Steven Woodgate

Stepping-stones are often hard to come by. The next one may be in sight but difficult to jump on to. It’s important to bridge that gap.

Recently, after graduating with top marks in Sports Journalism, the opportunities weren’t there – the stepping-stone often requires a leap of faith.

That leap of faith – for me – was Winchester City Football Club.

We all know about experience is key and all that nonsense but after many tough weeks writing copy at local newspapers, countless websites and student publications and making tea, the chance to work for a semi-professional football club seemed a smart one.

Leaving university with a degree in Journalism is just not enough. Many old hacks solely believe in the NTCJ qualifications and will discredit university education, insisting that experience is more useful.

After graduating with that piece of paper, thoughts materialized that I wanted more from my degree, after all journalism is not the most lucrative paid profession. This led me to public relations and thoughts of becoming a media officer.

From there an opportunity arose and I grabbed it with both hands and progressed to that next step.

Now, with my involvement, Winchester City are up-to-date with social media platforms, have a brand new website to boast about and are getting regular, and full, coverage in the Hampshire Chronicle and Daily Echo.

After five months, the manager, ex-Portsmouth and Brighton defender Guy Butters, speaks openly to me after games; the players are often bantering me about this or other and the owner trusts me to make my own impact.

These are valuable experiences. In five months, I have mingled and spoken with Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier, ex-Portsmouth Paul Walsh and ex-Liverpool Phil Babb. You never know who you would meet at your local Non-League ground.

And even on special occasions you can see ex-QPR and Southampton defender Mark Dennis flip burgers at the Denplan City Ground – an ex-Premier League footballer flipping burgers!

Fortunately, drawing on previous experience with other jobs, these interactions went rather smoothly, it’s all about making links and networking.

However, some of these skills are still lacking amongst more recent graduates, as many are spoon-fed and don’t take the initiative.

Non-League football is always looking for help, promotion and publicity and any aspiring sporting professionals should get involved, you never know who you have the chance of meeting.

Since my time with the ‘Citizens’, I watch and report on games for the local papers, maintain the current website and try to increase viewership.

I raise awareness of the club, the venue and its community through liaising with the local and national sporting media, website management and development, creation and management of the club’s social media platforms and creation of a range of e-communications, match-day programmes and other literature.

My aim is to encouraging more people to come to the venue more often to support the players or host their events, driving ticket sales, merchandise sales and raise the profile of the club and the league.

Sports Journalism students from the University of Winchester are involved filming games and students come up from Southampton Solent University to write up match reports. It’s all about experience.

It’s easy to report on a Manchester United or Arsenal game as you have all the information ready, you have instant replays, and detailed programmes. At non-league level, you have no replays, very little detail and no names on shirts. This level you have to really watch the game and it is a real research exercise.

I learned by talking to fans, speak to other local journalists, and speak in detail with the manager and his coaches.

This is all going on my CV and portfolio and the one thing I would argue in an interview: I’m doing all this for free and proving a great success, imagine how good I would be if I was paid for it?

The content of this new textbook is very informative whilst being easy for students to understand. This makes the book worthwhile to read if you are a marketing professional, a PR professional or a university student.

The authors are all highly experienced in the fields of marketing, communications and PR. Maria Hopwood, a senior lecturer in public relations at Leeds Metropolitan University, is also an editorial board member of Public Relations Review and the International Journal of Sport Communication.

Paul Kitchin lectures in Sport Management at the University of Ulster, whilst also working as deputy editor for the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship and serving on the editorial board for the International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing.

James Skinner is an Associate Professor in Sport Management at Griffith University in Australia. He publishes in leading sport management journals and along with his co-authors is a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Sport Communication.

The book and its content have been carefully written to illustrate the changing world that of sport public relations. Some key themes that are apparent just from the contents page are the depth that the book goes into, for example the role of PR in sport is shown from the fans, the club and the players perspective.

The book is written from an international viewpoint. Some key international case studies that I found were useful and relevant to the modern day are the case study looking at a social media experiment involving the NFL franchise, Indianapolis Colts. This case study explores the benefits of using Web 2.0. Another interesting case study looks at a PR crises over the years within American sport, the study picks out three major crises:

1. The positive testing of anabolic steroids by a Major League Baseball player
2. Kobe Bryant’s rape allegations
3. Ray Lewis’s murder allegations

This case study looks at the techniques used to calm the media storm following these crises. The book is very up to date surrounding newer technologies. Along with the recent technology trends, the book also looks at recent scandals and issues such as the recent problems in international cricket.

‘Sport Public Relations and Communication’ is a fresh and relevant take on the role of PR and communication within contemporary sport. This book provides a wealth of in-depth examples from a variety of sporting nations.

The book draws on a wide variety of sources, some coming from Dr Jacquie L’Etang at the University of Stirling and Professor David Shilbury at Deakin University, Australia.

The only criticism I have of the book, is that there is a lack of diagrams of theoretical models, which makes it very wordy.

To summarise, this book is an essential resource and I’d recommend it to anyone with an interest in communications, PR and marketing in sport. The case studies in the book are relevant to the modern day world and provide an insight into the professional world of sport.

Reviewed by Joe Mirtaheri (a Sports Marketing and PR student taught by Maria Hopwood at Leeds Metropolitan University)

It’s not working

One report by American advertising company Ace Metrix would certainly suggest so.

The company spent all of 2010 monitoring more than 2,600 adverts, and they discovered that the celebrity endorsed adverts had the same impact as non-celebrity endorsed adverts.

In some cases they performed much worse.

This was particularly prevalent in adverts endorsed by sports celebrities who performed the worst out of all celebrity endorsements.

Out of the whole campaign the two celebs that had the lowest score in the test were professional cyclist Lance Armstrong with minus 28 percent and professional golfer Tiger Woods with minus 30 per cent. The sports star who had the biggest impact was American footballer Peyton Manning who is a quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, and he only boosted the value of the campaign by a measly 1.5 per cent. (The full report can be found on the Ace Metrix website).

In an article for the Daily Telegraph Peter Daboll, head of  Ace Metrix, was quoted saying: “Today’s consumers are far more likely to be influenced by someone in their social network”. He went on to state that “They don’t want to have products pushed at them, even by a celebrity.”

So what does this mean for sports stars and their agents? Well one reason behind these findings could be the decline in celebrity status, especially amongst sportsmen.

It used to be the case that the public could only judge a sports person by his or her performance in their chosen sport. Now we know every facet of their lives and when a sports star does make a mistake or do something immoral you can be sure that it gets mass coverage.

So it is of no surprise that Tiger Woods was bottom of the poll, after his catastrophic fall from grace. Woods is still struggling to regain his reputation and his form. Since it came out that he was a serial philanderer Woods has dropped two rankings to third in the world and has put in some truly mediocre performances, so the effect that he will have on a campaign is never going to be what it once was.

Reputation risks

It is because of the constant flow of scandals coming from the sporting world that advertising and PR agencies have to be careful how much they build a brand around a sports star.

Another consequence of the report is that the application of celebrity endorsement needs to be reconsidered. Whereas before it was enough for a celebrity to come on screen and endorse a product, now this has a minimal impact on the public; so a more subtle approach needs to be taken.

One example of this is the campaign for Power Balance Bands. Rather than produce a set of garish flashy adverts that had athletes talking about how effective the bands are, they just asked David Beckham, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to wear the bands in front of the cameras. Word soon spread and eventually other opinion leaders started to test the bands and soon they had worked their way into the mainstream, now they have sold around 2.9 million units around the world.

This opinion is also shared by Tim Crow, who heads up sports marketing group Synergy. In the same article he commented “rather than sticking a sportsman in a studio where they eat money, look uncomfortable and irritate a high proportion of viewers – you need to get them out into the action”.

The rise of social media

Another way in which celebrity endorsements can develop is through social media.  As Peter Daboll stated, people are far more likely to be influenced by someone in their social network; this means that the advantages of platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are even more important.

I for one follow a large number of sportsmen and woman on Twitter and when they tweet about a new product they have tried and liked I immediately check out the product, this process has a far bigger impact on me than a traditional advertisement.

Viral adverts are nothing new, but they are a great way of sports people endorsing a product without seeming obvious. One great example of this is Nike’s’ “Write the Future campaign”. This was Nike’s campaign for the 2010 Football world cup. It was launched a month before the start of the tournament and got 7.8 million hits in its first week and it outperformed Adidas, the official sponsor of the World Cup.

These videos show our favourite competitors actually performing; the product that is being promoted feels organic to the video and allows the viewer to witness the effects of whatever is they want to sell. It is clear that internet-based videos have a future in sports branding and if you haven’t seen the video you should watch it after reading this article.

Super Bowl, still super expensive

We are approaching an event which is one of the most eagerly anticipated and watched climax of any tournament, The Super Bowl. This will be broadcast all over the world and watched by over 90 million Americans. On average it costs advertisers 3 million dollars for a thirty second slot on the telecast.

Tom McGovern

With advertisers spending huge amounts of money for viewing figures like that it is obvious that sport still has an integral role in promoting and advertising. With such a big event it is imperative that these campaigns make the maximum impact. That is why it’s crucial PR, marketing and advertising companies start embracing other platforms for endorsing products and start engaging with their target audience.

For me, sport is the most inspiring form of entertainment. It transcends race, gender, class and political barriers and there is something about witnessing a team or individual rise above mediocrity and achieving something greater than themselves. This appeal is universal.

The quest for a sporting victory is itself an allegory for life and as long as people still aspire to become better and look up to sportsmen there will be a place for sports endorsement. However it is the application of the message and the medium which will dictate how successful a campaign will be. The future of sports endorsement rests on the shoulders of the agents and advertisers rather than the sportsmen themselves.

Often, it follows suit that the PR strategies used to protect and nurture the image of the footballers themselves are as short-lived.  The effect is a vicious circle of players and clubs averting PR crises, only for the words and actions of the said player fuelling the engine of further problems in the future. Wayne Rooney is not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, footballer to suffer because of a conflict between what he says and what he does, and it is little wonder few people have a clear idea of what PR professionals do within football other than to offer crisis management.

When I work with footballers at Multitude Media, the PR strategy is tailored for each individual. Many footballers have aspirations to develop a positive public image but fear bad press given that often the most innocuous action can end up being spun negatively.

Often what we aim to do, in essence, is create a safe way for our clients in football to develop links with non-football related projects that they can involve themselves in in their spare time; to use their profile positively and to help them maintain their involvement, remaining engaged and proactive.

If we help a client forge links with a charitable or social project, we want to ensure that they will stay involved in the long term, and it’s vital that they are emotionally and creatively engaged with that said project. If we don’t just want sound bites or photo opportunities and instead want our clients to be able to have a lasting a meaningful impact on the projects that they support, they have to want to be involved.

Working with Micah Richards

Let me use Manchester City and England international Micah Richards as an example. City in the Community, the club’s way of supporting a range of projects and people in the region, is an example to other professional sports teams.

Similarly, the MCFC Charities of the Year scheme – which sees the club partner with a select number of charities for at least the course of a season – enables the club to offer support in the way of grants, player visits and media opportunities and is a vital support in the Greater Manchester area and beyond.

However, each player may only be called upon a few times a month for both of the above, and this leaves many more hours for players to involve themselves in other off-the-field projects should they wish. When we began working with Micah in late 2008, what was clear was that he had the desire to use his profile to benefit others, and our challenge was to try to match his interests and passions with suitable charities and campaigns.

As such, we formally introduced Micah and his elder sister Rhonda – who is heavily involved in Micah’s career – to If U Care Share, an initiative that encouraged young people to discuss their problems openly rather than bottling them up. The idea came about due to the suicide of Daniel O’Hare in 2005, and his parents, Shirley and Dean, and family decided to use their tragic experience for the good of others who may find themselves in a similar position to Daniel.

For Micah, If U Care Share struck a personal chord with him. In the same year as Daniel O’Hare’s death, a childhood friend who also played for the same team as Micah in Leeds committed suicide at the age of 18 whilst on remand in custody. Micah, his best friend Mark Harding and the rest of the Chapeltown community that they grew up in were shocked by the event, and from that day on the close-knit community promised to try to support people who found themselves in a similar position of helplessness.

When Micah read more about If U Care Share, he was determined to support the initiative in whatever ways Shirley and Dean felt necessary. To date that support has included Micah penning words of advice for young people that were used in an information pack taken to schools and community groups by If U Care Share, as well as signed merchandise for use in the annual charity golfing day. Micah can also frequently be spotted wearing the If U Care Share wristband in Manchester City matches in the hope of raising the profile of the project, and his is a long-standing presence that we hope will aid the expansion of the campaign around the UK.

If we had been thinking short-term, Micah’s involvement would have been limited to a one-off appearance or the provision of merchandise. Instead, Micah is only too happy to continue to support the work of If U Care Share, and it is beneficial to all concerned – for Micah as he is engaged by a project that he can directly relate to, and for If U Care Share who benefit from the added exposure they gain.

In essence, the key is for PR professionals working in sport not to look for a quick fix or an easy access to positive press. Such opportunities serve only to add to the criticism of players being out of touch with reality and living outside of the world of the everyman if it turns out there are inconsistencies in what they say and what they do.

Honest PR is the most effective

Instead, PR consultants such as ourselves at Multitude Media are tasked with laying out a medium to long-term plan for our clients that will educate them as to why they have to be aware of their responsibilities, the benefits of involvement in such charities and how to use and manage their profile.

The deeper effect is that the individual is then not just portrayed as being an improving or good person, but they become an improving or good person. Honest PR is far and away the most effective kind, and if you’re of the belief that the messages you transmit through a clear and long-term PR strategy should be honest and entirely reflective, professionals must work with their client in order to strengthen the foundations of their image rather than cover the cracks.

The large majority of footballers realise that they can use their profiles for the greater good, and for every individual who may show a naive disregard for anything other than their latest supercar or multi-million pound house, there are a vast number of footballers who want to help but perhaps don’t have the guidance to do so.

Players such as Craig Bellamy, Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and Stephen Ireland have set-up charities and foundations of their own that do invaluable work. The Craig Bellamy Foundation opened a football academy in Sierra Leone earlier this year and offers five-year scholarships in the hope of offering unique opportunities to those who previously couldn’t access them, whilst the Stephen Ireland Foundation has raised thousands of pounds for St Francis House in Manchester amongst others – and these are just the immediate examples that spring to mind.

Such fine work as this flies in the face of the press that predated both of these projects and the stories of petulance and extravagance that have been directed at both Bellamy and Ireland. I’m sure if you spoke to all of the players above, instrumental in the ongoing development of their foundations is that they are passionate about and therefore engaged with what they are doing. The result is that there is a far greater chance of them continuing with their work and making a lasting impact on others, but also on themselves.

These extra-curricular projects aren’t, however, the responsibility of the clubs, and their management and success depends on the players and the people around them.

Opportunities for short-term, positive PR come cheaply to footballers and other sportspeople. The challenge for PR professionals working in the field is to implement a longer term strategy consistent with the client’s own interests and one that remains rigid amidst the forever changing landscape of media accountability.

Multitude Media offers PR and image consultancy to clients in sport and entertainment, ranging from Premier League footballers to global new media companies to up-and-coming comedians . With bases in Leeds, London and Manchester, the company continues to expand its client base and profile and has rapidly developed a reputation as one of the leading young PR companies in the UK.

It is a timeless and sobering message about an industry frequently hampered by egos and tarnished by greed. As a Spurs fan it is impossible not to absorb his wisdom.

Donna Cullen is Spurs’ executive director with responsibility for communications and like everyone else at White Hart Lane, keeps Bill Nicholson’s ethos central to all her operations.

She is acutely aware of the demands of the modern, media savvy Spurs fan, and with echoes of Bill’s famous quote tells me, “The supporters are the most important stakeholder at our club, they have our upmost respect.”

Cullen says that the Spurs board operate with the belief that they will never truly own the club, stating proudly, “Spurs will always belong to the fans.”

That notion shapes the refreshing manner in which Tottenham Hotspur chooses to communicate.

If the fans are the heartbeat of Tottenham Hotspur, then the communications team is the conscience.

As a result, Cullen knows that it is paramount for the supporters to receive the latest, and of course most accurate news, first. She upholds an unwavering focus on maintaining an ongoing dialogue and accountability at all times, because the way in which supporters view the ownership of football clubs has come full circle.

Honest dialogue with supporters

Cullen explains that, “The need for regular and honest dialogue is essential. Supporters now want to know about the business side of their club also – twenty years ago, less even, that wasn’t the case.”

One of the biggest and most decorated football clubs in Europe, Tottenham Hotspur has responsibilities that extend far outside their football remit. The ‘Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’ for example, is the club’s vehicle for corporate responsibility.

It isn’t flimsy, good-on-paper PR by any stretch. It is instead dedicated example setting roll your sleeves up and make a difference PR.

That approach is something Cullen deeply values: “We have millions of supporters so we are an excellent conduit for getting a message out.” That then, in essence, is the modern day arm of football PR. Nicholson might well approve.

“Perversely addictive and uniquely challenging” are the words used by Cullen to describe her feeling towards football. I will second that.

Ups and downs at Bournemouth

Niall Malone: student, fan, employee

In my two seasons as press officer at AFC Bournemouth, the club went into (and thanks to a takeover came out of) administration and a transfer embargo.

They dismissed two managers and appointed a fans’ favourite, but rookie, manager Eddie Howe. The club also rebranded its commercial image, released legendary centre forward Steve Fletcher, survived relegation from League Two on the last home game of one season and gained promotion to League One the next.

Stressful moments were plentiful, dull ones less so. All things considered though, there isn’t one single episode I wouldn’t relive.

Cliché as it sounds, the idiosyncrasies of football tear up most rulebooks, mine included, and I am without doubt richer for the experience.

Even at League Two level, the potential football has to engage the public is substantial. It should come as no surprise then that on a grander scale, the World Cup is the planet’s most watched sporting spectacle.

The greatest show on earth

There are few occasions that offer the almost universal appeal of this month-long tournament. Points of engagement for retailers, sponsors and their communication teams are both significant and plentiful; electronics, food and drink, clothing, the list goes on. For example, ‘The British Beer and Pub Association’ estimated that three million people attended pubs and clubs for England’s final group game, while Sainsbury’s and Tesco also reported a surge in sales of World Cup themed merchandise. It isn’t coincidence either.

Marketing teams push their creative boundaries to drive sales, and in public relations it is important to be adaptable throughout a tournament famed for the unpredictable. Carling, for example, are running a series of ‘live’ adverts that air with the final score just seconds after the game has finished. The brewer has recorded over four hundred different scoreline combinations to ensure every eventuality is covered! Sensibly, both McDonalds and Carlsberg also have flexible marketing initiatives that they can tailor according to England’s progress.

The most successful campaigns are the ones that begin prior to the tournament. Once the competition begins, few messages break through the noise of the event itself.

Take for example, Nike’s “Write the future” campaign which debuted during the Champions League final, an entire month before the World Cup’s opening match. A report by market research company Neilsen claimed that Nike’s campaign has had twice as many references related to the World Cup than its rival and official World Cup partner, Adidas. Nike’s success is thanks in no small part to interaction with the fans.

The advent of social media has turned everyone into a pundit and Nike have capitalised on this by offering supporters the chance to send a fifty seven character message to a player of their choice, these notes then being displayed on big screens in the South African host cities.

This is the first World Cup ever to be held in Africa so unsurprisingly interest is high, very high. An estimated three thousand journalists and fifteen thousand radio and TV personnel are expected to frequent the press boxes and media centres of South Africa’s ten host stadiums.

The logistics of managing the demands and intrigue of the media masses is immense.  FIFA employ seven senior media managers and forty four press officers to ensure everyone, within reason, gets what they came for. The Football Association assume a similarly robust stance. The England squad are flanked by four senior media personnel. Adrian Bevington, the FA’s communications director, oversees their operations. A number of press officers and operations executives complete the rest of England’s second most important squad.

The FA’s PR strategy

For the most part the FA has succeeded in portraying a warm, football focused image. Proactively, pre tournament preparations were good. An excellent high altitude training facility in Austria was secured and from there the squad moved to a world class leisure complex in Rustenberg. This base camp allowed for engagement with the public, notably a visit to a local orphanage and free entry to a warm up game for ten thousand local children.

Reactively, they ensured stability by confirming that manger Fabio Capello would remain in charge after the World Cup, following intense speculation linking him with Inter Milan. They also moved quickly to apologise in the wake of Rooney’s rant after the Algeria game. Moreover, an open approach to rumours of dressing room unrest helped to quash most of that speculation. We may never know if there was mutiny in the training camp, but the constant stream of senior players (armed with a consistent message) at press conferences served to reassure all stakeholders.

I tend to agree with the old adage that it’s the performances on the pitch that will leave the lasting impression on your audience.

Indeed history dictates that a poor showing at a big tournament leads to a comprehensive and unrelenting attack on not just the team but the entire organisation they represent.

The reality is that football is now a business and a big one at that. Shrewd operators and expert tacticians are necessary throughout a football club – and not just in the dressing room.

Niall Malone is a PR student at Bournemouth University, currently on placement at The Football Foundation. He has previously held customer care, marketing and media and communication positions at Tottenham Hotspur FC, AFC Bournemouth, The Vancouver Whitecaps FC and at Deltatre Media.

You know the backstory. He’s the flawless sportsman and global icon whose myth of invincibility was shattered the moment his car was involved in a late night collision outside his Florida home.

Our interest is not in golf, nor in private lives nor all-too public affairs. We’re interested in the speed with which PR professionals have rushed to offer advice and commentary to brand Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods' website statement

In the event, the advice Tiger Woods has acted on seems to have invited nothing but public outrage and severe criticism from PR experts all over the world. Although Tiger’s team attempted to restore his damaged reputation by releasing a personal statement on his official website, they stand accused of having overlooked some of the most basic principles of crisis management.

First of all, his statement was released way too late, more than 40 hours after the crash. This only aggravated the situation by giving the public ample time for speculation and hungry journalists enough opportunity to take their imagination to new heights. Mark McClennan, in the Schwartz PR Blog recalled the observant comment from Mike McDougall of Bausch & Lomb, that “the 24 hour news cycle is now the 24 minute, or 24 second news cycle”, while David Eichler of David & Sam PR observes that “there’s only two things worse than whatever really happened outside Tiger Woods’ house: speculation and the appearance of a cover up”.

Celebrities cannot have privacy

Amanda Alvaro of Narrative Advocacy Media predicted that Tiger’s refusal to come clean with the rumours of his alleged affairs is proving to be even more damaging to his career, which the media would call the “…Swiss cheese story line. There are so many holes in this…he needs to tell the story clearly, and he needs to tell it again and again, and without doing that the tabloids and the media are going to make up the story for him”, while Greg Smith, founder of the UK-based Greg PR rightly reflected that “when you earn a billion dollars as a celebrity you have no privacy. No matter how uncomfortable the truth may be, Tiger’s advisers would be well served to learn from history and not try to run, hide or pretend they don’t owe the public the truth”.

The expert advice that has been flowing seems to be varied and contrasting in nature.

Rich Schapiro from NY Daily News reported unanimous opinions from PR experts such as Sean Cassidy, president of Dan Klores Communications and Howard Rubenstein, president of Rubenstein Communications who felt that Woods should get back to his game and ignore all rumours and gossip, while Michael Cherenson, the CEO of the PRSA advised Tiger to do a personal interview to clear the air, since “there’s this giant void of information, and it’s being filled with misinformation, rumors, innuendo, lies”. Tony Felice, CEO of Tony Felice Public Relations & Marketing in Phoenix and Jason Rose, president of Rose & Allyn Public Relations in Scottsdale agreed that Tiger should come clean in the public eye, also suggesting a press conference or video release that would answer all questions.

Gerry McCusker, PR consultant and crisis PR author recommended the three ‘R’s of crisis management for Woods: Regret, Responsibility and Remedial action, and now with new Web 2.0 rules of reputation management, also ‘R’ for Real. “Woods must move towards honesty and ‘Get Real’”, he wrote.

Area 224 Managing Principal Dave Van de Walle explains reputation management through social media by giving us the example of Michael Phelps, who not only developed a huge Facebook following of over 2,800,000, but also engaged with them fairly frequently so his fans could get a feeling of involvement from his side. As a result, when he was faced with a problem, apologising to his Facebook friends and fans won him considerable public support.

Tweet Tiger, Tweet!

This engagement through social media is exactly what was identified as missing in Tiger Woods’ response. His personal website contains no platform for two-way communications, only one-sided in the form of comments from his fans. Dave advised Tiger to engage with his audience, to comment back in order to interact with his public, and also ‘Tweet’!

An interesting take on the situation came from Robbie Vorhaus, a communications adviser quoted in The Huffington Post. As a reputation management tactic, he believes Woods should tell a hero’s story, which is redemptive and healing to the souls of the public. A hero is usually confronted with a difficult situation, which in this case would be the car crash, added to which would be the intentions of the wife – “is she a villain or life saver?” The evil mistress or the femme fatale would be the antagonist in this story who prevents Tiger from achieving his goal, added to which “Tiger will have more tests, torments and rewards, followed by the long road back to a normal world, yet forever changed, reborn, renewed, and enlightened”.

A former activist pointed out that Americans may be too vulnerable to PR machinations for their own good – whether it’s drumming up public support for a murder case defendant like Amanda Knox or creating a multimillion dollar image empire like Tiger Woods and others.

There have been several athletes before Woods – such as Joe Namath and Wilt Chamberlain – known for their notorious womanising. Michael Phelps and Marion Jones were accused of doping and marijuana, and also Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez who were accused of taking steroids. It may be the gullible public who should be blamed for putting Tiger Woods on a pedestal after he gladly accepted his responsibilities of a role model.

Smooth and spotless?

It was also because of his endorsements that Tiger Woods needed to keep his reputation squeaky clean, with some of the world’s biggest brands such as Buick, Nike, Gatorade, Gillette, EA Sports, and Accenture backing him with their bucks.

In the 1997 GQ profile of Woods, Charles P. Pierce had written that “the Tiger Woods that was constructed for corporate consumption was spotless and smooth, an edgeless brand easily peddled to sheikhs and shakers” and that getting married and having children only added to Woods’ marketability, raising his image to “divine and monogamous and the center of a happy nuclear family”.

This can now be sharply contrasted to Tiger’s recent confessions of his ‘transgressions’ after this incident that “I’m human… I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect”.

It was strongly recommended by celebrity PR specialist Mark Borkowski that Tiger should make a “public display of contrition, perhaps in a television interview”. Tiger or his PR Team seem to have had the same thoughts, as the latest reports talk of him considering an offer of being interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey Show, along with his wife Elin in a joint effort to clear the air.

Amidst all the accusations and scandal, it is heartening to see that there are PR experts who feel that Woods’ reputation will not or should not be affected by this scandal.

Cataunya Ransom, lead publicist of Mosnar Communications feels “Tiger Woods is a sustainable brand with organic brand equity to remain on top even in crisis situations. Advertisers should not worry about Woods’ endorsement deals because his brand is one of the most sustainable”, the same view being shared by Rachel Froggart, the Braben director of sport.

The Sports PR Company director, Caroline McAteer felt that “Tiger Woods’ image as a family man may be damaged but he is still the number one golfer in the world, and fans will still travel all over the world to see him play”, while Jason Madeley, founder of Hatch PR keeps faith in Tiger Woods, stating that the athlete is “one of a kind and it would be very difficult for a brand to find an alternative ambassador with not only the talent, but the global reach, crossing both international and cultural boundaries”.

Truth is the ultimate spin

Let’s keep in mind that Tiger Woods has not committed a sin that could destroy a successful sports career. He has not been accused of steroids, insider betting or anything that could question his commitment to his sport. Doug Heye from the Thomas Jefferson Street blog believes that “America has an incredible capacity to forgive, giving second and third chances. For that to happen to Woods, no matter how much credibility he has built, requires being both proactive and forthright”, while Robbie Vorhaus in the Huffington Post concluded that “Tiger Woods doesn’t need a PR handler; just a reminder that he’s a hero, and that truth is always the ultimate spin”.

Arsenal has a large and loyal fan base from all over the world, with over 60,000 seats being sold in the new stadium for every home fixture. While there have always been small pockets of supporters abroad, Arsenal’s fan base has widened considerably with the growth and development of media channels, and there are now significant supporters’ clubs worldwide. 

The success of the club and the Premier League grabs local, national and international attention and has given me the opportunity to network and build relationships with a large number of journalists. I have not only made good contacts with sports desks and journalists in the UK, but with those writing for newspapers including Aftonbladet in Sweden, Hochi Shimbun in Japan and Le Monde in France.

I have had the chance to work with local broadcasters such as BBC Radio 5 Live based in London and Today FM in Ireland, but I also have a good working relationship with Radio Italia and Radio Gaucha through accrediting the stations for Champions League fixtures against AC Milan.

The press office at Arsenal pushes to be the best in the Premier League and Europe for effective communication.  This is achieved through good working relations with all media, no matter who they are or where they are from. 

The build-up

One of my main roles through the year was handling the media accreditation for fixtures. Whether it’s a local Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur or a Champions League match against Slavia Prague, the club still catches the attention of a worldwide audience.

Media accreditation is about issuing passes that allow TV broadcasters, radio, written press and photographers to attend and cover a particular fixture, with the access they require to do so. 

The press box at Emirates Stadium seats up to 112 journalists and radio broadcasters. TV rights holders are seated on the gantry. The club can also accommodate up to 50 photographers pitch side and in the photographers’ workroom.

All media must either fax or email an official request through to the club at least 48 hours before the fixture. I processed these requests and replied to every application with an answer either way via email, telephone or fax. I had to check that the media applying were on the correct licenses, that they were an official publication or broadcaster and what they intended to do if accredited, for example to write a match report or a column.  

For important fixtures and Champions League matches, I would receive over 200 media requests. So to prioritise passes for journalists I had to research circulation and number of pages dedicated to Premier League football in that particular publication. For radio I would look at what commercial rights they have and what their main subject focus is on the station. For example, are they a sports station or a regular music radio station.

Communication to confirm or decline requests is vital as there will be journalists making plans to travel thousands of miles to London solely to cover a particular Arsenal fixture. 

Kick-off

On a match day the media would begin filtering into the stadium from three hours before kick off. I would greet each journalist and photographer at the media entrance, and hand out the relevant passes. I also answered any queries they may have on arrival, and if it is their first game being accredited, I explain where they need to go and where I will be if they have any further queries.

Combining the accreditation process with face to face communication on a match day, gave me a great opportunity to build relationships with the media for the club and myself. As I was on hand for every home fixture, the regular journalists, broadcasters and photographers became familiar, and friendly, to me. 

Press must be seated in the press box fifteen minutes before kickoff, to ensure they do not obstruct other journalists’ view of the game. I usually made my way into the press box on kick off when I had finished sorting passes and sending the relevant forms and lists to the Premier League.

Throughout the game I was on hand to answer any general queries, for example a journalist might want particular statistics on a player. I was also on hand for any technical problems such as if a press screen was faulty, I would contact the communications team to make sure it was fixed efficiently.

After the match

Around five minutes before full time, all press officers made their way back to the office, to collate requests we already have for player interviews. At full time we separate to different areas of the stadium. I usually made my way to the press lounge to hand out passes for post-match radio access or journalists’ access. I would take the radio reporters into the room they have been allocated. I then take requests for players they wish to speak to, and pass these onto my colleagues.

For the next hour or so, as the players leave the dressing room the press officers put the requests to them.  We constantly communicated via mobiles and walkie talkies so we knew which players had left the dressing room and what requests had been made. If a player agreed to speak to particular media, I would accompany him to the interview and jot down what was asked and what he said in reply. I was also on hand to step in if any inappropriate questions were asked about the player’s personal life.

After all requests had been put to the players I would make my way back to the press room, to ensure the journalists do not have any other queries or issues before leaving. By this point there would only be a handful of journalists still working, depending on their deadlines.