Upper Deck will stick with Tiger
Sports card and memorabilia maker Upper Deck Co. said Tuesday it
will continue its relationship with Tiger Woods.
The company, and its Upper Deck Authenticated collectibles
division, said the two "look forward to his eventual return to the
PGA Tour."
Upper Deck CEO Richard McWilliam said in a statement the
athlete and his family have the company's full support.
Woods announced late last week he was taking an indefinite
leave from public life and golf while he works to fix his marriage
after multiple allegations of infidelity.
Since then, Woods' sponsors have been weighing their options
as the media firestorm surrounding Woods continues. Companies use
celebrity endorsements to sell products and boost their image. But
the propositions can be risky and expensive 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 or his name through October this
year.
Woods has been Upper Deck's exclusive golf spokesman and
autograph signer since 2001. The company declined to comment on the
length or value of the contract.
The company, which is based in Carlsbad, Calif., sells
everything from thousand-dollar autographed pictures of Woods to
original artwork and autographed shoes.
It has not had a golf trading card set since 2005, but
spokesman Terry Melia said sometimes Upper Deck includes single
cards of Woods, along with other celebrities and stars, in baseball
card launches.
Major sponsor Accenture dropped Woods on Sunday, saying he no
longer fits with the company's image. The consulting firm had
banked heavily on the golfer to push its attributes of perfection
and integrity.
According to TNS, Accenture included Woods' name or image in
83 percent of its advertising spending from January through
October, for a total of $31 million. That marked the biggest
percentage of a company's ad budget, out of Woods' main sponsors.
Other sponsors including Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer and
AT&T have said they're examining their relationship with Woods.
According to TNS, Tag Heuer spent 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 air ads featuring Woods. The grooming products brand
did not say when and under what conditions it would resume airing
them. According to TNS, 9 percent of the brand's advertising
through October this year included Woods, for a total value of
$14.3 million.
Besides Upper Deck, other companies that have said they stand
by Woods include Nike Inc. and Electronic Arts, which both spent
under $4 million on ads with Woods, or less than 5 percent of their
ad spending. PepsiCo Inc.'s Gatorade is also saying it supports
Woods. The brand spent $26.2 million on ads with him through
October, or about 23 percent of its total advertising spending.