Dec 1, 2009
Liars, Tiger and Stares, Oh My
Okay, who is advising Tiger Woods on his public statements? Seriously, his handlers can’t be professionally trained in best practices of public relations. If they were, they would have insisted on knowing the truth and the facts - without the prejudice of emotions or pride. Then they would have made the decision of what, if anything, to say as the argument for “this is a private matter” has merit. Any public statement would answer questions before they’re asked to significantly cut off the legs on this story. They also would have a plan to address lies and speculation, which is pretty much all the quasi media need considering the vagueness of Tiger’s statement and his cancellation of all golf tournaments for the rest of the year. As avid golf fans know, Tiger rarely plays in tournaments in December and January.
What began as a car wreck has become a global inquisition regarding what led up to Tiger’s accident. This slow-removal-of-a-band-aid approach is painful to watch, especially for experienced crisis managers. And herein may lie the problem. Until now, Tiger Woods has enjoyed a stellar reputation. He’s the highest paid professional athlete in the world. He’s an active supporter of several charities, including his own nonprofit foundation. He really hasn’t experienced an actual crisis until now. Considering his cadre of agents, publicists and managers, I seriously doubt there’s a professional public relations practitioner among his peeps.
While I don’t know the details, I do know that people can handle the truth and are gracious with their forgiveness. But you have to be willing to speak the truth, and make an informed decision that involves experienced public relations counsel and legal minds. Thoughts?
Agreed. While I sympathize with Tiger, given the media's thirst for details about public figures' private lives, some simple, straightforward and timely communication might have headed all this off at the pass. Taking the "it's a private matter" party line is like throwing gas on a fire. What might have been a blip on the news radar is now looking like it has potential as a made-for-tv miniseries. The poor guy definitely needs some astute public relations counsel.
I wrote a similar post yesterday on http://www.valleyprblog.com. If you aren't going to manage your own message, someone will surely do it for you. Avoidance is not a communications strategy.
When you've been a winner all your life, rarely facing anything of negative consequence, your first major crisis has to be a curveball. Of course, as you said, this is why the poor guy needs some astute public relations counsel. Thanks for commenting!
I love it – avoidance is not a communications strategy! Makes for a great bumper sticker. Thanks for commenting!
As I understand from the media, he has fulfilled his legal obligations as to the accident – providing driver's license, proof of insurance, etc. If that is correct and I haven't heard anything to the contrary, it appears that he has no obligation to talk with the authorities….. I suspect the police want to talk with him just because he is "Tiger Woods". Of course, I am under no illusions that, in the event he talked to the police, the info would not be leaked to the press.
I am in the camp that wants Tiger to hang tough and keep his mouth shut! While I am an inquiring mind, I don't think I have any need to know his private business. I must say that I am loving the legal/PR aspects of this situation. It brings to mind a continuing ed session I attended at the annual ABA conference the year after OJ. Some of the PR folks who worked for OJ's defense team spoke. They pointed out the importance of bring a PR rep into the fold immediately after a press worthy/legal incident. The team (lawyer/PR) outline the strategy from Day 1 so there is a consistent and "snappy" message. I think Tiger's team was put in place the am of the incident!!!
I'm not sure he wants the truth to be known.
Tiger typically does not play in any tournaments in December or most of January. My guess is his advisors believe it will blow over by then. The media most interested in the story is the media with only a casual acquaintance with truth.
Fans of Tiger and golf will say let him have his privacy.
A legal point is always welcome. Thanks for sharing your expertise!
Good points about the truth, the timing and the type of media most interested. When you're a public figure, there apparently is no place to hide. If this were an average couple, nobody would give it a second thought. The price of fame…
I wholeheartedly agree with this post. He desperately needs a crisis management expert!
It should come as no surprise that Tiger's initial written statement was slapped together by his agent. It was lathered with milk toast and maple syrup. Most professional athletes turn to their agents as their spokespersons when they land in trouble. These agents immediately insert themselves between trouble and their clients. Talk about the blind leading the blind. As we all know, professional agents are only concerned with protecting their livelihood than the truth and they know as much about crisis communications as they do about brain surgery.
So sad, but so true. Apparently Tiger listened to somebody other than his agent today with his forthcoming transgressions. And this story could have had such a shorter shelf life! Thanks so much for commenting.
It might be interesting, even instructive, to compare the way Tiger Woods responded to an embarassing and potentially damaging revelation to the way David Letterman responded to his similar revelation a few months ago. The Letterman story did not seem to have the legs to carry it as far as some seemed to think, but has Tiger, and presumably his advisers, been quite so deft? And what about Tiger's female aquaintances who now seem ready to pounce on the opportunity to see how much publicity, morphing into money, they can get out of It? Is it too late for Tiger to mount an effective damage control campaign?
What an appropriate comparison of Tiger and Letterman! The similar circumstances of both high profile figures are relevant enough to compare in regard to strategy. Letterman’s camp clearly advised an upfront, quick Band-aid removal reducing the shelf life of the story – and actually drawing praise from some PR counselors. Tiger’s camp offered too little too late, with the gory, yet speculative, details being revealed on a piecemeal basis. It’s just painful to watch. As always, thanks for your insights!
[...] 4) Collateral Tools – I’ve not been in an airport in recent weeks, so I may be speaking out of turn. But I do know this: you have to drill down through the TSA website to find any information or tools to demonstrate what travelers should expect with the new screenings. The website’s statement from Administrator John Pistole is relatively lame. I’m pretty sure the person who wrote it also worked for Tiger Woods. [...]
[...] Liars, Tiger and Stares, Oh My – Everyday PROkay, who is advising Tiger Woods on his public statements? Seriously, his handlers can’t be professionally trained in best practices of public relations. If they were, they would have insisted on knowing the truth and the facts - without … December 1, 2009 at 5:36 pm … Agreed. While I sympathize with Tiger, [...]