Tiger Woods said a key component of his corporate
partnership with AmEx was the company's $1M contribution to
the Tiger Woods Foundation. Woods said AmEx "saw the
importance of the Tiger Woods Foundation, what it can do for
junior golf, as far as minorities and children go, in the
inner city. That, to me, meant a lot. And with that in
mind, the donation that they gave was unprecedented ... that
to me, touched my heart. ... I felt more comfortable with
American Express than the other companies." AmEx President
& COO Ken Chenault said that in Woods, AmEx has a
"representative who has captured the imagination of many
different types of consumers. Certainly, he has riveted the
attention of the golfing set. But his appeal has
transcended the fans of that sport. ... It's hard for me to
visualize what audiences Tiger does not appeal to." Woods,
on the deal: "Since I am ... in a sense, ethnically, a
global person, so is American Express. If you look at my
other two sponsors, who are Nike and Titleist, they are also
global, and I like to associate myself with these types of
companies, just because that's who I am." Chenault said
the company will "be using Tiger in financial services, but
the important point that I would emphasize is that this is a
relationship with American Express company, and we will also
over time use him for other products and services that the
company offers around the world." Chenault said there are
no plans for a Tiger Woods affinity card (THE DAILY).
