Gillette to drop Tiger ads

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December 13, 2009

Gillette appear to be distancing themselves from golfer Tiger Woods after his infidelity and indefinite break announcement.

Gillette, one of Tiger Woods’ major sponsors appeared to be distancing themselves from golfer Tiger Woods on Saturday night after he admitted infidelity and said he was taking an “indefinite break” from professional golf.

Gillette said it would be “limiting his role” in their future marketing plans to “support his desire for privacy”.

The shaving brand giant said in a statement: “In the midst of a difficult and unfortunate situation, we respect the action Tiger is taking to restore the trust of his family, friends and fans.

“We fully support him stepping back from his professional career and taking the time he needs to do what matters most.

“We wish him and his family the best.

“As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programmes.”

Woods, 33, who is married to Swede Elin Nordegren, a former model, has admitted “infidelity” for the first time this weekend and said he would do his best to try to repair the “disappointment and hurt” caused by his actions.
The world’s number one golfer, who had been swamped by a series of affair allegations since crashing his car in mysterious circumstances on November 27, said he was putting his career on hold.
Gillette spokesman Damon Jones said Woods would not be appearing in the company’s next television campaign or in any forthcoming press adverts.
Woods is appearing in a “handful” of advertising campaigns in the US at the moment, and these will be allowed to run their course.
Jones said: “We’re not pulling anything.
“Tiger has said he wants to step out of golf and out of the public eye and we want to do everything we can to allow him to do that.”
Woods is not currently appearing in any campaigns in the UK.
Jones said he could not predict when Woods might return to a marketing role with the company.
Meanwhile, Woods’ main sponsor, Nike, stood by him, saying: “He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era. We look forward to his return to golf. He and his family have Nike’s full support.”
AT&T also said it supported his decision, but added it was “presently evaluating our ongoing relationship with him”.
Another sponsor, Accenture, no longer has an image of Woods on the home page of its website.
But publicist Max Clifford said Woods’ break from golf was a “clever move” and predicted he could look forward to another decade at the top yet.
He said: “This guy is young, good-looking, charismatic and all of those things. So will sponsors drop him? No.”
Speaking a little later on BBC Radio Five Live, Jones praised Woods’ eventual honesty but ultimately appeared to distance the company even further from the golfer.
Jones said: “He has shown he is human and the important thing is that he has stepped up to the plate and admitted he has done wrong and taken steps.
“Tiger’s been a Gillette ambassador since 2007 and he has been a great partner for our brand. We think this is the right move for Tiger and the right move for Gillette.
“Who knows what will happen in the future? We’re not speculating. (But) our actions are clear. We have a brand ambassador who we have said is no longer going to appear in our advertising.
“That is a pretty clear statement about where we are going. Actions speak louder than words.”