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Tom Krisher with the AP reports that Tiger Woods and Buick are making their rumored divorce official. The $7m/year endorsement deal was supposed to end sometime next year, but both sides have agreed that enough is enough. GM is looking to save pennies wherever it can, and it seems that the Buick-Tiger tie-up did more to raise Tiger’s already high profile than it did to actually sell Buicks. GM is cutting back high profile advertising everywhere including announcing that it would skip television advertising around the Super Bowl, the Oscars and the Emmys. No matter, does anyone watch those last two anymore? Woods’ stated reason for ripping the Buick logo off his golf bag is to “gain more time”. But time for what? Woods has been off the golf course recovering from knee surgery since right after winning the US Open, and doesn’t expect to play again until next spring. The better explanation: Woods doesn’t want his brand tarnished any more by the associated with GM than it already has been. Can you imagine the razzing he has been taking in the locker room? Then again, maybe the wife just couldn’t stand being seen in a Buick anymore.20 Comments on “Tiger Uncaged...”
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So does he get to keep a Buick? The guy can afford pretty much anything so I’d like to know what he daily-drives.
Or as Frank Williams once said about Buick, “they are still not out of the woods yet!”
I could never understand why he wasn’t repping for Caddy.
The Buick spokesperson should have been Joe Paterno.
Maybe he didn’t want his name associated with “Lacrosse”…
At a tournament in Orlando he drove himself in a white Porsche 911. I never understood the marketing deal with Buick anyway. It didnt seem to benefit either side really (except for the 7m part).
Historically there has been a strong correlation between the amount of $pon$or$hip $$$ thrown at invested in a top tier golfer vis a vis the golfing passion, and desire for lessons/face time/ego inflation of the OEM’s Divisional Vice President sponsoring said golfer.
thanks Tiger for all the good you brought to Buick. best of luck with the next baby and get well soon.
Tiger Woods has few productive years ahead of him, his agent will find something else to peddle. Does anyone is sure about Buick’s life expectancy even with guaranteed bailout money?
I wonder how this impacts Tiger’s participation in the two Buick sponsored events on the PGA Tour (I think there were more a few years ago). I think his contract stated he had to play, if healthy, in those events. Since Tiger = golf ratings, this announcement means the tournements won’t get the big ratings if Tiger doesn’t play in them.
It’ simple – GM wanted to save the money, and Tiger figures he can get even more money from some other sucker manufacturer to appear in ads for their vehicles.
For any other make, I can name a negative connotation about them as easily as those who rip on Buick.
Historically Buick = Golf (aspiring country-clubbers that had not yet achieved Cadillac status)
Now Buick = old guy with a fedora driving a 20-year-old Buick
Tiger was just fleecing them for money (and I don’t blame him)
Hey I’d like to make seven million a year by driving a Buick and doing a couple short TV spots. Where do I sign up?
Tiger Woods is popular in China as is Buick. However, the game of golf is not. But seriously, if you are going to have X Car Company pay you millions you sure as hell better be driving a car of that brand. Seriously, that is a dick move to drive off in a Lexus or a Porsche when your ass id getting paid millions.
I wonder if anyone’s done a serious study on the effectiveness, in terms of actual sales, of celebrity endorsers. It’s not just the folks who do commercials or have special editions named after them, there are tons of celebs who get comped cars. New Balance shoes is the only athletic shoe company that doesn’t have celebrity endorsers, and they’re still profitable. Their motto is “Endorsed by No One”.http://www.newbalance.com/corporate/pressroom/corporate_docs/NB_EBNO.pdf
With some, like the radio talk show hosts that GM has sponsored, at least there’s some brand exposure and actual advertising involved, but many celebs get tons of free stuff just for being celebrities with little benefit to the companies giving them freebies. The late Bernie Mac even did an episode of his sitcom about those complimentary perks. Last year during the NAIAS, one of the Detroit papers was interviewing celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck, and he mentioned, in an offhand way, that he drove a comped Escalade. I’m sure that the Detroit mfgs aren’t the only car companies doing this. I’d be surprised if some Bentleys aren’t comped.
All of it is silly. I’m a cycling enthusiast and I remember a few years ago Cannondale gave Shaquille O’neal a custom mountain bike – their largest stock frame wasn’t big enough. With all the high end components and custom shop frame (and road style carbon fiber wheels because Shaq liked the way they looked, have to roll in style y’know) the bike was worth maybe $7K, something well within O’neal’s budget. I realize that the free publicity ‘Can of ale’ got was probably worth more than $7K, but it seemed wrong to give a rich man something for free.
Also, I bet I can ride Shaq into the ground. He may be professional athlete but it takes a tough butt to ride 100 miles.
Seriously, that is a dick move to drive off in a Lexus or a Porsche when your ass id getting paid millions.
When Jeff Gordon would visit our DuPont site when he’d be racing at Michigan International Speedway he would drive a Cadillac. The Hendricks team races “Chevys”, so at least it was part of the family. Gordon may have driving talent, but leaving the guest lot he clipped and drove straight over a curb.
He got a big kick out of it when I handed him a 1:64 scale die cast of his race car with a micropoint Sharpie for an autograph on the hood, and said it was probably the smallest autograph he ever signed.
I’m still going with his wife Elin Nordegren putting her foot down. She just doesn’t have that Buick look:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2006-04/05/xin_39040305151320707141.jpg
Whoa! Definitely NOT Buick material!
I’m assuming that Buick is still popular with the middle-aged country club set. That being said, the Cablinasian doesn’t seem in need of more cars.
Besides, Nike still owns the rest of his body.
I guess the “gain more time” hooey involves pimping more EA Sports golf games…
John Horner:
“…maybe the wife just couldn’t stand being seen in a Buick anymore.”
Any man who’s half alive already understands that the lady is the boss!
“I’m still going with his wife Elin Nordegren putting her foot down. She just doesn’t have that Buick look…”
jnik:
“Whoa! Definitely NOT Buick material!”
Indeed not. I would go so far as to say “Definitely not GM material!”