Having worked both as a print journalist early in my career and later in marketing at tier-one global golf brands (TaylorMade and adidas), I’m fascinated by the Tiger Woods story. Not the salacious details of his liaisons with who knows how many women now set to cash in. That’s too easy. Like rubbernecking on the highway. Just another iconic fall from grace. Expected mea culpa being strategized by his handlers as I type this. Lowest common denominator celebrity “news” that has zero true bearing on the world — other than his and his family’s.
No, the fascination with this cautionary tale is how consumers will respond. Nike Golf was built on Tiger’s back. It was nothing, zero, nada in 1996. Then the words “Hello World” from Tigers lips launched the start of what is approaching a $1B golf business for Nike. Tiger’s lent his name, face and image to countless other brands to give them more prestige, more power, more visibility.
I, for one, can’t wait for the end of January when Tiger normally makes his beloved return to Torrey Pines in San Diego to play in the Buick Invitational. It’s the same site where he won the 2008 U.S. Open in a playoff to a journeyman guy known as Rocco Mediate. It might make for the perfect stage upon which to ask forgiveness from a primary audience of men. Or it might be the first tournament he “skips” for reasons we all know. It’s not easy anymore being Tiger. The brand just became more human.



