Tiger Woods, Frankenstein, and Monty Python
By
"Young Frankenstein" 1974
The PR blogs are abuzz with differing opinions on how Tiger should have handled his 2:30 a.m. car fiasco. Fraser Seitel, a crisis management expert and author of “Practice of Public Relations,” wrote an open letter to Tiger on Nov. 30th listing 5 critical PR moves Tiger should make right away. Seitel represents one side of the PR debate, one with which I agree: Go public, do it yourself, do it Tuesday, get it out, learn from your mistake.
Another view, represented by elite PR specialists such as Brian Solis, feels that Tiger should take time to compose his response before going to the media, and has a right as a private citizen to do so.
A third perspective is that Tiger owes no one an explanation, has committed no crime, and by coming forth he is “breaking into jail.” You can see a good rundown of differing opinions on my fellow blogger Len Gutman’s post, The Trouble With Tiger.
Well, as we all know today, he finally spilled the beans, and our worst fears were confirmed. He admitted to “transgressions” without going into detail. So what’s my armchair quarterback analysis?
I think David Letterman is a good example of how to handle a really bad situation. When his affair with the intern came to light, he went public immediately. American culture in particular seems to be more forgiving of the sin when the admission of guilt comes early, rather than being withheld. When the celebrity retreats and dodges questions from the media, we become like the wild pack of villagers storming the walls to find Frankenstein. We’re almost Monty Pythonesque in our quick ability to forgive and forget if the culprit steps forward and takes his beating. Can’t you see it? Frankenstein steps outside the wall, tells the crowd, “Hey, I did choke a few people to death, and maimed a few others, but I was feeling really bad that day and I’m going to take a sabbatical and get in tune with myself.” And the crowd murmurs, “Oh well, in THAT case…” and fades away.
Handling public relations crises means understanding human nature and human behavior. It means realizing that no one who conducts an activity or profession under televised scrutiny, whether it’s politics, sports, or movies, is truly a “private” person. It’s completely disingenous to claim otherwise. The fame and fortune tied to those careers have the downside of 2:30 a.m. mistakes that become widely known.
We wince for Tiger. We know he has played the game with sportsmanlike character. The least that someone of his stature owes us is quick acknowledgement so that they can tell the story their way, as best they can, in a 24×7 world. I’m rooting for you, Tiger. Today’s announcement was a step in the right direction. A tad slow, but a good step.
,
Well done Linda… Enjoyed the post, pics, humor and insight. Though must say I was surprised didn’t see one reference with (Gene Wilder?) correcting the annunciation of “Frank Un Steeen”!!
Kept telling myself: wait for it wait for it…
Good point, Kirk, good point!
Good article Linda, and a great analogy.
It never ceases to amaze me how much importance our culture places on the lives of celebrities. You’d think we’d have bigger things to worry about (the economy, war, terrorism, the local school budget getting cut so deeply that fine arts programs are in danger of extinction — just to name a few examples). But since Friday all you hear is Tiger Tiger Tiger.
I think that is what bothers me most about this whole sordid mess. Tiger f’ed up — in a personal, and PR, sense. I’m not a PR person, so I can’t claim to know his best course of action. But it’s the obsession we have over this thing I find disturbing.
And now of course, PR “experts” are coming out in droves all chocked full of sage advice for Tiger. (of note, I’m referring to rank amateurs, not true PR professionals such as yourself).
I can understand your interest as a PR professional. And I can understand a passing interest by the general public (as a Tiger fan, I was interested). But good grief, the obsession over knowing every intimate detail is ridiculous.
Of course with the right PR damage control, perhaps that obsession would have been more muted?
Thanks for your comment, Jay, and yes, I think that had Tiger come forth a little bit earlier, he could have acknowledged “transgressions” without going into detail and smoldered the fire of curiosity a little better. It’s the delay and the apparent fear of coming forth that incites the public. I would never advocate that he go into lurid detail, merely that he acknowledge immediately that he made some bad decisions, and that he wanted private time with his family to make amends.