One transgression. Two. Three. Nine? Nine transgressions? (as the tabloids today would have you believe. Nine? Really?).
In short, a marketers nightmare. One needs to look at Mr Woods as a brand…a very valuable brand to the countless parade of pitchers seeking their service and being rewarded handsomely when he so much as wears a hat bearing the brand’s identity.
But what do you do with this mess now? Any backers of integrity and values would jettison Mr Woods as quickly as he moved from purported mistress to mistress. But in the infamous words of Lee Corso – “Not so fast my friend”.
Advertisers who have signed long term deals (and what a coup that seemed like at the time!) now have to look at the contract and see if it can be voided for moral transgressions. If it can’t, here is where they are at:
– Mr Woods may be the cornerstone of their ad campaign. That means the spots you’d see for the upcoming Masters have already been completed and paid for…and it means that there ain’t no backup.
– Mr Woods is scheduled for a multitude of promotional appearances, autograph signings, corporate events, etc… that bring in the big rollers.
– Mr Woods can turn around after he has fought to debunk the rumors and restore his name…and litigate for breach of contract.
– Mr Woods may be so intertwined with the various brands that he pitches that there is no way to extract and jettison him…at the risk of starting from scratch on a brand new campaign.
So…where does this leave Buick? Sitting pretty damn pretty if you ask me.