Watchmaker stands by embattled golfer, but at what cost?

As the Tiger Woods drama recedes, controversy still rings in the minds of consumers of his endorsed brands.

Watchmaker Tag Heuer has stated that it supports Tiger but will begin reducing its ads featuring the golfer.  Using E-Score Brand we looked at how consumer opinions of Tag Heuer changed before and after the story broke.

In January 2009, pre-controversy, we asked respondents “What is the first thought that comes to mind when you see the name of this brand?”  3% of open-ended responses mentioned Tiger Woods.  In January 2010 when prompted with that same question 16% of responses mentioned Tiger Woods.  This increased association is also reflected in the decreased appeal of the Tag Heuer Brand.

Can Tag Heuer Hit Out of the Hazard?

Digging deeper we looked at brand connections within a customer base more sought after by Tag Heuer.  Among respondents  with an annual household income over 60K, purchase consideration fell 9% from January 2009 pre-controversy to January 2010 post-controversy.  Tag Heuer though did show a bright spot.  Brand loyalty among Tag Heuer owners making over 60K moved up by 3 points from January 2009 to January 2010

E-Score Brand can reveal how outside forces can influence consumer sentiment and appeal.  Monthly brand fielding can be performed quickly to provide a clear snapshot in time of public perception.