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Today, many marketers are en-
ticed by the selling power of
celebrities. They look for a famous face that can attract
consumers' attention and enhance the image of the sponsoring company. Film and
sport personalities are their obvious choices.
However, the cold winds of recession in the US have not spared
even global auto giants, like General Motors (GM). GM and Tiger
Woods ended their nine-year relationship in November 2008 as part of GM's
cost- cutting efforts to survive in a declining
economy.
After parting with GM, Woods quickly entered into an
endorsement contract with AT&T to make up the loss. Golf Digest magazine predicts that with the present
endorsement contracts, Tiger Woods will become the world's first sports personality
to garner $1bn in earnings through
endorsements by 2010.
This case study discusses the concept of celebrity endorsement
and sportspersons as endorsers. For successful endorsement featuring
a sportsperson, his on-field performance, a clean image off the
field and good public reputation are most essential. Unfortunately, not
many celebrities from the fields of sports and entertainment can meet all
these requirements in a sustained manner. Given this context, this case
study throws light on the career graph and endorsement contracts of
Tiger Woods, who has been quite successful in his chosen field and is the
richest sports celebrity endorser in the world. But some recent events
have raised questions about a personality who was otherwise considered a
role model among celebrity endorsers. |
