When Tiger Woods apologised for the infidelity that saw his image so ruthlessly dismantled, much of the commercial damage had already been done. Three of his major sponsors: Accenture, Gatorade and AT&T had already dropped him and Gillette was in the process of “distancing” itself. This undoubtedly put a dent in his massive $100 million of annual sponsorship deals. It was a lesson in just how spectacularly even the most enduring and seemingly untouchable of icons can fall from grace.
Who would be next to distance themselves from Woods’ name? All eyes were on EA Sports, as developer and publisher of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise, for an answer. But the company held fast and president Peter Moore publicly defended the brand's relationship with the star:
“We have a very different relationship with him than some of the other companies that have cut bait,” Moore said to CNBC. “He has been on the masthead of our games for twelve years. He is in the game itself, he’s not an arms length endorser and he’s the world’s greatest golfer until someone proves otherwise.”
Employing celebrities is always fraught with risk. Marketing theorist Roobina Ohanian argues that the credibility of any celebrity pairing is based upon three factors: their perceived attractiveness, personal integrity and expertise. Any faults in that match-up and the consumer's suspension of disbelief is at risk of collapsing. In terms of expertise, Moore is right: when y0ou look beyond the moral question, his company is a producer of sports games and it’s in its interests to associate them with the greatest sportspeople in the world. Their assumption is that the people who buy these games share that sentiment. On the other hand, EA Sports truly has no choice. Tiger is their game. To pull him out would not only be a technical nightmare but marketing suicide.
The history of videogames and celebrities is that of a bumbling adolescent love affair – confused and enthusiastic - yet it yields some valuable insights into our present position and lessons for those thinking of treading the same path.