As I watch the Tiger Woods story play out in the media, I can’t help but remember the old proverb: He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.
Tiger’s squeaky clean image has been carefully nurtured since he first burst onto the pro golfing scene. The PR machines behind Tiger and his various sponsors have nurtured that image to sell golf equipment, cars, watches and other high-end goods. It’s big business and there’s a lot at stake.
On a personal level, I agree that Tiger’s recent accident is his own business. After all, he was the only one involved. However, the fact is he’s a public figure and that means there is no putting the media Genie back in the bottle.
A variety of PR pundits are now weighing in on how Tiger should be handling the situation. Has he said too much? Is he saying too little? What we often forget when we become sideline quarterbacks is that crises involve more than a media dynamic; they involve human beings. As such, each should be handled individually.
It’s easy to pontificate on how someone should handle this type of media scrutiny, but try being the guy or gal in the limelight and see how well you would do. It’s not as easy as it looks.
I don’t know Tiger Woods, and I’m not sure what I would advise if I was his PR pro. I think you have to know your client very well before you can offer that advice with any degree of competence. First and foremost, there is no cookie cutter approach. You have to look at the situation, gather all the facts, take into account the individuals involved and then weigh the consequences of any action or inaction in a holistic manner before charging ahead.
It also comes down to your client’s priorities. To some, a public image may take precedence over their private lives. For others, it just may be the opposite. In either case, a different PR approach would apply.
Sadly, however, the PR world will now quickly rise up to comment on how Tiger should have, could have, and possibly would have handled the situation had they been by his side.
Comments
Well. I have a nice boy that would take his wife off his hands if he does'nt want her.
mamasride, that is the most ridiculous squabble I've heard yet!
Ann Subervi:
Why is it that people are so ardently looking for some reason to lynch this guy? Seriously, I back out of my driveway at 2:25am run down a few trash cans even mow down my neighbor's mail box. So what?
As for me this is an excellent example of an indictment on the media. If no story exists, heck, let's make one up!
Do you believe that Tiger Woods is benefiting from this ostensibly very made up situation? What on earth does "...living by the sword...dying by the sword" have anything whatsoever to do with Tiger Woods?
Thanks for the comments. If you read the story, you'll see that I think that Woods, while having a right to his privacy, must also contend with the fact that he's used his celebrity to his advantage, which means the media now consider him fair game...hence the "live the sword, die by the sword comment." You can't expect to put yourself in front of the media and say, "Hey, guys...you can only write good things about me." It's not realistic when you are a public figure.
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