PR, Tiger Woods, and you...

“There are 2 primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist or to accept the responsibility for changing them.”- DENIS WAITLEY

Did Tiger mess up? Yes. I think we would all agree, especially his wife, "yeah, he messed up."

But, that is not really the question we have to wrestle with the question we have to wrestle with is "Now what?" What do we do as sponsors, what do we do as the public with an icon, forerunner, and elite hero like Tiger when they mess up?

We know better than to crucify someone for messing up, we know we don't ever want to be the one to be casting any stones, because we know that we all mess up to one degree or another. We know that forgiveness is stronger than bitterness and we know that to love someone's strengths and despise them for their mistakes isn't love at all. And we love our heroes, don't we?

So, how do we handle this? How does Tiger handle it? How do we avoid it? And how should we think about it?

As for "how does Tiger handle it?" The experts and press have beat this one to death. We all know, he needs to step out front and own the fact that he is a hero and continue to act like a hero by taking responsibility for it. But, that isn't our call, is it? This whole things is actually none of my business. All we can really think about is how are we going to deal with it? How should the sponsors deal with it?

I have found, I deal with it in a very simple way. I hope and pray he finds the right help to get healthy and live a great life with or without golf. I hope he finds the people and the tools to reach deep and get healthy emotionally so he can enjoy this one chance at life we all get. And money isn't the answer, we all know that. Happiness come from within, and clearly Tiger needs to reach within.

So, that leaves really only one question left to deal with. What do the sponsors do? What do you do? To support or not support those products? or Tiger in front of the kiddos?

As for me, as a consumer, I don't buy products because of who sponsors them. So, I won't NOT buy them based on who sponsors them either.

As for the sponsors, what a tough decision! They have one of the greatest athletes to ever live partnering with them to promote their livelihood. Incredible. But, I don't see how they can still use him as a sponsor, it's down right ironic how difficult it will be given the nature of Tiger's bad decisions. Woods’ sponsors include Gillette, Gatorade, Accenture, Nike and AT&T. So here is why I don't think they can keep him. Wood's apparently had multiple sexual affairs with a wide range of women over a large portion of the country or maybe event the world and listen to the tag lines of each of his sponsors:

• Gillette "The Best a man can get."
• Gatorade "Is it in you?"
• Accenture "High performance. Delivered."
• Nike "Just do it."
• AT&T "More bars in more places."

It's unbelievable isn't it? Almost hilarious, and I'm probably missing a few good ones. When you build a brand, your company will rise and fall on how much positive attention the consumer is willing to give to you. So, of course attracting attention is half the battle and the other half is keeping it positive. If it's not positive, then you can't keep something in your brand.

So, in the balance of standing on the rock solid foundation of a great product and the thin ice of public opinion, where is your brand? You have a brand whether you know it or not. Personally you have one. When I google your name, what do I find? Your business definitely has one. So, how strong is your brand? Or better yet, how much positive attention does your brand get? How much negative attention needs to be dealt with? It may not seem like a big deal, but it is. It's the unspoken piece to the puzzle every company needs to pay attention to. It is directly connected to your success personally and professionally.

Do you dress? Speak? Act? Walk? Type? Live? as the person you are becoming? As the person or company want to be? Does the world see the real you? Does it see your company in the right light? Is it a pretty picture, or could it use some polishing. Sometimes a little polish goes a long way.

Give us a call if it's time to get some positive attention or do some polishing.

Live the dreams you have imagined! No nightmares allowed:)

Jon Bohm