Image Brand Reputation: Dear Tiger,

What I know about golf you forgot—when you were three.  But we both know a lot about coaches. You’ve had a few and I coach people in how to build their brand image and in media and crisis communication.  Right now, you could use some coaching and despite what they did to Socrates for unwanted advice—the story is he was poisoned—here goes.

Your crown as Tigers Woods the world’s most popular golfer is tipping a tad.  People are talking about it. The buzz is building. But not the kind of image enhancement you’ve come to enjoy.  You see, your fans, the media and the public are curious now about you the man, not your pro golf status.

What about your sponsors?  They might be concerned about their brand image right about now. The point is, we’re all interested.  Whether the rumors about your alleged affairs,  medication or intoxication speculation,  or a 2:30 a.m. domestic tiff turn out to be true or false, when you don’t say anything, well, your no-where-to-be-seen, or interviewed approach stimulates the imagination, begging for answers or at least a little satisfaction.

Here are some basic principles behind every damage control strategy you need to learn soon.  First, let’s talk about attitude and timing.  Maybe you were as shocked by your actions as the rest of the world, but your statement arrived about three days too late.  Okay, okay, we’ll go with the shock theory. You took some time to think about what you wanted to say.  The problem is that it was vague—didn’t really answer anyone’s questions.   Something about not being perfect and wanting privacy.  It’s a little late in the game for that approach to work don’t you think?

Second, the media really does not like to be stonewalled. It’s that “been-there-seen-that-and-heard-it-all-before” thing, which means to a  reporter, and in your case the public,  there might a few facts missing in action. Maybe?  Allow me to be more direct, Mr. Woods. Either you tell your story or someone else will tell it for you. It’s been reported that you said, “Some people are intrusive.” Here’s the thing you need to understand about reporters: telling a story, with facts, is part of the job description.

It is not an admission of guilt or a marital confession you need to spell out. We figured there might be some legal and or personal issues you can’t discuss right now.  It’s just that some details provided by you could make your “embarrassing” incident yesterday’s news. At least bump it off the front page. The longer you linger, the more tantalizing the story.  It boils down to this.  We’ve been watching you for decades.  The public wants to see you and hear you so they can form their own opinions. It is a step toward polishing the Tiger Woods brand image.

Consider your stellar life.  Fans are on your side. Especially if you handle it right. Let somebody else capture the lead news story so you can land back in the sports sections for winning.  You know, for all the right reasons. Oh, another thing.  People are forgiving provided you don’t make a habit of attention grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Warm wishes,

Judy Jernudd, Startegic

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