New survey delivers more bad news for Tiger Woods

STILL REELING from missing the cut at the PGA Championship in Atlanta, Tiger Woods and his new agency are having to face the reality that he may be damaged goods as a sponsorship ambassador. A study from Ipsos Mori has found that almost a quarter (23%) of US consumers considered switching from brands that he endorsed following his admission of extra-marital affairs. Sponsors are often advised to stick with tarnished properties and contribute to the reform of a sport or athlete but this latest data shows Gillette, Accenture, Tag Heuer, Gatorade and AT&T were right to ditch the golf star to protect sales. Wayne Rooney was next in the survey with 14% of consumers in the UK saying his off-field antics would cause them to switch brands but this response was much higher in the developing world. Consumers in fast-growing markets like India and China were reported to be much more sensitive to the bad behaviour of endorsing athletes with up to two-thirds prepared to shun products backed by fallen stars.