate to as no sports figure has ever has the number of endorsements, is as widely recognized or has anywhere near the income generated by them.

People have and do cheat, but no cheating  has ever been so widely covered or been so serial in its nature.  Part of the incomprehensible irony which has mystified his fans is that golf has many metaphors about life through its’ rules of self-regulation, honesty and tradition.  So, sponsors jumped on the bandwagon of the best  golfer and capitalized on those attributes.  That is why so many feel cheated.  Cheating is not allowed in golf.

Almost all of his sponsors focused on his relentless drive for perfection and personal discipline which helped him achieve success.  He allowed sponsors to market himself that way knowing there was a natural, logical extension from his golf success to his personal success.  This was all reinforced by his public image – a lovely wife and two adorable children.  Sponsors hoped that same leap would be made by consumers as it related to their brand.  This image was reinforced by an apparently wholesome family life.  The extension of perceived perfection to his personal life and brands was natural.  By accepting the endorsements, he perpetuated that image.

Now we know that on field/court/course success should not be extended to assumptions of ones moral character or integrity.  We keep learning the hard way.  We want to look up to these athletes because they do physical things we can’t.

As I said in the article, he needs to get in front of it, show genuine remorse, accept responsibility and do something about it.  A good first step would be to release sponsors from their obligations.  This will end the domino effect of  sponsors, one at a time, spinning their way out of their connection with him by “respecting his privacy.”

The “selfishness” I spoke of in the article was not of Tiger (though, through his duplicity, he obviously was), but his agent who had the audacity to say he was disappointed in Accenture for dropping him.  His agent should have apologized to Accenture for tarnishing their image and allowing them to run their marketing around a campaign that now smacks of a sad irony – “Go ahead, be a Tiger.”  Yikes!

Accenture, and the others, should find causes/properties to sponsor that aim to do good, not individuals.  Tiger should endorse that.   That would stop the dominoes from continuing to fall and buy him some privacy, respect and the opportunity to start repairing himself and his image.  As we keep being reminded, humans are not perfect and will make mistakes, but causes aim for good and usually do it.

Thoughts?

The New York Times had an interesting piece on Tiger today that echoed some of my sentiments from my blog yesterday on the subject.  Here is a link to their article and a link to mine.  See any themes here?

I think Tiger would be better served if his advisors took a different approach than:

In response to Accenture’s announcement, Mark Steinberg, Mr. Woods’s agent, said, “We are disappointed but respect their decision.”

This is a “who moved my cheese” moment.  Instead of reacting with disappointment.  Get in front of it, be proactive and announce a blanket release of obligations to all his sponsors and encourage them to invest their dollars in a worthy cause.  Maybe he could even rededicate his foundation????

Watch them fall now.  How long will Nike hold out?  With one of his biggest endorsers, Accenture, dropping Tiger, it will be interesting to see how the others react.

Here is what was said,

“After careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising,” Accenture said, adding that “it wishes only the best for Tiger Woods and his family.”

I wrote a lengthy blog about him and the situation today  and was quoted in an article in the LA Times.   I say that he should get in front of it before they all go away and encourage them to drop him and spend the money on causes that have purpose.  Perhaps he can quickly rededicate his foundation and assign all sponsorships to it.

Nike is way deep invested in him with buildings named after him and a whole line of branded goods.  It will  be more difficult for them…like bowling now, watch the pins fall…

Yesterday I was interviewed by Diane Pucin of the LA Times about Gillette’s carefully worded decision regarding their sponsorship of him.

“As Tiger takes a break from the public eye,” Gillette said in a statement, “we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs.”

I was quoted in the article and wanted to elaborate on my thoughts as it relates to sponsorship and Tiger.

Premise:  Man is inherently flawed.  So, sponsoring a man, as good as he is, or people think he is; is  a flawed model.  Especially if you want your brand to represent perfection.  While Tiger is an amazing golfer, he is human and therefore flawed.  He is, as we all are, bound to make mistakes.

His mistakes were compounded by his public persona and endorsement portfolio making him out to be something that he actually wasn’t – an honest, good person with the highest morals, integrity and principles.

His success in golf was due, in part, to his relentless drive.  This success led to confidence which was reinforced with more success.  As we all know, there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance.  He crossed that line with his personal behavior and it will cost him dearly – personally and professionally.

Here is the duality conundrum:  those attributes which make us successful can also be our weakness.  We must embrace and acknowledge this duality of our nature.

Now, to repair himself and his image, he must embrace the opposite of invincibility; humility.  If he is humble, shows his vulnerability and is authentic;  people (perhaps, even his wife) will eventually forgive and forget.

So, it all comes down to how he responds to this adversity.  He can continue to hide, live a lie or show genuine remorse.  If he does the latter, over time, he can come out of this and re-create himself more authentically.

Magic Johnson provides a good case study.  Instead of being known as a serial philanderer who contacted HIV through unprotected sex with multiple partners which forced and early, ignominious retirement from basketball; he is now widely regarded as a visionary business leader and philanthropist.

Philanderer or philanthropist.  What will it be Tiger?  Can you make good of this?

The opportunity is right in front of you.  Eschew and release all your sponsorship obligations.  Then, ask the companies to give that money to causes for good instead of lining your already deep pockets.

For brand/sponsors:  Embrace ideals and organizations/properties which aim to do good.  Scandal is not created by organizations,  but by corrupted or corruptible people.

Thoughts?

I am a proud Chicagoan by origin (well, River Forest to be exact).  Despite the loss in the Olympic competition for 2016, there are still many great things that make Chicago a unique destination for tourists.  Our city of broad shoulders will collectively shrug them and move on.  We have overcome adversity and loss before.  Can we blame it on Steve Bartman? Just kidding…
The Chicago fire destroyed the city in 1871, and also led to an amazing design revival led by Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.  Their design created the open space along the lakefront with flowing yet efficient integration of spaces and buildings.  Currently living in LA, I have seen the communal pride and lasting legacy it enjoys from the Olympics in 1984.  I was hopeful that Chicago could have enjoyed  the same.
I am confident that; the fire, second city status, the challenging winters and the working class mentality is what makes people from Chicago so special.  They are resilient, have a great sense of history and place.  They also have collective patience and humor – I mean, after all, they have the Cubs…
For being a big city, it is also a small town where ethnic diversity is celebrated through unique communities.  The summer festival season in the neighborhoods around the city provides the opportunity for Chicagoans to connect and celebrate.  The city is also evolving – I remember the post college days when I lived in a shoddy apartment in Wicker Park for $100 a month.  Now, I wish I bought that building!
I also remember when Millennium Park was abandoned railroad tracks and the adjacent Prudential Building (the old one) was the tallest building in Chicago.  Civic leaders came together and help fund a dream.  Now, they provide a seamless, authentic connectivity between the bustling downtown and serenity and beauty of the lakefront parks and museums – the old and new.  The Prudential Buildings demonstrate creative architectural design – celebrating the past while modernizing for the future.
Tourist tip to Chicago – Three things you must do:
1.  Take an architectural river cruise
2.  Go to the observatory room at the Chicago Board of Trade at the closing bell and watch the action – their version of the human zoo
3.  Go to a Cubs Game during the day at Wrigley, sit in the bleachers with friends; without necessarily watching the game, sing “take me out to the ballgame” in your finest Harry Carry impersonation, shout out, “how about another Falstaff” or Old Style -depending on your era and finish by doing a home run trot – visiting each of the sports bars which encircle the park and finish at the Wild Hare and Flying Armadillo Frog Sanctuary while dancing to reggae.
Other activities include the aforementioned Millennium Park, the band shell for concerts at night, Navy Pier – where you can rent a bike and ride along the lakefront path (25 or so miles), play volleyball at North Avenue Beach, visit the observation tower of what used to be Sears Tower (can we still call it that?  While we are at it, Marshall Fields will still be Marshall Fields in my mind), beat traffic by driving lower Wacker, walk through the connected underground tunnel from office buildings, check out the lakefront museums and watch a sunset from Adler Planetarium.
Last, but not least,  it is a phenomenal sports town.  The Jordan years were always fun and that old stadium rocked!  My memories ranged from sneaking in and sitting with Rory Sparrow’s wife and kids in front of Jerry “Crumbs” Krause.  I remember, halftimes in the President’s Club with the likes of Jesse Jackson, Belushi and Siskel acting important while claiming to be underground security for Reinsdorf when pressed.  I often exited with beverages for the Ladaudio brothers or other compatriots.  Da Bears ’85- who can forget Ditka, Sweetness, The Fridge and the Super Bowl Shuffle?  Topping it off was the division-street celebration after the Super Bowl victory.  The Sox – iconic of the South Side and The Cubbies – lovable losers.
So, hang in there Chicago.  You/we have overcome much before.  Remember, we are defined by how we respond to challenges and adversity.