Tuesday 29 April 2014

Celebrity endorsement



Who is him?


Tiger Woods (or Eldrick Tont Woods) is an American professional golfer, who has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years. He is currently world no.1, and he has been world No.1 for 680 weeks in total.


Background

Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, CaliforniaHe has a multiracial heritage that he acknowledged by inventing the word "Cablinasian" to describe his own ethnicity. Cablinasian is a combination of the words caucasion, black, Indian (Native American) and Asian. He is the only child of his biological parents, however, he has two half-brothers and a half-sister. He is a practicing Buddhist.


Personal life

In November 2003, Woods became engaged to Elin Nordegren, a Swedish former model and they were married on October 5, 2004. They have a daughter and a son. After the scandal revealed in the end of 2009, Woods and Nordegren divorced on August 23, 2010.


Education

Woods studied at Stanford University, and won a number of amateur U.S. golf titles before turning professional in 1996.




Professional career

Woods became a professional golfer in August 1996, and immediately signed deals with Nike, Inc. and Titleist that ranked as the most lucrative endorsement contracts in golf history at that time.

Woods won the U.S. Masters at Augusta in 1997 with a record score at the age of 21. He was the youngest man and first African American to earn the title. Two months later, he set the record for the fastest-ever ascent to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings.


Achievements

Woods has won 79 official PGA Tour events including 14 majors. He is 14–1 when going into the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead. He has been heralded as "the greatest closer in history" by multiple golf experts.

Scandal

On Nov. 25, 2009, a story breaks in the National Enquirer alleging an affair between Tiger Woods and nightclub promoter Rachel Uchitel. On Dec. 11, 2009, in a statement posted on his website, Woods admits to and apologizes for his infidelity and announces he will take "an indefinite hiatus" from professional golf.Several days later, he lost his endorsement deal with management company, Accenture, and was suspended from his Gilette endorsement. Other companies, including Nike, Tag Heuer and EA Sports, continue to stand by Woods. On Jan. 16, 2010, Woods is reported to have become a patient at Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services, above, in Mississippi for sex addiction.





What meanings does celebrity endorsement bring to the brand in this advert?


In this advert, Tiger Woods' image is used as a marketing device to promote the brand TAG Heuer and the product. The product is the world's first professional golf watch developed by TAG Heuer collaborated with Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods is a well-educated professional golf player who studied at Stanford University, and has won 79 official PGA Tour events including 14 majors. In August 1997, at the age of 21, he won the U.S. Masters with a record score, which made him the youngest man and first African American to earn the title. 

Tiger Woods has multiracial heritage, he invented the word “Cablinasian” to describe his own ethnicity. “Cablinasian” is a combination of the words caucasion, black, Indian (Native American) and Asian. Thus, he is considered to be globally influential.

He has similar personalities to the brand. He is successful, professional, confident, ambitious, determined, intelligent and international, because of his achievements in his career and his multiracial heritagewhich reinforces the brand identity of TAG Heuer.

Moreover, at that time, Tiger Woods was the world's No.1 golf player, he was at the top of his profession, meaning that TAG Heuer were considered to be the 'brand leader'.

Therefore, TAG Heuer watch can not only be purchased by successful wealthy people who enjoy playing golf, but also can be purchased by people who admire Tiger Woods or want to be as successful as him in their own profession globally.



Why do you think Nike was under pressure to drop him?


In 2000, Tiger Woods signed a 5-year, $105 million contract extension with Nike. It was the largest endorsing deal ever signed by an athlete at that time.
Woods' endorsement has been credited with playing a significant role in taking the Nike Golf brand from a "start-up" golf company earlier in the past decade, to becoming the leading golf apparel company in the world, as well as a major player in the equipment and golf ball market.
After the scandal in 2009 (the revelation that Tiger Woods had a string of extramarital affairs and divorced afterwards), Nike decided to stand firmly beside Tiger Woods while others such as Accenture and Gillette dropped him. It is because Tiger Woods has been one of Nike's most iconic athletes and has played an integral part in Nike Golf's growth since the very beginning.
Tiger Woods' value to Nike Golf is huge. His endorsement not only helped Nike resonate with consumers in the golf market, but also aided in recruiting other players to its tour staff, which is a vital component for achieving and maintaining authenticity.
Furthermore, Tiger Woods came back to golf and the position of World No.1 very quickly. Since there is only one World No.1 player and only one market leader, if Nike drops him, it is improbable to find another golf athlete as famous and successful as Tiger Woods who suits its brand identity, and can generate profits and market its golf products.

Therefore, in order to maintain the profit and the market, Nike didn’t drop Tiger Woods.










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