Gatorade ends endorsement contract with Tiger Woods
By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY
Gatorade said Friday it was ending its sponsorship relationship with embattled golf star Tiger Woods. That makes Gatorade the third sponsor to drop Woods since he confessed to marital infidelity. The others: Accenture and AT&T.
"We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship," Gatorade spokeswoman Jennifer Schmit said in a statement. "However, our partnership with the Tiger Woods Foundation will continue. We wish him all the best."
Gatorade previously discontinued its Gatorade Tiger Focus sports drink. The company said at the time the decision had nothing to do with the sex scandal swirling around Woods.
Sponsors have moved unusually fast to distance themselves from the former endorsement king of Madison Avenue since Woods crashed his SUV in the wee hours of Nov. 27 setting off a media frenzy involving his admissions involving extramarital affairs.
Accenture was the first to drop Woods on Dec. 13, stating he was no longer the "right representative" for the company. AT&T followed suit on New Year's Eve saying it will remove its corporate logo from his golf bag if and when he returns to competition. Other sponsors such as Nike, EA Sports, Upper Deck, NetJets, TLC Vision and the planned Tiger Woods resort in Dubai have stood by him. Procter & Gamble's Gillette and Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer have played it safe by putting image on ice in their ad campaigns.
Most of Woods' remaining corporate sponsors seem to be laying low until he emerges from rehabilitation and rejoins the PGA Tour. Not a single sponsor has run a prime-time commercial starring Woods since Nov. 29, according to Aaron Lewis of Nielsen.
"Our advertising strategy with Tiger really hasn't changed. When he returns to competitive play and starts winning tournaments again, we will run advertisements touting new products featuring Tiger and some of his significant victories," says Upper Deck spokesman Terry Melia. "If he is not playing, we won't."
CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell tweeted Friday that Gillette would be the "odds-on favorite" to drop Woods next followed by Tag Heuer.
