Upper Deck says it sticks by Woods
December 15, 2009
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Sports card and memorabilia maker Upper Deck Co. saidTuesday it will continue its relationship with Tiger Woods.
The company, and its Upper Deck Authenticated collectibles division, saidthe two “look forward to his eventual return to the PGA Tour.”
Upper Deck CEO Richard McWilliam said in a statement the athlete and hisfamily have the company’s full support.
Woods announced late last week he was taking an indefinite leave from publiclife and golf while he works to fix his marriage after multiple allegations ofinfidelity.
Since then, Woods’ sponsors have been weighing their options as the mediafirestorm surrounding Woods continues. Companies use celebrity endorsements tosell products and boost their image. But the propositions can be risky andexpensive if a celebrity falls from grace.
According to new figures released Tuesday from TNS Media Intelligence,Woods’ top six sponsors have spent about $79.3 million on ads featuring Woods orhis name through October this year.
Woods has been Upper Deck’s exclusive golf spokesman and autograph signersince 2001. The company declined to comment on the length or value of thecontract.
The company, which is based in Carlsbad, Calif., sells everything fromthousand-dollar autographed pictures of Woods to original artwork andautographed shoes.
It has not had a golf trading card set since 2005, but spokesman Terry Meliasaid sometimes Upper Deck includes single cards of Woods, along with othercelebrities and stars, in baseball card launches.
Major sponsor Accenture dropped Woods on Sunday, saying he no longer fitswith the company’s image. The consulting firm had banked heavily on the golferto push its attributes of perfection and integrity.
According to TNS, Accenture included Woods’ name or image in 83 percent ofits advertising spending from January through October, for a total of $31million. That marked the biggest percentage of a company’s ad budget, out ofWoods’ main sponsors.
Other sponsors including Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer and AT&T have saidthey’re examining their relationship with Woods. According to TNS, Tag Heuerspent 23 percent of its advertising money on ads with Woods, for a total of$953,000. Figures for AT&T weren’t available.
Gillette, a unit of Procter & Gamble, announced Saturday it would not airads featuring Woods. The grooming products brand did not say when and under whatconditions it would resume airing them. According to TNS, 9 percent of thebrand’s advertising through October this year included Woods, for a total valueof $14.3 million.
Besides Upper Deck, other companies that have said they stand by Woodsinclude Nike Inc. and Electronic Arts, which both spent under $4 million on adswith Woods, or less than 5 percent of their ad spending. PepsiCo Inc.’s Gatoradeis also saying it supports Woods. The brand spent $26.2 million on ads with himthrough October, or about 23 percent of its total advertising spending.
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