Tiger Woods Public Relations Efforts

Tiger Woods Needs Public Relations Help

Maybe I'm writing too much about this creep, but I just had to address Tiger Woods from a public relations perspective.

 Like so many, I couldn't help but watch his press conference with sick curiosity. What was he going to say? Will Elin be there? Will he be wearing a shirt with the Nike logo emblazoned on it? Inquiring minds wanted to know!!!

 After watching Tiger give his weird robotic speech that any eight-grader in public speaking class could have delivered more effectively, all I can say is, "Hunh?"

 He came out looking like a deer in the headlights wearing a non-descript blazer and starched shirt that looked like it came from the clearance rack at the Men's Wearhouse. Standing awkwardly at a podium in the darkly lit room, his mother gazed up at him from the front row. There was something strangely Michael Jackson-like about this odd performance. And, it did nothing to make me think that he's just a guy who made some poor choices in a marriage.

 While I never really gave Tiger all that much thought before, I now think that he's probably a completely socially challenged individual who has no ability to relate to others. Like Michael Jackson, he was groomed from an early age to do just one thing. This apparently stunted his development in many other areas of his life. Note to myself - don't push my boys to become golf phenoms.

 As someone who is focused on public relations every day, I do my best on positioning my clients in the best possible light. Of course, if Tiger had been my client (wouldn't that have been something?), I would have had him up and saying sorry from day one after his so-called "accident" on Thanksgiving. I wouldn't have let the situation fester for three months before having him address the issues.

 I would have dressed him in normal, relatable clothing. Perhaps, not his red "victory" shirt, but casual attire would have appeared a heck of a lot more believable than his dress for success getup that he wore on Friday.

 I wouldn't be letting his mom and friends sit in the front row of any press conference. Hello!! He's a grown man. He should have enough sense to be able to answer questions from reporters. Like it or not, he's a public personality. He accepted all the perks of stardom, so he should be able to answer the media's questions when they arise.

 Tiger's public relations team succeeded in letting us all find out that he is a control freak who is fashion-challenged, and can't speak in public unless he's reading from notes.

 It's easy to prime someone to say witty sound bites after they win a tournament. It's not so simple to prepare them how to articulate when they let down millions of fans with bad behavior. But, this is what his team should have been doing.

 As I threw out the offer to help Apple with brand development several weeks ago, I am now offering to help Tiger. He needs some fresh public relations guidance from someone with real world experience. No one feels any more sympathy for Tiger after his monologue on Friday. It's time for some new ideas if he's ever going to salvage his image. For more, go to https://theentrepreneurialmom.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/why-tiger-woods-public-relations-efforts-didnt-work/