The Silent Type

Over the past few months the media has covered a tragic story of a fallen athlete recognized worldwide.  It appears after all these years Mr. Woods is human, at least off the course.  This is not to say he deserves his privacy certainly his children do, however, the inevitable backlash was as public as it was nasty. His silence and withdrawal into obscurity has only fueled the ridiculous stories which have covered the front page of newspapers.

In extreme conditions you must brace for the worst but meet the publicity storm head on.  By keeping silent until tomorrow’s scheduled news conference, Tiger opened the door to speculation and lies.  During this rough time he could have silenced many of his persecutors with the truth and an apology.  Instead his devout followers (those who pay $500 for a new driver) were forced to defend their hero as his floozies guest starred on cable TV.

In the past month, Toyota has faced millions of dollars of loss as they recall several of their flagship lines.  During the first couple of weeks, they remained silent hoping the media storm would eventually settle.  Instead, Toyota’s problems continue to plague them due to their misrepresentation or lack there of the facts.  Had they stood in front of the fiasco apologetic, and with intentions to completely check every vehicle, then their customers could have felt safe again.

Both Tiger & Toyota have demonstrated what not to do.  Solid public relations is communicating with people.  Your customers want to be proud when they represent your brand.  They need to know you care as much about the brand as they do.

When asked how he thought history would remember him, the great Winston Churchill responded “they will think of me well because I will write history.”