Tiger sponsors see brand buzz suffer

Allegations about Tiger Woods’ private life appear to have damaged consumers’ perception of the golfer’s key sponsors Nike and Gillette, according to YouGov data.

Tiger Woods

Gillette’s “Buzz”, a measure of whether people have heard positive or negative statements about a brand, has fallen from 14.9 on 1 December, just before Woods’ admission of “transgressions” in his private life, to 7.7 on the 14 December after heavy media coverage of extra-marital affairs.

The YouGov data comes after the shaving brand, which had used the golfer alongside football star Thierry Henry and tennis player Roger Federer in advertising campaigns, said it would be “limiting” Woods’ role in marketing campaigns.

The reputation of Nike, Woods’ main backer, has also suffered, according to the YouGov poll.

Sponsors feel the backlash as tide turns against Tiger The sportswear brand has seen its Corporate Reputation rating slide from 36.1 on 2 December to 33 on the 14 December, while consumers’ General Impression of the brand has dropped from 38.8 at the start of the month to 33.3 this week, despite the brand maintaining its Buzz rating.

Another Woods sponsor, Accenture, has dropped the golfer after concluding that he was not the “right representative” for the brand. Pepsi-owned soft drink Gatorade is to discontinue a product endorsed by the golfer.

Woods is believed to have amassed close to £600m in career earnings, about 80% of which is believed to come from sponsors.