Archive for the ‘Media’ Category

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Robots with Personalities

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Boxing, more so than other sports, relies on the personality of its athletes. It’s the lifeblood of the fight game. Ask any promoter.

Two guys beating each other in the ring is entertaining, but if they both have great personalities, it’s so much more interesting.

I think the same principle can be applied to other sports. And I think it’s important we preserve that trait. Let’s not forget, sport is entertainment.

I remember watching, jeering and cheering the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Conners, Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic. Not only were they very talented tennis players but they had personalities that brought fans through the turnstiles. Cricket had (among others) Ian Botham, Viv Richards, Doug Walters and more recently Shane Warne. Rugby League prides itself on the characters in its game and promotes them to the tilt (a big reason why rugby league enjoys free to air coverage over Super 14 rugby).

In this day and age of professionalism it’s common for sporting academies, clubs and athlete managers to suck the personality right out of an athlete. With strict behaviour guidelines, the pressure of being a role model and big sponsors to protect, it’s easy to produce robots.

But what people don’t understand is robots can be personalities too. You don’t have to break the rules, swear and be disrespectful to have a personality that attracts fanfare.

NRL player Wendell Sailor is a good example of what I’m talking about. He is a great role model but he is also a big personality. Just shows it’s possible to be both. That’s what sponsors want to see more of, robots with personalities.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Cricket, Media, Rugby League, Sponsorship, Strategy, Tennis | No Comments »

Social Media Rights & Benefits

Friday, August 7th, 2009

I recently talked about moving with the times and the importance of keeping up to speed with technology. It’s a super fast crazy world we live in and only those that embrace change will succeed, the rest will get left behind.

So what does this have to do with sponsorship and managing athletes?

Well, when a sponsor signs an athlete, they sign for a list of rights and benefits. X number of appearances, X number of photo shoots, X number of TVC’s, sign X number of memorabilia etc. For years these rights and benefits have pretty much stayed the same.

However the landscape is changing and it’s been happening for the past five years. I’m talking about social media rights and benefits.

If your sponsorship proposal does not include anything about social media rights and benefits then fuggetaboutit.

Social media is influencing the way in which brands communicate with their customers. This communication to customers is the reason why brands sponsor an athlete in the first place.

TV commercials, print ads and billboards still play a huge role, particularly on a mass level, but a lot of that stuff is now being complemented with social media and in some cases, dominated by social media.

The point I’m making is that brands and their ad and PR agencies are dialled in on social media and how it fits into a marketing plan. However, sports managers are much slower on the uptake. And this hurts their ability to sell a client.

Imagine a brand that is engaged in social media receiving a sponsorship proposal that includes no mention of online rights and benefits and leveraging ideas!

Athlete manager’s that ‘move with times’ are always going to be step ahead.

If you’re not up to speed, ask someone who is.

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Posted in Communication, Media, Social Networking, Sponsorship, Strategy, advertising | No Comments »

Advice For Athletes

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

“There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.”
Coach Finstock, Teen Wolf Movie 1985.

Coaches love to give advice. It’s what they’re paid to do. Sometimes its great advice. Other times its poor advice.

In my experience, the best coaches are the ones that concentrate on giving advice that is related to their athlete’s performance. This also includes life advice that brings out the best in the athlete.

Where some coaches cross the line is business, marketing or sponsorship advice. This is not their area of expertise.

I’m going to put family and partners in the same basket.

It’s ok for athletes to use these people as a sounding board but they shouldn’t dictate or influence commercial decisions.

It’s easy to criticise a sports manager when you have no experience in the field of sponsorship, are not out there selling, do not understand corporate budgets, marketing plans or advertising and PR strategies.

Put it this way. I don’t tell athletes how to kick a ball, throw a pass or swim fast. That’s not my area of expertise. So why on earth would an athlete listen to a coach or family member about sports marketing and sponsorship?

Athletes, trust your family and coach for performance and life advice. But when it comes to business, trust your manager.

Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Personal Development, Sponsorship, Strategy, advertising | No Comments »

Are You Listening To Your 9/10 Customers?

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Nine out of ten (9/10) customers don’t complain when they have a bad experience at a restaurant.

Instead they choose not to go back. They vote with their feet. But guess what else they do? They’ll tell others what a bad experience they had.

The same principle applies to big brands. Most people don’t call head office, fill out complaint forms or write long letters to the CEO. Instead, they stop using the product or service and they vent their frustration to anyone and everyone (except the brand itself).

In a restaurant, it’s easy to find the 1/10 customer you’ve upset. They’ll kick and scream, and you can listen and learn from their feedback right there and then.

Same with big brands, 1/10 customers will write to you or pick up the phone.

But what about those 9/10 customers? How do you find out what they are saying to each other?

The answer is social media.

The best companies are listening to the conversations about their brands online, learning from those conversations and then engaging in those conversations.

Social media chatter has forced brands to develop new marketing strategies and even tinker with their products and services – all based on what the customer is saying.

Old crocodiles slam this theory, saying it doesn’t make sense to over-haul your marketing strategy or your products and services based on what a minority of your customers are saying online.

Yet what they don’t understand is this. Those ‘minority’ customers online represent the 9/10 customers – the customers who don’t complain directly.

These are the customers who would rather join a Facebook group criticising your brand then fill out a complaint form.

Are you listening to your 9/10 customers?

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Posted in Communication, Media, Strategy | No Comments »

Different Strokes

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

I noticed Mitchell Johnson’s mum is in the news again today, this time defending her recent outburst having any link to Johnson’s poor Ashes form. I’ve watched this story unfold with interest.

First of all, having a private family matter debated in the media like this is awful and I really feel sorry for Mitchell (anyone who says this hasn’t had some impact on his below par Ashes performance has never worked with elite athletes).

This story has raised a good issue though. And that is, family members, partners, friends or even long lost relatives of celebrities have the opportunity to go to the media at anytime. So what drives people to seek out the media? It comes down to one or a combination of these things:

  • Money
  • Jealousy
  • Fame

So we know what drives it, the hard thing is stopping it. When manager’s sign athletes they’ll often ask about skeleton’s in the closet. This refers to anything the manager should be aware of that could warrant media attention or impact on sponsorship down the track. Maybe it’s time managers also discussed over-zealous family, friends and relatives? I’m not saying this will prevent any outbursts but if a manager knows about it they can at least think of strategy before it happens.

Back to the Johnson case, and what a recipe for the tabloids! Here we have Australia’s newest and brightest cricketing star, throw in his attractive partner, a mum crying for his attention, the rising popularity of the WAG’s and a tense Ashes battle and you have newspaper editors rubbing their hands with glee.

So what should athletes and managers do in this situation? Firstly, don’t shoot back. Its good see Mitchell and his partner have not resorted to a Jana Pittman verse Tamsyn Lewis debate in the media. Second of all, you need to silence the speaker. This can be achieved peacefully or by legal action in extreme cases.

That’s it. What seems complex is really not. The media will continue to dig this up until either its resolved or the offending party stops talking. Choose a path, stick to it and watch the issue go away.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Strategy | 1 Comment »

The Post Game Interview

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Having a camera shoved in your face post match can be an awkward situation for even the most experienced sportspeople.

Often your mind is somewhere else. You’re not only exhausted but you’re probably self conscious about how you look having just stepped out of the heat of the battle. On top of that you might be angry, upset or crazy excited depending on the sporting result.

All these elements make for interesting TV viewing. Some interviews run smoothly, while others resemble deer in the headlights stuff. Let’s look at the do’s and don’ts when you next find yourself in the limelight post match.

Do

  • Be available. Don’t run away. This is a good chance to promote you!
  • Prepare. Think of two positive statements before the match. One about your team and one about yourself (win or lose). This will get you off and running with confidence.
  • Look the reporter in the eyes as much as possible. This makes you trustworthy to the viewers at home.
  • Stand with your hands on your hips. This helps you avoid fidgeting and gives you an air of confidence / authority.
  • Project your voice.
  • Speak slowly.

Don’t

  • Take out your frustrations on the reporter. It’s not personal.
  • Sip a water bottle during the interview.
  • Fidget. This includes playing with your hair, touching your face, ripping tape off your arm etc.
  • Swear.
  • Mumble.
  • Dart your eyes everywhere but the reporter.
  • Say hi to your mum and all your relatives. Tell them when you get home. No one cares.
  • Be negative. This includes blaming others / making excuses.

There is nothing more to it really. You have 30 seconds, maybe more to be at your best in front of camera. Make it count.

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Posted in Communication, Cricket, Football, Media, Rugby League, golf | No Comments »

Smile

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

What do Roger Federer and Tiger Woods have in common?

They both know the value of a smile.

Think of the most marketable sports stars today and picture them in your mind. What are their face expressions? Are they smiling, frowning, angry, aggressive, bored, stressed?

I don’t have to tell you the value of a smile. It makes you approachable. It’s endearing. It’s universal. It’s the single most powerful and positive self expression in the world.

Yet so many athletes don’t smile enough.

Now, I’m not talking about smiling in the heat of battle. I’m talking about when you’re in front of the media, at a sponsor appearance or with fans etc.

Have you ever heard someone say this about a celebrity? “I really like that person, that seem nice / down to earth.”

Chances are that celebrity has a genuine smile and they know when and how to use it.

If it’s true that smiling is one of the easiest ways to make friends and influence people (people also includes sponsorship managers) then athletes, who have an audience of millions, should make a genuine smile part of their personality.

CA Championship Golf

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Posted in Communication, Media, Personal Development, Strategy, Tennis, golf | 1 Comment »

BOB THE BUILDER

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Managing a young athlete’s career from start to finish is a bit like building a house.

First thing you need is a blue print. An end vision of what you want to achieve with the athlete.

The sad thing is, most managers don’t have a blue print. They make things up as they go along.

The next you thing you need is a solid foundation that will protect the house from all kinds of weather.

I’m talking about good morals / personal values. Not always easy to teach but important if you want to build a great house.

The next stage is to build the house in steps. E.g. you don’t build the roof without first building the walls.

The ‘walls’ can be sporting results or growing the media profile of the athlete. This comes before the big endorsements.

Next thing you need to do is surround yourself with specialised handyman. A painter is not a tiler. A landscaper can’t do the plumbing.

You need to align your athlete with specialist people such as a sports lawyer, a financial planner etc. If I’m an athlete, I’d much rather have 3-4 specialists around me then one manager wearing multiple hats. This allows my manager to solely concentrate on one thing – bringing in the money.

Lastly, you need to communicate effectively with everyone to get the house built on time and within budget.

This is much easier if you have a blue print. Show the athlete this. Explain your strategy. Keep them updated at every step along the way.

At the end you will have a magnificent house that is worth a lot of money.

bobthebuilder

Posted in Client Relationship, Media, Sponsorship, Strategy | No Comments »

Honesty Is the Best Policy

Friday, June 19th, 2009

The Australian public is extremely tough on elite athletes. Call it the tall poppy syndrome, but we love to build someone up and then tear them down as soon as we see a chink in their armour.

Usually that ‘chink’ comes when an athlete misbehaves on or off the field.

How do you control public opinion? How do you minimise the damage to an athlete’s brand?

I’ve talked about crisis management before, but I want to emphasise one point. That is honesty and taking responsibility for your actions.

Forget the cover ups and forget trying to deflect the issue. I have a phrase I use “Put your hand up, admit you were wrong, and move on.”

Even if you have a good excuse, don’t use it. People hate excuses. This looks like you’re off loading the problem.

The Australian public is brutal, but tell them the truth and take responsibility, and they WILL learn to love you again.

Posted in Communication, Media, Strategy | 5 Comments »

Media Requests

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

The reason athlete managers decline media requests vary greatly but it often boils down to three categories:

A) The athlete’s schedule / availability / workload

B) The athlete’s current media strategy

C) Benefits or lack thereof for the athlete

Requests really need to tick A B C, but even then it’s no guarantee we can make it happen.

When we say no, journalists don’t take it well. And fair enough. They are trying to do a job and we make it difficult.

But athlete managers also have a job. We’re responsible for protecting an athlete’s brand, signing sponsors, servicing those sponsors and generally making life as smooth as possible, so the athlete can focus…….on their job!

We don’t do media for the sake of doing media. There is always a strategy behind it. If media can understand that strategy, they’ll have more luck with their requests.

When you think strategy, think benefits for the athlete. Eg. Cross promotion for personal sponsors, their own charity or a key message the athlete wants to publicise.

I know the media hate celebrities promoting their own interests. And I get it. But we have a job to do and if the media can help us, we’ll help them.

Posted in Communication, Media | No Comments »

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