Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Public relations experts assessing the fallout from Tiger Woods' car crash and apparent extramarital affair say the golf superstar broke a cardinal damage control rule: come clean in public at the start of a scandal.

"Really and truly, the best thing to do is to speak the truth," said Terrie Williams, whose New York-based PR firm has represented leading celebrities from the worlds of entertainment and athletics.

Professionals in Williams's industry, who make their living burnishing the images of celebrity clients, said they follow the ironclad rule when handling the sort of sexual peccadillos many suspect Woods committed.

"The first thing you do is, just acknowledge the mistake - the human error," Williams said. "What's important is how you move on from there."

Vince McGourty of the HCD marketing and public relations firm in Flemington, New Jersey, said that Woods' biggest mistake was waiting too long to issue a statement acknowledging his personal missteps.

The golf great apologised on Wednesday for "transgressions" in his family life, as a magazine posted what it said was evidence of an extramarital affair with a cocktail waitress.

The statement came after days of speculation following last Friday's car crash. A terse and somewhat cryptic statement issued on Monday only served to further gin up public and media curiosity.

The golf star's statement on Wednesday came closer to acknowledging the sexual indiscretions which many believe are at the heart of the events that started with the slow-motion car crash just metres from his Orlando, Florida home.

"I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart," Woods said, appealing for privacy after celebrity gossip magazines and tabloids reported on three women claimed to have been his mistresses.

In his statement on his web site on Wednesday, Woods also admitted he was "far short of perfect" and said "I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves", he said, also making reference to "personal sins”.

McGourty said it was likely that Woods' handlers advised him to issue such a statement earlier, but did so only after discovering that the furor was not quelled by his earlier remarks.

"He probably said thanks for the advice, but this is what I want to do," McGourty said.

"At this point, I think he is smart enough to know that there's no way out, and after the reports started coming out (about infidelity), he said, 'You know what? OK. I don't have a choice now'."

Williams said she too has had clients over the years who have failed to heed the time-honored "just come clean" PR advice - and who usually regretted it.

"I've been in this situation since forever. I know that the counsel that I'm providing is sound. And in the end, people do what it is that they want to do," she said.

The Woods saga started at 2.25am November 27, when he crashed his car outside his Florida home where he lives with Elin, a 29-year-old former Swedish model, and their two children.

Police this week issued Woods a minor traffic citation, while his corporate sponsors, including Nike, said they were sticking by him.

"Nike supports Tiger and his family. Our relationship remains unchanged," the sporting equipment and apparel said in a brief statement on Wednesday.
McGourty said Woods, one of sport's most golden commodities, appears to have weathered the storm as far as his lucrative endorsements go.

"Nike may want to change its 'Just Do It' slogan - that's not going to work anymore for Tiger anymore," he said. "But I don't see Nike dropping" Woods, he added.

Less clear, however is how the public will respond.

A survey by the polling arm of McGourtey's HCD public relations firm found that about one-third of the public said they have a more negative view of Woods than before the scandal.

Comedians across the country are already mining the incident for material, McGourtey said.

"My wife and I went to see (comedian) Robin Williams in New York on Monday night and that's what he opened the show with - Tiger Woods," he said.
While sexual peccadilloes may not be career busters, secrecy about personal indiscretion remains damaging.

Americans - once seen as puritanical in their moral standards - are now generally less shocked about sex scandals, said Williams.

"There have been many, many high profile men who have had mistresses," she said.

"I think there are worse transgressions that would have an impact on (Woods') brand."

She added: "When it comes to infidelity, I hear people saying all the time, 'so what else is new?' This is what men do - especially men in the public eye."