Airfoil Public Relations

When News That Is Not News Becomes News, PR Staffs Need To Dig In

Last week, the popular sports blog Deadspin devoted some space on their site to an idea that Major League Baseball discussed during an internal brainstorm dedicated to solving baseball's parity problem.

Essentially, this "idea" is that teams would be able to make their case to switch divisions on a yearly basis in order to increase their chances of success. It's a horrible idea.

Bud Selig, whether fair or not, has been subjected to harsh criticism during his time as baseball's commissioner. And, thanks to a strike-shortened season in 1994, an All-Star Game in 2002 that ended in a tie, and the steroid issue, he deserves much of it.

But not for an idea that will never see the light of day (I hope.)

It is no more newsworthy than the ideas we throw around when brainstorm ideas for a new client pitch. The good ones rise to the surface, while the bad ones die, never to be seen again.

This idea should have died a quiet death, but, as well all know, everything counts as news. 

I'm not going to rail against blogs like Deadspin, because I enjoy reading most of their content. But when they started their site under the motto of "Sports News Without Access," they set a dangerous precedent for every blog "Without Access" that came after.

Essentially, everything has become fair game for the media.

Everything is a potential time bomb, waiting to explode.

There is no such thing as a "non-news story" anymore. (Evidence: ESPN practically collapsed in on itself when Urban Meyer announced that he was not retiring.)

What wasn't news a decade ago now has the potential to appear on the front page if it's scandalous, or is perceived to be scandalous by the public. Even if it turns out to be false, the rush to report news first will inevitably lead to potentially hazardous false starts.

This underscores how important PR staff is to a company’s overall infrastructure. As the gatekeepers of your client or company's information, it is so important for PR professionals to be aware of what is happening within the walls of the organization.

If you're not a part of management meetings that discuss organizational decisions, you must become part of them. Often times, huge decisions are made with no input from the communications department. But in a changing news cycle where news is always breaking, and the next scandal is merely one executive's off-the-cuff comment away, we have to become a part of the discussion.

It wouldn't be the worst idea ever.

-- Brad Marley

So long to 2010 Olympics, we’ll tweet ya later

How many Olympians are you following on Twitter? How many did you start following since the beginning of the games? No sporting event can make you feel more patriotism than the Olympics, and now with the advent of Twitter and widespread use of social media, you can be closer than ever to the athletes and events happening throughout the host city. Without a doubt, the Olympics (summer or winter) are among my most favorite athletic competitions to watch.

While many were complaining about the TV delays and the ability to search for the results before the event was broadcast, Twitter was inviting everyone to see what was happening with their favorite athletes between events (See Verified Olympians). So through this new level of connectivity in our ever shrinking world, what have we witnessed from some of our most treasured American athletes this go ’round?

·         @ApoloOhno shared his ever infectious and magnetic positivity to stand tall and be proud of who you are and your accomplishments

·         @LouieVito announced the return of two-time Olympic gold medalist @Shaun_White to Twitter during the games

·         A disappointed @JuliaMancuso posted and quickly removed comments following her first run on the giant slalom, fueling the fire of an alleged rivalry with life-long competitor @LindseyVonn

·         @JohnnyGWeir seemed homesick, while his luggage made an unfortunate detour through Chicago without him

·         @EvanLysacek Toured an Olympic press junket after winning gold in the men’s skating competition

In a time when traditional media is struggling with the concept that every Twitter handle is a civilian reporter breaking the latest news through social media and Twitpics, it’s encouraging to see how athletes are not only discussing the events around Vancouver, but also what the media is up to for interviews and the cross-promotion of both programming and their personal publicity. 

This continues to build the strength, brand and interest in catching the hottest interviews and news from a variety of media sources. To our benefit, we can only hope this continued cross-promotion and increased consumer demand will slow the effects of slimming media staffs and quell the number of updates from @themediaisdying. 

In the ever-changing media landscape, perhaps this high-point in the half-pipe will allow us as a community of consumers and professionals to truly evaluate the appropriate measurement and overall significance in how we utilize media and successfully plan for future innovations regardless of economic impact.

We can only watch with high anxiety the evolution of athlete/enthusiast interactive communications channels throughout the next four years. Congrats to all and tweet you in @Sochi2014OC.

-- Meg Soule

Cleveland Indians build strong employee team with communications foundation

They don’t have access to Facebook during business hours. But Bob DiBiasio, Cleveland Indians vice president of public relations, says the team may hire a social media coordinator the handle upcoming efforts.

As the breakfast speaker at the IABC Heritage conference in Cleveland, DiBiasio is dealing with a situation that communicators in several companies face: how do we get IT, the executive suite and employees on the same page with communications?

It still baffles me as to why companies would lock down social networks during work hours. Maybe it’s because I’ve always had open access at every job I’ve had. But a partial Web lockdown seems akin to unplugging someone’s desk phone or confiscating mobile phones when employees head into the office. What good does a lockdown do for employees except to make them increasingly frustrated?

Instead, give train your employees, give them guidelines and teach them to be brand ambassadors. The Indians have a communications calendar on SharePoint that all employees can access. It includes frequently asked questions and talking points. DiBiasio realizes that as an employee of the Cleveland Indians, regardless of position or title, friends, family and acquaintances are going to ask questions because the employee represents the team.

“We all need to sing from the same hymnbook,” he said. By providing every employee with clear information, messaging and talking points, the Indians are mobilizing their employees and giving them the power to promote the brand.

The same should hold true for employees regardless of online or offline chatter.

As DiBiasio said during his talk, “I don’t know if you all realize this, but we all work for Web sites now.”

Yes, employees can be your best brand ambassadors but you need to give them the tools do to so. If you don’t trust your employees enough to have access to Facebook during the day, how can you trust them with your business?

-- Tonja Deegan

 

Wake up, NFL! Your reputation depends on it!

As I was driving in this morning, I heard a quick piece on the radio about how the NFL will not consider lifting its TV blackout for cities that cannot sell out stadiums – Detroit and Oakland being two of those cities.

At an average price of $75 per ticket in this economy, the NFL is slowly hanging itself. And - given all the bad press around the League with criminal conduct of players including former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress - it is the perfect storm that likely could set back the NFL. Its reputation is at stake with loyal fans, like those in Detroit who despite the Lions 19-game losing streak, still care.

Shame on you, NFL. You need to learn a lesson from your baseball brothers – the MLB. Remember the 1994 strike? Greed is something no sports fan tolerates.

-- Leah Haran