Bum's rush: Public
trust in Tiger tanks
Scandal-ridden golfer plunges from 10th to 78th
By Diego Vasquez
Dec 18, 2009
It's been another couple of very bad days for Tiger Woods, erstwhile Madison Avenue golden boy whose image has been severely tarnished by allegations of multiple marital infidelities.
As reports surfaced that Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, is filing for divorce, a new study from Omnicom's The Marketing Arm finds that the public's trust in the golfer also has plummeted in recent weeks.
Woods has gone from 10th to 78th on the Davie Brown Index, a system referenced by ad agencies to gauge celebrities' appeal to the general public.
In the "aspiration" category, which measures public trust, Woods has plunged from ninth to 2,325th. And he's now the 2,225th most-appealing celebrity, falling from 96th pre-scandal.
That does not bode well for Woods' now-tenuous relationship with his sponsors. Earlier this week consulting firm Accenture became the first to drop him.
Now the media world is waiting to see when and if other sponsors will follow. Gillette, Gatorade and AT&T have pulled back advertisements featuring the 14-time major winner. Tag Heuer is reevaluating its relationship with Woods, though it has not made any decisions.
Betting shops in the UK are taking odds on the next major sponsor to drop Woods. Right now AT&T leads the betting with odds of 7:4, according to Irish bookie Paddy Power, with Nike, which has been most vocal in supporting Woods, the least likely.
General Mills is at 9:4, Gillette at 3:1 and American Express at 6:1.
The next round of sponsor dropouts could be prompted by what is sure to be a contentious Woods divorce. Nordegren, who has been photographed in recent days without her wedding ring, is reportedly taking her two kids to her native Sweden to escape the media glare. She's leaving without her husband.
Nordegren is casting about for a divorce attorney, and yes, you can bet on how much alimony she's going to receive at UK betting establishments as well.
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