It is never a dull moment in the crisis communications community. The latest incident that has generated a lot of discussion online has been surrounding Tiger Woods and Nike. This week, Tiger Woods and Nike have come out with a new ad promoting Tiger’s new position back at #1 in the golf rankings.
However, with this being said, what has happened is that people are discussing not necessarily what Tiger is doing now in golf, but referencing his previous actions a few years ago and how this damaged his reputation not only as a golfer, but as a person as well.
Some advocates for this new Nike Ad have mentioned that it is all about “reinvention.” Meaning, they understand that Tiger has come out and had to take responsibility for his actions a few years ago, but they feel that this is a new way to re-establish himself in the eyes of his audiences including the fans, sponsors, media, and golf enthusiasts. In addition, there have been some people that have mentioned that the ad tells us more about ourselves as fans and society than it does towards Tiger Woods, which is another approach to consider.
I wish that it was as simple as this. We discuss in crisis communications that a crisis and the damage it takes on your reputation can take a long, long time to recover, if ever. Tiger is still getting the endorsements and has started a new relationship with Lindsay Vonn, so things to appear to be moving along for him both on and off the golf course.
However, for Nike and Tiger Woods, this is just one piece of the puzzle. Just because an athlete performs well today does not guarantee people will be forgiving for their past actions so easily. The reaction on social media towards both Nike and Tiger Woods has drawn some criticism. People still remember the situation he was involved in, even though it was a few years ago.
Some of the main criticisms being raised is the fact that would this ad still be prominent if it occurred with other athletes like Lance Armstrong? What message does this present to fans and even young inspiring athletes? These are all questions being raised to Nike for their rationale on implementing this ad with Tiger. We’ll just have to wait and see how this develops further from a crisis and PR perspective.
In essence, Tiger Woods will always be known as a great golfer – no question. However, he will be known as a great golfer who had to deal with a pretty big reputation crisis involving his character and behavior. This is something people (and Google) will not forget.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
0 Comments