I have said it numerous times– if you work in Sports PR or Reputation Management, you will always have a job because there always a crisis that is happening. 2009 has definitely started off with a bang with PR Nightmares in sports. From Michael Phelps to Alex Rodriguez to the Brett Favre announcing his retirement for the second time. But has the public become used to these PR Nightmares that they are not reacting to them as much? Is this due to the fact that fans and others are finding out how these athletes are in real life off the field?
I would definitely say that this is true. Athletes have to effectively manage their reputation and personal brand more than ever now due to the influence and power of the Internet. It seems that these athletes that are part of these nightmare situations are all about the timing of their announcement. For example, Phelps and his PR team announced that it was indeed him in the infamous photo in South Carolina on Super Bowl Sunday. The apology message strategy seems to be one common strategy as well. Rodriguez apologized in his crisis situation immediately after the story broke– which is good– but how trustworthy is it? Is he really apologetic? It just seems like athletes today are doing all of the “right” PR things, but do they really mean it or do they want to do whatever it takes to make a crisis go away?
So, what about corporations? Are they not reacting to these crises as much? I would have to disagree on this point. Corporations and businesses are all about the bottom line– who can bring in the most media coverage and presence in their sport as possible. They want sport personalities that share what their corporate image and mission to their stakeholders. Corporations want individuals (ex. sport celebrities) that represent their brand proactively and positively– and do not want someone that represents their brand negatively. So, I think that 2009 will be a year where corporations will evaluate those athletes that they represent and determine which ones to keep and which ones to let go.
These are just a few of my thoughts. Hope you all are having a great day! 🙂
Best Wishes,
Karen
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