By Katie Paine
The consensus among hockey pundits is that this National Hockey
League season is toast, and the next season is in jeopardy, too.
The pending doom of the NHL draws a stark contrast with how
Major League Baseball is handling its doping scandal.
Halfway through the 2004-05 season, hockey players and
management essentially have spent the last six months doing nothing
but talking to each other through the media.
The problem with doing nothing is that it doesn't generate news,
and without headlines in this media-drenched society, you quickly
fade into the woodwork.
Contrast the NHL's non-approach with what Major League Baseball
did. Even though MLB has been clobbered by the BALCO Labs scandal
-- implicating several top players for illegal use of steroids --
fans still are loyal (note the massive coverage of free-agent
moves), and the economic engine of MLB continues to rev. Why?
Because the league did something.
Although the new rules and penalties regarding doping are widely
viewed as the legal equivalent of 100 lashes with a wet noodle,
they still are actions. In this day and age, to do nothing says far
more than "no comment."
| PR News Report Card: Spinning The NHL And Salary Caps |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Criteria | Grade | Comments | Advice |
| Extent of coverage | F | The lockout has received widespread coverage in Canada, where hockey is a much bigger deal, but even in the United States, sports analysts and pundits continue to speculate on the loss of both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. |
Just like saying "no comment," the "no action" strategy almost always generates more bad publicity. |
| Effectiveness of spokespeople |
D | Spokespeople for the players have been amazingly ineffectual at getting their messages across. Fans are siding with NHL management on this one, and part of the reason is that no one speaking for the players can make a persuasive argument as to why they should continue to make as much money as they do. That's not to say that NHL spokespeople have been terribly effective either, because they've essentially told their fans, "Look elsewhere for your hockey entertainment." |
In any crisis, put your most effective communicator front and center. Ideally, it's the person with the most power, but if the person with the most power is inarticulate, or hopelessly biased or otherwise incapable of getting your messages across, find someone else -and do it 10 minutes ago. |
| Communication of key messages |
F | The message from the players is "we need to make lots of money." The message from management is "we need to make more money" Neither one is particularly endearing to the fans. |
In any crisis, actions always speak louder than words, and no action at all speaks louder than anything you will do. |
| Management of negative messages |
F | Given that no positive messages have been forthcoming from either side, all you have left are negative messages. Every day without any progress means another sports commentator piling on another negative message. |
See above. |
| Impact on consumers | F | Fans clearly are disgusted, and they are turning to other sports/activities. |
Remember that your customers ALWAYS have an alternative. And if you annoy them enough, they will go to the competition -- whatever form that takes. |
| Impact on shareholders | D | As much as team owners and investors applaud management's stance, at some point, the lockout will suffer from the law of diminishing returns. As employees are laid off from hockey-equipment suppliers and fans turn to other sports, NHL's ability to recover tanks proportionately. |
Sure, your original decision may have been for the good of the organization, and it may have been done for financial necessity. But if, in the end, your customers figure out they don't need your organization at all, you'll be left with nothing at all. |
| Impact on employees | F | Despite a glimmer of hope from last week's meeting between management and labor, chances are good that it will be a long time before morale improves. |
When the situation is incalculably bleak, employees will be the first to feel it, and they will go elsewhere. |
| Overall score | F | Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. The lack of action and willingness to even come to the table has given hockey a black eye from which it may never recover. |
There's a fine line between the cost of the action you can take versus the cost of doing nothing. Sometimes, that cost can be in fines and litigation but, ultimately, the cost of losing your customers is one you can't afford. |
| PR News Report Card: Spinning The MLB And Steroids |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Criteria | Grade | Comments | Advice |
| Extent of coverage | C | The critical question was: Did coverage of the new anti-doping rules outweigh the coverage of the scandal that forced the implementation of those rules? Probably not. But it was some positive news in a deep ocean of bad. |
When you "DO" something -- i.e., take action to address a problem -- don't be afraid to trumpet it. Whether you get more publicity for your action than for the initial problem that caused you to take it depends largely on the action you take and how quickly you take it. If you don't act until after the media's attention has gone elsewhere, don't expect much coverage. |
| Effectiveness of spokespeople |
C- | We give Don Fehr and Bud Selig credit for their statements that sounded like they really were serious about tackling the problem -- except that most reporters immediately compared the MLB policy with that of the IOC, pointing out how lame the effort really was. |
Don't make a statement that reporters quickly will deem ridiculous. Every story will contain your sound bite and that of the opposition pointing out the flaws in your argument. |
| Communication of key messages |
B | Selig definitely got the message across that the league was doing something about the problem. The problem? It was almost universally regarded as too little, too late. |
Act sooner rather than later to avoid the "too little, too late" syndrome. Keep your key messages clear and defensible. |
| Management of negative messages |
F | Virtually every article about the new policy called it "too little, too late," and then went on to mention previous scandals. Hardly the messages they wanted to get across. |
Be prepared for the rehash of prior scandals, and have a defense ready. |
| Impact on consumers | D | While the pundits felt strongly the policy was flaccid, not all fans agreed, and many believed this clearly was a step in the right direction. |
With Consumer Generated Media these days, you actually could win the war if enough fans come out in your favor. |
| Impact on shareholders | B | Chances are the owners were thrilled that they could come up with something that sounded good, mollified the fans and was palatable to the players' union. |
Shareholders hate risk and love compromise. Keep things flowing smoothly, and your shareholders will be happy. Surprise them, and it's all over. |
| Impact on employees | C | The players were thrilled that they got off so lightly, so the situation was clearly explained to them in detail. |
Make sure your employees understand the theory and rationale behind any decision. They are far more likely to support you both in and out of the office. |
| Overall score | C+ | By taking action, albeit a very weak action, they managed to turn the scandal ship around. |
Doing almost anything to rectify a problem will get you 50% of the way to a solution. No matter how harsh your critics, as long as you can point to a positive action that you've taken to mitigate the problem, the mood will change. |