Finally, the bitter divorce has ended. Legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre and his partner of 16 years - the Green Bay Packers - are going their own ways. While this protracted drama may have been interesting only to football fans, we at NOISE believe marketers everywhere can learn a few lessons about crisis communications from the messy way it all played out.
Let us count the ways:
1. Anticipate your crisis. Brett Favre retires, then decides to unretire. Why did this turn of events seem to catch Green Bay Packer management unprepared? This isn't the first time, or second time, or even third time that Favre has waffled on retiring. Just like Packer Nation, you as a marketer should be able to identify your looming Brett Favre. Would it be product failure? A consumer lawsuit? A management shakedown? A force of God? Identify your vulnerabilities and prepare an action plan, in the sorry event they become realities.
2. Articulate your key messages. Just like any other form of branding, marketing or advertising, working your way through a crisis involves articulating your key message or messages, staying on message, and repeating repeating repeating the mantra. The Green Bay Packers did this for a while - "Aaron Rodgers is our starting quarterback" - yet when push came to shove and Favre came to Green Bay, the message somewhat changed to an "open competition at quarterback." What signal does a mixed message send to the public - not to mention your own team?
3. Appear (and be) sincerely concerned. When Packers general manager Ted Thompson responded to Brett Favre's interest in returning to the team by sending him a text message stating, "I'm on vacation, I'll get back to you," it was apparent to the football consuming public that Brett Favre was not his priority, but almost his nuisance. And public perception is reality, so be prepared to appear and be concerned about your crisis or suffer the ire of your consumers.
4. Identify an articulate spokesperson. Once again, a failure of the Packers. With apologies for beating up Ted Thompson, a reserved and somewhat shy individual with little media training shouldn't be your go-to guy when the cameras get hot. Maybe that's why the organization turned to Coach Mike McCarthy, as well as President Mark Murphy, when the going got tough. Make sure you identify who within your organization will speak for your organization, and do so with great success and media comfort, in a crisis.
5. Don't hire a high-profile PR guy at the 11th hour. How bad was it for Green Bay at the end? The team hired former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer to handle the crisis. I suppose having cleaned up after George Bush, the Packers felt Ari could tidy this room. Problem? Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that's what this move looked like.
As an aside, this is not to say that everything the Green Bay Packer corporation did was wrong, or that this fiasco was fumbled equally as often by Brett Favre. The Packers did many things correctly. But the net result is: a public relations nightmare was brought upon a brand by an outside force (in this case, an individual who in many respects is or was the brand); the organization failed to respond properly; and the brand will suffer in perception and potentially in sales, short term and potentially long term.
Are you ready for your Brett Favre?
John Sprecher is chairman and chief creative officer of Noise Branding Communications, a multi-media branding communications agency with offices in Milwaukee and Sanibel, Fla.
2 Comments
Excellent Analysis. ESPN, MSNBC's Kieth Olbermann, and the national media reported this in a way that made the Packers organization appear to be a bunch of rubes (and thus, the whole geographic area.)
In NYC, the laughter was especially loud, and the Daily News (the workingman's voice) gave Brett Favre both front AND back covers. Had there been time for a ticker-tape parade, I'm sure there would have been one.
Brett's Personal Lesson to All of Us
As news unraveled about Brett Favre's decision to come out of retirement. One could see the shaking of heads as people pondered Brett's inability to make a decision and stick with it. One newspaper referred to him as being "fickle". Others were just thrilled at the prospect of having him back on the field. The pedestal on which we had placed Packer player Brett was due to his football playing skills but it was also enhanced by his down-to earth manner, likeability and integrity. You just trusted him. So, how did you feel when you first heard his news to come back?
Everyone has the right to change their mind, celebrities included. The lesson here is to take a look at how not keeping your word can cause a reaction in the minds of others and affect their perception of you.
If you want to be seen as a person of integrity and credibility, being seen as a person who keeps your word can be crucial. When we flip flop in what we say, integrity and credibility can take a hit, and normal day to day relationships can be affected. A prolonged or repeated wavering mindset can be an absolute credibility killer, destroy trust and undermine leadership. Even in parenting, when we do not keep our word with our kids, whether it is following through on "no" or on a promise to do something, we weaken our credibility and jeopardize their trust in us.
When someone does not keep their word, it invokes an emotional reaction in others. It may be disappointment, hurt, betrayal, or it might be joy and happiness. In either instance, it creates a change from the original expectations that had been set. It is that change that evokes emotions. When emotions are involved, there's due to be some kind of fallout, usually it involves the ripple effect of new subconscious judgments which form in our mind.
A few tips for non-celebrities to help us in "keeping our word" .
Think before your speakponder all the pros and cons.
Get input from others; weigh all the facts.
Sleep on it.
Leave yourself an 'out' when appropriate.
Once spoken, be committed to your word.
For that rare instance, when you need to change "your word"
Don't take it lightly.
Be considerate in what a change will mean to others.
Have facts that justify your change.
Line up like-thinkers who will support you.
Use humor when appropriate to ease the transition.
Be humble we're only human. Things change.