With the 111th annual US Open starting this week, the biggest story remains Tiger Woods dropping out of the golf tournament due to lingering issues with his left leg. After his stellar performance at the Masters only a few months ago, the Open looked to be Tiger’s opportunity to sway the same naysayers I personally witnessed at last year’s Open in Pebble Beach. This year’s Open, however, looked to be Tiger’s first tournament win since his infamous 2009 sex scandal. But, with him out and now the next tournaments in August in question, Tiger’s future looks as uncertain as ever. Will he remain a tainted figure, or will he roar back?
What is the social media universe saying about Tiger?
Just as we used Attensity360 to analyze the sentiment of the Kentucky Derby a few weeks ago, I was able to track the top trending dates around Tiger’s US Open departure using the terms: “Tiger Woods,” “US Open,” “golf,” “injury,” “dropping out,” “future,” “records.” (Full disclosure: Attensity is a client of ours.) Unsurprisingly, Tiger’s June 7 announcement of his not playing was met with the highest chatter on social media sites of all dates within the last month. The next highest peak had occurred roughly two weeks earlier on May 24, arguably due to a press conference that day opened by Tiger tweeting, “Almost press conference time. I’ll donate one million dollars to @TWFoundation if no one asks me about the leg.”
Attensity360 also highlighted general social media sentiment around Tiger and the US Open. The results using Attensity’s solution were almost as positive as they were neutral: 46.1% neutral, 37.8% positive, 10.2% negative and 6.0% mixed. My conclusion from these results is that people are largely torn between remembering Tiger’s scandal and rooting for him once again.
Tiger Woods. Mel Gibson. Britney Spears. Kobe Bryant. Michael Jackson. Michael Richards. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Anthony Weiner. The list of public figures with damaged reputations goes on and on. The same has applied to companies and brands as well, whether through poor decisions (BP oil spill, Nike sweatshops) or through no fault of their own (Casio watches’ appeal to al-Qaeda, Bruno Magli loafers belonging to O.J. Simpson).
So, how do you manage a reputation? Timing is a crucial element. If an incident involving a company or a spokesperson occurs, don’t immediately book an avalanche of briefings and appearances. The now-obligatory public canned apology the next day is beginning to seem disingenuous. But, if the public pushes for answers – and chances are, they will – choose your words carefully. Always tell the truth, but fine-tune your messaging and stick with it. Contradictory statements will only diminish your credibility. On the other hand, avoid the temptation to withhold comment altogether. “No comment” can often be further damaging as it makes the spokesperson appear as though they have more to hide. In many cases, a written statement is a perfectly acceptable method of responding to an incident without further fanning the flames.
Subtlety can also be a great move – instead of the rampage led by Charlie Sheen, or the “Say you’re gonna love me!” plea to a betrayed public, as in the 1957 morality tale A Face in the Crowd. One of Tiger’s best and subtlest post-scandal PR moves occurred just after the aforementioned May 24 press conference. Despite Tiger’s donation tweet that preceded the conference in an attempt to deter inquiries on his leg, the very first question by the media was about Woods' health, and he smiled as soon as it was halfway asked. "There goes the donation," said a few in attendance. Or, so they thought. The press conference ended without another word on the donation, but just afterward, Woods tweeted a follow-up: “Bet was over after first question but of course I’m going to still give the money to the @TWFoundation.”
In this increasingly connected world, with leaks, paparazzi and mobile devices taking video, public figures and corporations alike have little privacy and room for secrets. So, honesty is the best policy. The publicist’s job is to help everyone move on. And, while words are the bread and butter of PR, let your clients excel at what made them famous and respected in the first place. Actions can speak louder than words, as this will surely be the case if Tiger wins another tournament and helps the public separate the golfer from the man.
Photo credit: Gennard Fotografia via Flickr
Of course they would ask about his health.
Augh
The media sometimes is quote annoying.
But, it was very nice of him to still donate.
Posted by: Laurie | June 16, 2011 at 07:09 AM