By Kate Torok, Account Manager
Woe is you, Tiger Woods.
It’s good to see you though, even if it’s about three months too late.
Admittedly, I, along with several colleagues, tuned in to Tiger’s 11:00 a.m. press conference (which started a few minutes late, by the way.) We were undoubtedly only some of the millions who did.
There was even a screen shot of Wall Street employees – you know, the people who keep the economy moving with big deals and trades – at a dead standstill intensely watching Tiger speak. There is something hugely wrong with that picture.
I expected it to be a quick, “I’m sorry,” and not a defensive dissertation. I expected an ounce of sincerity, but alas, there didn’t seem to be any.
What I didn’t expect were his fake I screwed up’s and his forced I take the blame’s. His eyes told more of a story than the words he was clearly reading. He knew he had to say something, it was an obligation, but as a viewer, I didn’t believe any of it.
His 60-second media tirade, telling them to leave his wife, kids and of course, mom, alone, was when I tuned out. You’re awfully quick to sign multi-year, multi-million dollar deals with sponsors so you can see yourself splashed all over television and magazines, but when you royally screw up, their interest is no longer acceptable. Is that how it works?
Here’s the deal, buddy. You are a public figure, and you’re paid extraordinarily well to be one. Do I care who you sleep with? Nope. But, for some reason, lots of people do. And they also happen to be the people who support your career and foundation. So, this morning’s apology was long overdue.
From a public relations standpoint, I’m not sure he will ever regain the position he once held. People will always think of this incident when they see him doing anything else. Images of his porn star partners were certainly flashing through my head while he ranted, I mean, apologized.
Dick Shaner and Bill Collins both wrote blogs about this situation when it first happened, and both made the point that he was staying too silent for too long. That was in early December. And here we are, at the end of February, hearing him utter a peep for the first time.
As Bill Collins would say, the seven deadly sins that anyone dealing with a crisis can commit are: unpreparedness, absence, ignorance, silence, distance, fabrication and naivete.
Looks like Tiger can add all of those to his list of sins.
And now, for the real question, which tabloid TV news program will he offer an exclusive to first? Probably the one who offers him the most money.
I expected it to be a quick, “I’m sorry,” and not a defensive dissertation. I expected an ounce of sincerity, but alas, there didn’t seem to be any.
What I didn’t expect were his fake I screwed up’s and his forced I take the blame’s. His eyes told more of a story than the words he was clearly reading. He knew he had to say something, it was an obligation, but as a viewer, I didn’t believe any of it.
His 60-second media tirade, telling them to leave his wife, kids and of course, mom, alone, was when I tuned out. You’re awfully quick to sign multi-year, multi-million dollar deals with sponsors so you can see yourself splashed all over television and magazines, but when you royally screw up, their interest is no longer acceptable. Is that how it works?
Here’s the deal, buddy. You are a public figure, and you’re paid extraordinarily well to be one. Do I care who you sleep with? Nope. But, for some reason, lots of people do. And they also happen to be the people who support your career and foundation. So, this morning’s apology was long overdue.
From a public relations standpoint, I’m not sure he will ever regain the position he once held. People will always think of this incident when they see him doing anything else. Images of his porn star partners were certainly flashing through my head while he ranted, I mean, apologized.
Dick Shaner and Bill Collins both wrote blogs about this situation when it first happened, and both made the point that he was staying too silent for too long. That was in early December. And here we are, at the end of February, hearing him utter a peep for the first time.
As Bill Collins would say, the seven deadly sins that anyone dealing with a crisis can commit are: unpreparedness, absence, ignorance, silence, distance, fabrication and naivete.
Looks like Tiger can add all of those to his list of sins.
And now, for the real question, which tabloid TV news program will he offer an exclusive to first? Probably the one who offers him the most money.
