Woods fading from sight,in person and on television

ven as Tiger Woods remained hidden from public view on Tuesday in his home,or somewhere else,he has also begun to...

ven as Tiger Woods remained hidden from public view on Tuesday in his home,or somewhere else,he has also begun to fade from view in his role as ubiquitous corporate pitchman for an array of products. When last seen in public,Woods was lying on the pavement in front of his home near Orlando on November 27,moments after driving over a fire hydrant and crashing his Cadillac Escalade into a neighbours tree. The last time his corporate persona appeared on television was two nights later when,according to Nielsen,he was in a 30-second spot for the Gillette Company.

Since then,Woods has had plenty of television face time,but not the type that he or any of his sponsors could have enjoyed. Amid growing of reports of alleged extramarital affairs,Gatorade announced on Tuesday that it was discontinuing its Tiger Woods Sports Drink. Although the company said that its decision was made months ago and was unrelated to recent events,the timing of the announcement served to compound public perceptions of an erosion of sponsor support for Woods. His commercials were nowhere to be seen during the Saturday or Sunday broadcasts of the Chevron World Challenge,the tournament he has hosted since 2001.

Theres still an opportunity for Tiger to stop the bleeding, said Mike Paul,the president at MGP & Associates public relations. But he cannot just remain silent,out of sight. He should have done a one-on-one interview within the first 24 to 48 hours. He should have done something like Oprah,and he needs to do it that type of interview and soon.

Void filled with ridicule

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With neither acknowledgment nor denial from the Woods camp,the void has been filled with ridicule,a toxic element that crisis managers fear more than most. The networks have been awash in it. Jokes about Woods. Skits about Woods. A Taiwanese television computer-enhanced video that gave its version of the car crash became a viral sensation,with more than two million views in a matter of days last week. All have created a previously unthinkable image of Woods,whose image of control was overarching.

Every joke and every ridiculous comparison serves to strip away the veneer of control and leave Woods exposed. Paul said he believed that if Woods was to salvage a marketable image,he must do a complete about face. He needs to do the opposite of what hes been doing, Paul said. The opposite of privacy is you have to be transparent. The opposite of clamming up your heart and not showing your emotions is to have a repentant heart and allow us to see you vulnerable.

Unless Woods gets in front of the public,and soon,Paul contends he will be diminished in their sight and,perhaps more importantly,in the eyes of the sponsors who pay him more than $100 million a year. (NYT)

Tiger,wife to leave country

New york: Tiger Woods is reportedly planning to leave the country with his wife Elin Nordegren and their two children. A Nordegren family insider says the two hope to move to a private island close to Sweden as they work through their marital problems. Elin and Tiger are planning to temporarily move closer to Sweden,possibly to a private island,to get away from it all. (Agencies)