STEVE INSKEEP, Host: And today's last word in business is disgrace insurance. It's a product tailor-made for an era of celebrity scandal.</s>M: My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, Host: Indeed it did. That's Tiger Woods, who lost millions of dollars' worth of sponsorships. But he's hardly the only big name to annoy companies who put a star at the center of their branding campaigns, which is why big insurance firms offer a specialized product for just that moment when the brand ambassador gets dragged into a scandal.</s>M: It has to be a disgrace which clearly has a negative impact on the brand or the image they're trying to portray.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, Host: That's Mark Simons, an underwriter with the British insurer Beazley. He says that although disgrace insurance has been around for decades, it has become more prevalent in recent years.</s>M: Companies are perhaps more brand aware and more conscious of the impact that a situation like a disgrace can have on the public perception of a product or a brand. And then add to that, the fact that obviously the media is perhaps more tuned to reporting these issues.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, Host: Okay, but if you don't want to spend money for this kind of insurance you do have an alternative for steering clear of scandal. Just avoid human beings altogether and stick with lizards or ducks.</s>U: (As duck) Aflac.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, Host: That's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
Tiger Woods has lost millions of dollars in sponsorships because of scandal. But he's hardly the only big name to annoy companies which put a star at the center of their branding campaigns. Disgrace insurance has been around for decades but it's become more prevalent in recent years.