Can Tiger Woods regain his status as advertising’s best and highest-paid product endorser — a role he lost once his sex scandal came to light?
The answer may come down to how he does on the golf course this year.
“A lot depends on how people respond to this (apology) and whether people seem to buy it or not,” according to Margaret Campbell associate professor of marketing at the Leeds School Business at CU-Boulder.
Campbell, who teaches a course on celebrity endorsement and the factors that play into credibility, says what matters in any choice of celebrity endorser is “expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness and, then, the meaning that’s associated with the person.”
The perceived “meaning” is the main issue for Woods, she said.
“One possibility is that people feel he gets his power as endorser from his amazing golf skills. In which case, what he needs to do is win,” she said. “But I think it’s likely his associations go beyond his expertise and skill with golf to someone who is very dedicated and self controlled.”
Accenture PLC and AT&T Inc. severed their ties with Woods in the wake of the scandal. Gillette and Tag Heuer limited his role in their marketing campaigns. Nike Inc. and PepsiCo’s Gatorade reportedly have not changed their relationships with the superstar golfer.
Recall Woods’ endorsements for global financial services group Accenture have been all about how focused and controlled he is about sport.
“If that’s the case,” Campbell said, “then he has more problems. One possible interpretation is he’s not actually very self-controlled or focused.”
The best paid endorser in the U.S., making over $100 million a year, may have more trouble with women consumers than men.
“My gut observation, without any research, is that meaning is quite different for men and women. Men are less likely to believe his string of infidelities means anything about who he is and what he brings to the party. Whereas women on average seem to think, gee, that doesn’t demonstrate self control.”
Marketers won’t spend money to participate in an image rehabilitation. The point of paying a celebrity endorser is to borrow the image they already have and apply that to your brand.
Campbell discounts the idea that consumers ultimately will turn the Woods scandal against the media.
“He played along in partnership with the media to create a view of himself that has been very effective and very lucrative for him. I don’t think we can say the media is responsible for this.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
