Few athletes have been able to cultivate Tiger Woods’ revered status as a global personality. With his immeasurable talent, Woods brilliantly created an iconic personal brand, one that attracted passionate fans and corporate backers who wanted to align with his image. Following his recent scandal, Tiger’s cataclysmic fall from grace will be the subject of public relations case studies for years to come.
Audiences have learned that this larger than life personality is not only human but tragically flawed. Now, the overriding question is whether you will ever be able to rebuild your brand, public image, and reputation. The answer is yes, but could Woods’ handlers have prevented such a public relations debacle in the first place? Below are the basic principles of crisis communications that could have helped Tiger mitigate a blown disaster.
1. Disclosure, disclosure, disclosure. If he National researcher he is going to publish a great scandal, to get in front of him is before the newspaper reaches the stand. This allows the celebrity to manage the crisis rather than “reveal” itself little by little, day after day. By posting the story first, the celebrity can shape how future revelations are perceived (and believed).
2. Publish a statement that takes responsibility for past discretion. Acknowledge your flaws rather than punish the media freak you helped create for your lack of privacy. When fans feel betrayed, they want an apology, not excuses or reprimands. Give them one.
3. Accept your punches early and often. Let the story unfold quickly. Say your piece and then go.
So how does Tiger progress from here? Fortunately, the audience has a short memory and ultimately likes to see happy endings. Here’s how Tiger can reinvent himself:
1. Stay out of the limelight for at least six months. While golfers and television audiences will miss having Tiger on the tour, it’s a smart move from a public relations standpoint. It will give fans time to miss and forgive him.
2. Say you are going to focus on your family and do so. Stay out of the media spotlight until your life is back in order and then resurfaces as a rehabilitated family man.
3. After a reasonable period of time (six months to a year), promote your charities. Tiger has a charitable foundation that focuses on educating children; you should dedicate your laser-like approach to making it even more successful. That way, you can start to make headlines for your humanity rather than your celebrity.
4. Hope for another celebrity disaster. Cynical, yes, but the public loves scandals. The Tiger debacle will begin to fade from memory once another celebrity meltdown emerges to satiate the never-ending appetite for gossip.
Celebrities, even the best golfer in the world, are human beings like the rest of us. They get in trouble when they cut themselves off from reality and forget who made them famous in the first place. The average citizen wants to believe in greatness. We expect decency, loyalty, morality, and good judgment from those we have helped elevate to icon status. When that fails, we want them to be direct and honest. It is difficult to repair a tarnished image, but it is possible with smart, strategic public relations and a good dash of humility.