Tiger Woods and the death of celebrity endorsement

When I was working at Leo Burnett, I got an assignment to come up with a campaign for Allstate to replace the one that’s running now with Dennis Haysbert, just in case he got hit by a bus or arrested in a public bathroom in Venice, California. At the time I thought, just get another guy.

The problem now for Accenture, Schick, (until recently) Buick and other advertisers who rely exclusively on Tiger Woods is: you can’t get another guy. He is your guy. He’s your brand.

That’s the thing with celebrity endorsement in America today. It used to be a celebrity could stand for your brand because the aspect or personality trait that celebrity possessed which pertained to your brand could be controlled. Now, there is no control. Everything is fair game. There are no rules. And if your brand is tied to that celebrity, you’re at the mercy of the melee. Good luck to you.

PS What does Tiger Woods have in common with baby seals? They’re both clubbed by Norwegians. Sorry, couldn’t resist.