GM's Buick will announce today a five-year endorsement
deal with Tiger Woods "believed" to be worth $20-25M,
according to USA TODAY's Strauss & Horovitz (see THE DAILY,
11/24). Woods, "who drives a Porsche," will be featured in
three Buick TV spots next year, the first of which will air
in February. He will "eventually be featured in overseas
ads" for other GM brands, such as Opel. Brand exposure on
Woods' golf bag is also part of the deal (USA TODAY, 12/15).
TAKING A RISK? Strauss & Horovitz write that the deal
"represents a crossover" from Woods' "high-end" deals with
Rolex and AmEx, as Buick is "decidedly middle class." If
Woods "doesn't deliver, he risks carefully laid plans to
become an upscale marketing icon well into the next
century." Sports Marketing Letter Publisher Brian Murphy
feels Woods is a good fit with Buick: "The word Buick still
conjures up the image of Dad's car. Maybe Tiger can change
that." Woods' agent, IMG's Mark Steinberg: "What's
appealing about GM is it's a global brand that wants a
younger, hipper image." But Strauss & Horovitz note that
Woods' Q-rating ranks tenth out of 500 sports personalities,
down from fifth in '98. Marketing Evaluations President
Steven Levitt: "Tiger's highest appeal is to consumers 50
and over -- especially among females. If GM's strategy is
to appeal to young consumers, as recognizable as Tiger is,
he is not going to have an easy time convincing young people
that Buick is your car to buy" (USA TODAY, 12/15).
