Professional athletes are known for their strong personalities and occasionally risky behavior. Combine this with all of the media attention that sports stars receive and you’ve got the potential for some great publicity and some serious PR disasters. It has been my observation that public relations pros roll pretty well with the good news, but tend to get caught short with the bad. For example, do you think the Atlanta Falcons or the NFL were expecting Michael Vick to arrested for being a part of a dog fighting ring? Clearly, some football players are going to get caught doing things that are less than positive, but there is no way to have forecasted something like this.
Reflection:
Michael Vick’s case gives us two strong points for reflection. The first is about creating a crisis communications plan. Do you suppose the NFL has such a plan in place? What would the plan look like? Would it allow the NFL and/or a given team to respond to a broad range of potential crises?
The second point is planning for Vick’s reentry into the league. Since there is a cloud already over his head, the league, the team, and Vick need to have an MPR plan to make his return smooth, productive and profitable.
Professionals, you can use this example as a thought exercise for framing your own crisis and MPR plans. Professors, this is a great discussion starter and the basis for crisis planning and strategic MPR planning exercises.
Links:
Here are some interesting links regarding marketing and the return of Michael Vick.
American Public Media’s Marketplace story Strong PR could help Vick comeback
American Public Media’s Marketplace story Winning is key to Vick's redemption
From David Zinn’s July 31, 2009, article on the Chicago Tribune’s website Michael Vick's return
Reflection:
Michael Vick’s case gives us two strong points for reflection. The first is about creating a crisis communications plan. Do you suppose the NFL has such a plan in place? What would the plan look like? Would it allow the NFL and/or a given team to respond to a broad range of potential crises?
The second point is planning for Vick’s reentry into the league. Since there is a cloud already over his head, the league, the team, and Vick need to have an MPR plan to make his return smooth, productive and profitable.
Professionals, you can use this example as a thought exercise for framing your own crisis and MPR plans. Professors, this is a great discussion starter and the basis for crisis planning and strategic MPR planning exercises.
Links:
Here are some interesting links regarding marketing and the return of Michael Vick.
American Public Media’s Marketplace story Strong PR could help Vick comeback
American Public Media’s Marketplace story Winning is key to Vick's redemption
From David Zinn’s July 31, 2009, article on the Chicago Tribune’s website Michael Vick's return
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