Tiger Woods’ latest ad campaign: Ride a motorcycle not a cocktail waitress!
Although he’s never ridden a motorcycle, Tiger Woods announced this week that he’s signed a four-year endorsement contract with Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (ticker HMCL:IN), India’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. Woods’ relationship with Hero went public back in September when the company announced that it had agreed to sponsor this week’s World Challenge tournament at Orlando, Florida’s Isleworth Golf & Country Club. The event has an 18-player field and benefits Woods’s charitable foundation.
In a sign that he might not know Woods well, Hero CEO Pawan Munjal issued this statement about his company’s first global corporate endorser:
When asked his opinion of Munjal’s praise for Woods, Noble Puffer, Professor of Sports Management at Oklahoma Territorial Normal School, had this to say:
“Grace in adversity? Hmmm. That’s an interesting description. I guess so if he means dropping f-bombs all over the course and kicking his clubs like a spoiled five-year-old. The truly phenomenal thing about Tiger Woods is how journalists and golf officials still turn a blind eye to his profanity and tantrums on the course.”
Woods freely admitted that he’s never ridden a motorcycle and even joked that “…even with Hero’s valuable sponsorship this year and for the next three years, there’s no way I’m about to start.”
When asked directly by Bud Fox News whether it was odd to endorse a product that he’s never used, Woods actually hinted at future endorsement deals:
“No, I don’t think it’s odd at all. I can’t go into too much detail yet, but pretty soon I’ll be announcing an endorsement deal with a women’s sports bra manufacturer. Look, I’ve never worn a bra, but I’ve sure taken a few off. On top of which, I’ve had my fair share of back problems, so I know that without proper support, a person can develop all kinds of aches and pains. So there’s another situation where I don’t feel weird backing a product that I’ve never really used.”
Bud Fox News 