I Have Been Thinking About Tiger by Kelly Laughlin Smart Communication Strategies 2/27/2010

I hate to beat a dead horse, but I have been thinking about Tiger. He has been hanging out with the wrong people. Clearly this is true, but I am talking about from a communications perspective. He continues to get some very bad advice. From the beginning of this entire ordeal until now, the way in which this situation has been handled will be a case study in Communications and Public Relations classes on how NOT to deal with the public during a personal crisis.

I have some tips for Tiger should he ever find himself in a situation like this again:

1.) You are a public figure. You must remember this simple fact. What you do in private will become public. Work on staying above reproach.

2.) Come out early. Offer truth. You don’t have to tell everything you know but you have to say something. The fact that you hid in your home for several days before posting something on your website was ridiculous. It made everything worse for you.

3.) Stick to what you know. You know golf. You play it well and people love you for it. You aren’t a rockstar. You aren’t even a basketball player. For some reason in our world, there are double standards. Own this fact. What is okay for one athlete (and the ever fickle public) is not okay for another and really what you did is never okay for a husband or a spouse.

4.) I am not sure who told you that you “owed” the public an apology for cheating on your wife. I am a pretty conservative person and yet I don’t really think you owe me anything. You can even play a crappy round of golf and you still wouldn’t owe me an apology. You do owe your wife many apologies and should be working on that at home.

5.) If you had asked me, I would have told you to say this to the public,

“My wife and I are going through a very difficult time that has been self inflicted by my own previous selfish and destructive actions. I am terribly regretful about the events that have transpired leading to this situation. I own it. I did it and I am taking full responsibility for it. I expect that you will appreciate our privacy as we work through these issues. After today, I plan to offer no further explanation or discussion on this topic except with my wife whom I have hurt in more ways than I could ever think possible I would like to say to Elin in front of the world that, I am deeply sorry for hurting you and our family. I put our family in jeopardy and will forever regret my behavior and the fact that I have hurt you so terribly and done so much damage.”

6.) Contact your sponsors directly. Do some fundraising on your dime. Show up. Make a difference not for public opinion, but because it is the right thing to do. Be passionate about something that helps others.

5.) Get back on the golf course as soon as possible. This is where you belong. This is where people like to see you. Which leads me to . . .

6.) Why in the world did they put you in a suit with a podium in front of a blue curtain???? All you needed was a Presidential Seal behind you. Things aren’t going so well for the government these days, so I would have tried to stay away from being associated with anything politics. Next time, put on your golf shirt and have a press conference on a golf course where the sun is shining and the grass is green. People like you there and it’s where you need to be.

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Get in and Go

Get in and go.

A plan is an important part of any successful strategy, but it is also important to be fluid and flexible. Having an entrepreneurial spirit in any company is something that will help it grow and prosper. By creating an atmosphere where change is welcomed and something to be embraced, a company is able to move with the ever changes that confront business today enabling it to master the marketplace all the while creating an engaging work environment for employees.

I don't like maps, but I love my GPS. It provides me with the ability to be flexible and totally stress free. It tells me where I am going ~ even when I get off the path. My GPS changes with my movements and still points me towards my end goal. That's what we need in business. We need GPS systems that allow for flexibility on our way to our mission and vision. Maps and directions written on a piece of paper have become obsolete because they lack flexibility. We no longer need maps or directions that don't allow for change. We need flexible tools that assist us in getting us where we need to go.

At the same time, we must never forget our overall goal. Our overall mission. The reason we got into business in the first place. If it's just for money . . . you'll fail long term, but if it is something greater, and you stick to your "first love" there is no doubt that success will come. Keep it simple. Be patient. Stay focused.

In a Word

In a word, how do people describe your company? In a word how does your consumer describe what he/she thinks about your company? If you want to build a brand, you must focus your branding efforts on owning a word. You must own a word that no other company in your sector owns. Sounds difficult doesn't it?

I am going to list some successful companies here and I want you to think of a word that you associate with that company:

Mercedes Volvo Kleenex Band-Aid

Mercedes - prestige
Volvo - safety
Kleenex - tissue
Band-Aid - adhesive bandage

Did you think of these words? By keeping a singular focus each of these companies (in the beginning at least) stayed focused on one thing or idea only.

Obviously it is simple to take over a word category if you are the first on the block with a given product/service, but what if you aren't? What do you do then? Simply you create a new category by narrowing your focus. This is exactly what Federal Express did when they jumped on the delivery scene. In the early seventies, the company struggled in the delivery business. What changed for Federal Express? They changed their focus. They narrowed their mission significantly to focus on overnight delivery only. Remember the old commercials, "When it absolutely positively has to be there overnight?"

There are a million examples in every business sector where this is applicable. Words create worlds and words are the key to successful branding. So often companies try and come up with a list of attributes or words they want to be associated with their company but it would serve them better to throw that list out completely. We (the consumer) cannot possibly associate all these words with your company or brand. To get into the minds of consumers, you have to narrow your focus. You have to sacrifice. We have to minimize the essence of your brand to one single idea or attribute and then build around it. But make sure it is an attribute that no one else owns in your category.

How do you build around your word? Start with your people. Start with your employees and make everything you do focused on that one attribute. Sounds too simple. It is not simple at all as maintaining your focus on that one single attribute is often difficult. Once you establish in the minds of your employees and consumers that you are the "overnight provider of delivery services" you are certainly welcome to broaden your market but do not make the mistake of trying to broaden your brand. Stay true to your word.

The question is not what percentage of an existing market can your brand achieve, but how large a market can your brand create by streamlining its focus and owning a word in the minds of your consumers, vendors and employees.