Crisis management is an important factor when it comes to public relations and athletics. An athlete's image is major for companies to potentially endorse them. Most of an athlete's money comes from their endorsement contracts, but a tarnished image can potentially hurt their chances of getting signed.
Major sponsors like Gatorade, Nike, or Disney have an industry standard to uphold to their consumers. The face selling any of their products must be a credible one, one that the public can trust and believe in. There have been unfortunate cases where a spokesperson's personal life has conflicted with the interest of the sponsor...More than likely the sponsor will move on to find another cash cow.
When the Tiger Woods cheating scandal broke his squeaky clean reputation took a hit. Another thing was his wallet. Other than his inevitable divorce, one of the first things go was his endorsement deal with Gatorade. His PR team tried to frame the story like it was just a argument with his wife. For a few days the public was led to believe that there was nothing going on and that the story was blown out of proportion. I know I was part of that group. When the real story came out, I didn't want to believe it. Like the old saying goes when it comes to framing: If the facts don't fit the frame, you don't change the story. You change the facts.
In the end Tiger Woods' PR team tried to take the actual story and frame it could still keep him in good standing with his sponsors and the public. But unfortunately the truth was revealed and he really did have multiple mistresses.
Hi, Brian,
ReplyDeleteWhen the Tiger Woods story came out, and he did not speak right away about the issue, I knew he was guilty of something. Either his PR team advised him to do the wrong thing, or he waited too long to hire a PR team.
The way news travels nowadays, he should have known whatever secret he had was going to be revealed within 48 hours of the occurrence. The media gave him a couple of days to come out and tell his story. And when he took too long, People Magazine broke the story and the rest is history.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBrian, it is truly a shame what happened to Tiger Woods. I do not mean just the scandal, I mean the whole ordeal starting with him marrying someone who he did not feel he could be faithful to. I was a strong supporter of Tiger and I still am, but seeing infidelity among black men in the media is just not the attention we need. I am of the persuasion that they should have left him well enough alone. I could have done without the details of all his mistresses. Tiger is not doing anything, most of the men around him aren't doing. For that matter, he is not doing anything new among star athletes. It's just something about golf. It has such a sterile image that we just don't associate their players with being playboys, but it can happen. And it did happen. I just hate it happened to Tiger.
ReplyDeleteCrisis management among athletes seems to have increased in the last few years. As public relations professionals we have to be able to work under pressure, and ultimately do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteThe public sometimes forget that these people are human beings who make mistakes as well. The Tiger Woods situation and others really expose the talents or the lack thereof that PR practioners have.
Acting fast and staying honest are mandatory in order to instill a sense of trust. Also, implementing strategies to correct the problem will assist with gaining respect.