Tiger Woods: Moving Public Opinion one Swoosh at a Time
The exposure last fall of Tiger Woods’s philandering largely ended America’s crush on the golf star. Now Nike – one of Woods’s leading sponsors – is trying to reform his image. Or, in the language of Washington, they’re trying to shape public opinion.
At the same time as the golfer re-emerged onto the green for the annual Masters in Augusta, GA, Nike released a new ad. Sober, humble, and regretful are words that come to mind when you see Tiger Woods staring directly into the camera, while a voice-over of his late father talks about responsibility.
But if Tiger Woods is serious about changing his image, he might want to take a lesson from the world of public opinion.
In the vast land of pubic opinion research, John Zaller is king. And according to Zaller, elite communication is the lifeblood of mass public opinion. Public opinion, he explains, moves in response to the consistency and intensity of elite messages. So when elites are divided the public tends to follow suit based on varying levels of political awareness and values.
Unfortunately for Woods, this newest product from Madison Avenue isn’t going to be sufficient to win back the American public. Some ad execs are touting how great Woods is for confronting his past. But most continue to condemn the golfer and see this ad as nothing more than much-needed self-promotion. Already the Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne targeted Woods as part of his opening remarks and the morning news shows are having a field day.
If Woods wants to improve his image, it’s going to take a lot more than one trendy ad. The public is going to have to see Woods consistently and tirelessly giving back to his community, engaging with his fans, and contributing to good causes.
There’s no hole in one for Woods on the course of public opinion.