http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1968469,00.html

This is an article I found about how Gatorade is dropping their endorsement deal with Tiger Woods. It says a lot considering he just made a public apology last week. Gatorade said they don't see a role for Tiger in their marketing anymore.

That says a lot about how they view Tiger. They are giving up a large amount of money by leaving him. But it also says what they stand for. They aren't going to stand behind someone they aren't proud of. Gatorade wants to keep a respectable image. And it's not like they are losing millions and millions of dollars by dropping him. They are going to be just fine. Nevertheless it's still a big move for them to say "Hey, we're not going to support this guy anymore." It's Tiger Woods.

It will be interesting to see what Nike and EA do. They say they are focusing solely on his athleticism. Therefore they are sticking with him right now. Other companies like AT&T have already dropped him though.

Like I said last week, Tiger will need to re-brand himself. And this big move by Gatorade is proving that. He might not have any sponsors when he comes back to golf. Who knows what companies will want to pick him up. I see a change in his actions, demeanor, and involvement with fans and other golfers as the only way he's going to truly come back. He will always have his loyal fans, but if he wants the respect of everyone else, he really needs to change. Whether or not you think it's right or wrong, being the greatest golfer isn't going to cut it anymore.

This is an article from SI I found about Tiger’s apology.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1966679,00.html?eref=sihp

So Tiger finally came out and gave a 13-minute apology after a long time of silence. Basically all I’m going to talk about is 1. Was he sincere? 2. What this means for his brand.

When any celebrity gives an apology there are always certain patterns I see. A spouse or family member there to show support, a sorrowful look, and a robotic list of “I’m sorry… I’ve disappointed…I need to get better…It’s hard… Please keep my family out of this…” Therefore it’s hard to determine if an apology is sincere or not. On the one hand it shows Tiger taking full responsibility, understanding, and apologizing for his actions. But on the other, it’s exactly what anyone in that situation would do, sorry or not. So it’s hard to tell. Therefore, I think this, like any apology, will have mixed reactions. His loyal fans will say it was sincere and want to move on, but his critics will talk about the robotic-ness of it all and how he’s become a terrible role model. Whether or not he’s truly sorry, we won’t know until he’s back.

That brings us to the question of what will happen to his brand? It will definitely be different. I can see Tiger reaching out to the fans more, being involved in more charitable events, and even representing different ads. On the one hand, companies like Nike and Gillette make a lot of money by sponsoring Tiger. So when he comes back, they might continue that sponsorship. But if the fans don’t believe in Tiger anymore, the sponsors aren’t going to want to support him either. Sponsoring someone who commits adultery doesn’t exactly make the company image look good either. That’s why I think Tiger will really have to craft his image into something new if he wants to come back and be accepted. People may say he’s the greatest golfer ever, leave his personal life out of it and let him move forward. But that’s not how it works. We’re a society obsessed with gossip, we have access to abundant information in the media 24/7, and sports fans love personal. That’s why we follow stars. That’s why stars are so important in sports. We love to hear the back-story of famous athletes who come from hard times, overcome adversity, and succeed. We love athletes who give us something different. We always want to know more than just what we see on the field. Sure, we love to see truly great players, but personal is such a big part of sports, too. People don’t want to be behind someone who isn’t sorry for their “transgressions.” That’s why whatever Tiger does now is so critical to his return and critical to his overall brand.

http://mashable.com/2010/02/10/red-wings-qr-codes/

Social Media in sports is nothing new anymore. It’s a great way to connect and communicate with fans as well as build and maintain a strong brand. Teams are trying to come up with new and innovative ways to stay on top of this craze. The Detroit Red Wings have done just that.

Inside the programs you get at the games is a way to access interactive media. Printed inside each program is a QR code. A QR code is like a bar code that you can scan. Those with smart phones take a picture of the code and it instantly takes them to whatever website, video, and/or content the program wants. And apparently it’s quite a hit. Many fans are using their smart phones to scan their programs to get more content at the games.

This reminds me of what we discussed in class. To be a successful team/brand/business, one thing you have to do is connect with your fans. With social media being the hottest part of Internet today, sports teams have to get on board.

This is a great idea by the Red Wings for many reasons. First, with print material slowly dying out, it’s a great way to keep up -integrating the two so that special online content is only accessed through their program. Another benefit is that it can be accessed right at the game. Fans are in the atmosphere, feeling involved, feeling excited. What better way to get them more involved than to give them special access on their phones. People are obsessed with their phones today. Any simple way to give them more Red Wings and they’ll do it. And finally, these QR codes have great potential for the future. Advertisers, marketers, whoever- utilizing these to get fans attention is big, especially now, when they’re still pretty new. For example, advertisers can put in codes that send fans to a discount or special offer. If you have a smart phone, who’s not going to scan a program that has a cool, futuristic code in it that sends you to a special video just for the fans. It makes you feel like you’re in control- a smart move by marketers.

As the article put it, this is a great way to drive “ …home the connection between the team, its fans, online content and the in-game experience.”

I thought this was a great article that fit in perfectly with what we learned in class.

http://econsultancy.com/blog/5180-pepsi-sits-out-the-super-bowl-but-advertisers-still-want-in-on-those-audience-numbers

For this year’s Superbowl, Pepsi has decided it will not buy a time slot for the commercials. Commercials run about $30 million per 30 second ad. Instead, Pepsi plans on running a campaign to give money to community projects around the country. It’s going to be using social media, such as Twitter, to get the message across.

The reason for opting out of the commercials all together is because Pepsi believes their message can’t be conveyed easily in a 30 second ad, and therefore are going to other mediums to send the message. So instead of spending the millions on the commercials, they’re going to spend it on grants, in which the idea will be spread through social media.

Personally, I think this is an interesting situation. How much money does Pepsi really need to spend on advertising anyway? It’s not like they’re going to die out anytime soon. Pepsi is a solid product that will last a long time. But, who just gives up a Superbowl slot to advertise to over 90 million viewers a year? A company that is successful, and a company that realizes that times are changing- that’s who.

This might start to become a leading trend in advertising. When a company can get its message to millions of people for free (or for far less than $30 million), who needs the Superbowl? I don’t think the commercials will die out anytime soon, but we might start seeing different types. Who knows. I just see a big change coming when a company like Pepsi is going to use Twitter instead of the Superbowl. 1. It shows the power of Twitter- clearly it’s a powerful site to connect with your customers and make/solidify your brand 2. I think other companies will start following suit.

So what do you think Superbowl ads will be like five or 10 years?