There's been a lot said about the value of pursuing perfection.
In our activities, in our products, in our relationships.
Advertising pummels us with images of perfect bodies, perfect makeup, perfect hair, forcibly reminding us that if we're not perfect, we should buy the stuff that will help us get there.
Companies spend millions in consulting services, process improvement experts, and other "fixes", all aimed at achieving the highest quality products.
Independent companies, like J.D. Power and Consumer Reports, measure every product and service, telling us which ones are approaching perfect.
In our celebrities, we seek out the ones who are "perfect"... perfect bodies, perfect images, perfect asses, and perfect assholes, depending on your value system.
And, when we find them, we elevate them to a status that used to be reserved for heroes.
There are two cases of this that have occupied countless hours of airtime recently... Toyota and Tiger.
On the surface, their travails appear to be unrelated.
After all, Tiger was sponsored by Buick, not Toyota.
But on a deeper level, they're joined at the hip.
Because to most Americans, both Toyota and Tiger represented something close to perfection.
Heck, Toyota's luxury division, Lexus, even promoted their cars with the slogan "The relentless pursuit of perfection".
Tiger's ads for Accenture followed a similar theme.
In reality, both Tiger and Toyota were superior brands, with demonstrated excellence in their fields.
No question Tiger was among the best ever at golf, and no question Toyota was among the best in cars for a long time.
People respected them, admired them, aspired to them, and ultimately helped give them a cache' that was far beyond what their product characteristics could support, even when things were going well.
Ultimately, both Tiger and Toyota were found to be "mortal", or more specifically, fallible.
For a lot of people, it was like finding out that Santa Claus was a child molester.
The fact is that nobody could have lived up to the standard the people set for Tiger and for Toyota.
People and companies simply aren't that perfect.
At least not for very long.
Clearly, both Tiger and Toyota were directly responsible for their downfall.
But if the general populace were to take a deep breath and employ some perspective, they'd realize that a bit of the blame goes to the idolization and deification given to mortals all too easily in our modern culture.
If Toyota was my client, I'd advise them to sign Tiger as a spokesperson immediately, and work together to rebuild their images and the public's view of their competence.
And strive for an image of excellence, not perfection.
“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” ---- Anna Quindlen
“This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.” ---- Saint Augustine
