Branding – Dubai & Tiger Woods

‘Dubai is basically […] the biggest, greatest and newest of everything’ said Tiger Woods earlier this year when he was asked about his choice to support the opening of a golf course in Dubai, named after him – as quoted in the Guardian’s June article by L. Donegan.
Reading this now, only a few months on, this comment seems almost surreal.
According to original plans, the golf course should have opened this (Northern) Autumn, but as you may know, two things happened since June 2009, when the comment was made. Both brands involved irrevocable damages: Brand Tiger Woods and Brand Dubai.
Dubai is being rescued (for the third time) by its rich and increasingly reluctant neighbour, the conservative Abu Dhabi, while no apology can save Tiger Wood’s image and him being dropped by sponsors – first of which is Gillette.
The internet offers millions of definitions on what a ‘brand’ is, but here is a good one from Seth Godin. Building it takes years and years of consistent messaging to achieve credibility and trust. But all that hard work can be destroyed in no time.
 
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