When the Brand is the Man

The recent Tiger Woods scandel should make us re-think how we market when the brand and the man are one in the same. Years ago someone, I'm not sure who, decided that Woods' image should be that of the squeaky-clean, disciplined golfer. Everybody's man. A role model to kids and revered by adults. I found the first Nike commercial where children of all races were declaring, "I am Tiger Woods". You can view it here.

A few days ago, my six year old son asked,  "Can a man have a wife and a girlfriend?"  He was referring to something he had seen on the news. This is far cry from the image that most of us bought hook, line, and sinker.

Now, don't get me wrong. I understand the nature of human beings. I know that nobody is perfect. It doesn't really matter if he were portrayed simply as the great golfer that he is. Even if he were notorious for being a womanizer, it would have made little difference to those who love the sport of golf. Americans are known for for loving "bad boys" and some would have looked right over his indiscretions. This is a sad statement, but a true one.

A lot of people made a lot of money promoting a lie. There seems to be incongruency in the character of the brand and that of the man. This is just one more thing that erodes trust in leadership and weaves more unhealthy cynicism within the human fabric.

Tiger admits that he has strayed from his values. What can we learn? If you and your brand are one in the same, be true to your values. Write them down. Take them to heart. Anchor your decisions by them. Don't publicly market one thing and be someone else behind closed doors. In the long run, it's just not worth it.