14 DAY TRIAL // Ever since he was involved in a one-vehicle crash about two weeks ago, Tiger Woods’ life has taken a turn for the worse. Aside from infidelity rumors and allegations of domestic abuse, in which he is the victim, the developments in his personal life are also making it so that he’s bleeding money, CNN Money informs. As of November 29, not a single ad featuring the golfer has been aired on primetime television.
Although this might come as a shock to fans, it’s not actually a surprising move on behalf of the companies that have endorsement deals with Woods. It’s not so much so that his personal life influences in any way his achievements as an athlete, the report says. His personal life will, however, have a say in his popularity level and credibility with the public – and it’s here that advertisers are not willing to take chances right now, opting instead to wait for this to blow over.
“According to media tracker Nielsen, the last time a commercial featuring Tiger Woods appeared on television was Nov. 29. The 30-second Gillette ad aired during NBC’s ‘Football Night in America,’ the pre-game show that broadcast prior to the Sunday night football game between the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots. The move to pull Tiger ads was not unexpected. CNN Money reported last week that sponsors have opted to continue their business relationships with Tiger but would hold back their commercials for several weeks.” CNN Money says.
Some sponsors, like Gatorade earlier today, have already withdrawn their support for Woods, while still retaining some kind of business relationship with him. Still, that does not change the fact that his ads are no longer being aired on primetime television, which is making many wonder about what he should do next. For PR man Mike Paul, for instance, that would include doing a tell-all interview (with Oprah, preferably, Gawker says), in order to explain himself in the press and put an end to some of the rumors that are now making the rounds.
There could be a silver lining to this cloud too, in that some companies choose to retain him as spokesperson. “Tiger’s sponsors, which include Gillette, Nike (NKE, Fortune 500), Gatorade and Electronic Arts (ERTS), have pledged their support of Woods and opted to retain the golfer as their spokesman, despite allegations of extramarital affairs and Woods’ recent admission of undisclosed ‘transgressions.’ Other partners, including AT&T (T, Fortune 500), Tag Heuer and Accenture, have not issued comments about their sponsorship of Tiger.” CNN Money further says.