14 DAY TRIAL // Golfer Tiger Woods is believed to make an estimated $100 million a year from endorsement deals alone, but in light of the recent car crash and the allegations it has brought about, it’s safe to say that things are not looking good for him. Ever since he crashed his SUV on his neighbor’s lawn, sponsors have been dropping Woods to the left and right – and Gillette and Accenture have also decided to do the same.
According to Reuters, Accenture, which has been featuring Woods heavily in its adds, has decided that his image no longer suits the one the company is trying to promote. For the time being, Accenture is dropping Woods from his contract, without as much as mentioning whether it has any plans of asking him back once the scandal blows over, which is the stance other sponsors have adopted for the time being.
Woods was featured heavily in Accenture ads in print, on television and online, Reuters says, so this is undoubtedly a blow to his finances that will be severely felt. “Given the circumstances of the last two weeks, after careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising,” Accenture says in a statement released a short while ago.
What’s even worse is that this is not the only sponsor to drop Woods in the past 24 hours, TMZ points out. Another major advertiser that had the golfer as its spokesperson was Gillette and it too has decided to “phase him out” of its ads. The silver lining to this cloud is that, unlike Accenture, Procter & Gamble is only breaking ties with Woods until he gets his personal life sorted out or, at least, that is the official line.
“Tiger Woods won’t be telling American men about close shaves anymore – Gillette is officially phasing him out of their ads. The company – owned by perennially G-rated Procter & Gamble – has announced it’s phasing Tiger out of its ads while he sorts out his personal life. Translation – they’re dumping him. Gillette is the first major sponsor to cut and run from the famed golfer,” TMZ says.