America’s obsession with sex scandals and drama is a bit alarming, and can cause those of us in the PR and reputation management fields stress and sleepless nights. So what can we do to prepare ourselves for that often unexpected and unfortunate call from a client with a tarnished reputation? Take a lesson from Tiger Woods.

At the beginning of the Tiger Woods sex scandal experts criticized his lack of involvement, shunning the media, and hiding out. Was he waiting for the media frenzy to die down? Possibly. Should he have reacted differently? Highly likely. Taking full responsibility for the behavior, and admitting to the infidelity might not have salvaged his reputation but could’ve at the very least put a small Band-Aid on the wound.

I liked the below piece I read in The Economist as it is a great example of what you should ask yourself when experiencing a scandal such as Tigers:

“The key to a successful relaunch lies in making a cool-headed assessment of how much the scandal damages your company. Does it involve life and limb, rather than less consequential matters? Has it spread beyond particular products or particular divisions to afflict the corporate brand? If the answer to both questions is yes, then companies are well advised to go into collective overdrive; if it is no, then they can experiment with more nuanced responses, such as lopping off a tainted product or sacrificing a rogue division.” ~The Economist “Companies Provide Lessons as Tiger Woods Tries to Restore Image”.

A few key things to remember:

• Act quickly when needed and address the public, something Tiger did not do until much later in the scandal.
• Allow the brand to be more accessible, unlike Tiger’s guarded nature which inevitably caused him more scrutiny (and still does).
• Frame the issue without delving too deeply, like Tiger did when he finally issued a statement.
• Separate the issue from how it affects your business or ability to perform.
• Seem natural and not scripted in public communication: speak from the heart. Unfortunately, Tiger didn’t seem natural although some would say his messages have seemed heartfelt.
• Don’t just talk about how you are going to fix the issue, actually fix it and show how your brand or name deserves to survive, I.E.: Go to rehab, and reconcile with your wife.
• Work on connecting with your audience again: think about using social media networking to reconnect. Remember to listen first, however, and then react.

What other key things should one evaluate when dealing with crisis management and reputation management nightmares?

One Response to “Reputation Management Lessons from Tiger”

1. Online Supernatural says:

   April 15, 2010 at 6:05 PM

   Thanks for the post! I love it!