Tiger Woods Nike Ad, a Bad PR Move?

by Gail Sideman | April 9th, 2010 | View Comments

The Nike ad. Just say those three words this week to a sports fan and it’s pretty much understood they’re talking about the Tiger Woods ad for the shoe and apparel company that debuted on SportsCenter and GolfChannel.

The social mediasphere immediately began to weigh in on its value or misplacement. By Thursday, I believe that at least 50% of my Twitter stream, sports and non-sports people alike mentioned something about the ad. That’s a boatload of tweets on one subject, and something I don’t think I’ve ever seen.

The Vilifying of Athlete Crimes

by Michelle Hill | April 6th, 2010 | View Comments

Are athletes judged and dealt with more harshly for their indiscretions and blatant crimes than the Average Joe? Are they scrutinized and seen as villains under the media’s microscope in a way that’s justified by those who condemn them?

If we’re honest about it, most people thrive on public scandal and it is evidenced by the way we were glued to our televisions during the O.J. trial. Of course, other sports heroes have caught our attention with scandals of varying degrees, like Kobe Bryant, Rae Carruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Nate Newton, Michael Vick, Tonya Harding, Mike Tyson, and most recently, Tiger Woods.

WWTD – What Will Tiger Do?

by Gail Sideman | April 5th, 2010 | View Comments

It’s an exciting time of year for sports. It’s officially opening day for Major League Baseball. The Final Four tips in Indianapolis with storybook character, Butler University, taking on hoops behemoth, Duke in the evening. In the midst of it all will be lots of talk about Sunday’s big National Football League trade of Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Washington Redskins.

Oh, and Tiger is scheduled to hold a press conference today at 2 p.m., EST at Augusta National, site of The Master’s. It will be the first time that professional golfer Tiger Woods, takes questions from the media after he admitted to multiple affairs, and watched his nearly spotless brand derail last fall.

5 Proactive PR Tips for Sports Figures

by Gail Sideman | March 26th, 2010 | View Comments

It’s official. Tiger Woods announced on his website that he will begin his comeback from the personal mega-bogey that derailed his professional career for four months.

Ben Roethlisberger is still fighting a sexual assault charge, his second such fumble in three years.

Four University of Oregon football players have been in trouble with the law in the month.

These are just some of the dozens of professional sports figures whose off-the-field actions have affected theirs and their organizations’ reputations.

Despite the proliferation of portable recording devices and media’s unprecedented coverage, athletes and coaches who enter the public limelight because of their talents, continue to endure public humiliation because of their own poor personal decisions. It’s for that reason I want to reach out via SportsNetworker with a PR primer. It could even be looked upon as an image savior.

Popular Brands Pay a Price

by Gail Sideman | March 4th, 2010 | View Comments

sean dreilinger This week, Tiger Woods’ college girlfriend defended her Stanford sweetheart by talking to Sports Illustrated and golf.com reporter, Alan Shipnuck.

As I read Irene Folstrom’s take on Tiger during their time as motivated college students with many of the same dreams that others enjoy, I was reminded of the huge public and private responsibility that athletes take on when they turn pro. Even coaches face this problem when they get that first big job, especially if they break onto the scene as the anticipated savior of their sport.

Folstrom’s memories of Woods is quite a contrast to what we’ve read and heard about the famous professional golfer in the last five months, if not 10 years. She talks about wistful talks about the future and the way each were grateful to receive free desserts at a Chinese restaurant that they frequented, the complimentary part being a big deal for a couple of college students.

Tips on Apologizing for Salespeople

by Bill Guertin | February 22nd, 2010 | View Comments

LexnGer Tiger Woods delivering his 13-minute speech was finally what hundreds of millions of people were waiting to hear. “I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you,” said Woods. “I have made you question who I am and how I could have done all the things I did. I am embarrassed I have put you in this position. For all that I have done, I am deeply sorry. I have a lot to atone for.”

Tiger screwed up, and he finally was doing what anyone who screws up badly should do; take ownership for your mistakes, and let people know what you plan to do to fix them.

As responsible salespeople, we can learn from Tiger’s example. On occasion, we’re going to screw up an order, type in a wrong seat number, forget some paperwork, or fail to follow up with a phone call we promised to make. Rather than run and hide, the sooner we can recognize our mess-up, the better off everyone will be.

Tiger Woods Press Conference: Do You Believe Him?

by Sam Taggart | February 19th, 2010 | View Comments

tiger woods statement Over the past 48 hours, the Internet has been buzzing because of the announcement of Tiger Woods’ first public appearance since his infamous November 27th accident. All of the major sports, news, and entertainment publications have written about it. Yesterday #tigershouldsay was trending on Twitter (e.g. #tigershouldsay blame it on Nike, they told me to just do it), and this morning, “Tiger Woods” was a trending topic.

Many have questioned the timing and format of Woods’ appearance. Tiger chose to make his statement during the middle of the WSG-Accenture (Accenture being a previous Woods sponsor) Match Play Championship. Further, he opened the appearance up to only a small group of family and friends, and several members of the media. Oh, and no questions.

Bad Timing in the PR World

by Gail Sideman | February 18th, 2010 | View Comments

<VIA LOUDSPEAKER> International Olympic Committee, Vancouver Organizing Olympic Committee and Tiger Woods, please report to the first-floor classroom for PR 101…

I really wish I could say that people who work in my industry do it right because we had the best and the brightest teachers. Somewhere along the way, however, some didn’t learn basic public relations, didn’t listen or are allowing a misguided leader to dictate actions instead of what could be a better strategy for relating to the public.

Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, announced that the world’s most popular golfer will make his first public appearance since November when he makes a statement to a “small group of friends, colleagues and close associates” and three pool reporters on Friday at 11 a.m., EST from the PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra, Fla.

Florida Football Coach Provides PR Case Study to End the Year

by Gail Sideman | December 28th, 2009 | View Comments

serk1 Just when you thought you could put the finishing touches on your year-end list of best/worst stories, University of Florida football coach, Urban Meyer, added yet another chapter to 2009’s book of sports public relations case studies.

On Saturday, all modes of media went into overdrive when the 45-year-old two-time national champion coach announced he would step down after the Gators met the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, January 1, in New Orleans. He cited health challenges and priority of family over football in his decision.

Sports Business Weekly Buzz

by Ben Sturner | December 25th, 2009 | View Comments

TV Revs: ’09 Down 22%, Rise Predicted in ’10

By Wayne Friedman

BIA/Kelsey, a financial advisor to local media companies, estimates that TV stations’ ad revenues will rise 3% in 2010 — or $500 million — to $16.1 billion.
The media group now says 2009 will end at $15.6 billion, down 22.4% from last year’s $20.1 billion mark.
TV stations reached an all-time ad revenue record in 2006, when it was at $22.8 billion.
BIA says 2011 will see negative growth again — in part because it is a non-Olympic, non-political year.
BIA estimates by 2013, stations will only inch forward to $16.4 billion; however, it notes that TV stations have not been at such levels since the mid-1990s.