By now, U.S. PR agencies that represented brands during the Paris Olympics should have sliced and diced their plans in an effort to determine what went right and what went wrong. And agencies representing sponsors will likely focus on how to improve gaining positive earned media for clients.
History shows that prior to the beginning of the athletic competitions, the Olympics are a magnet for negative coverage. That, together with the lack of interest in the Olympics by U.S. media outlets (more on that later), which typically cover American sports—baseball, basketball and football—until shortly before the Games’ Opening Ceremonies, is a recurring problem for PR practitioners regardless of where the Olympics are staged.
But it’s possible to overcome the problem.
Following are ideas for landing positive media coverage from Olympic assignments ahead of the actual Games:
- Treat the sports event as a business story by targeting non-sports writers. Offer business and marketing reporters interviews with high-ranking brand executives who can discuss how being an event sponsor is just one facet of an overall national and international marketing plan. Doing so will transform it into an evergreen story.
- For feature writers, prepare several different stories about what Americans planning to attend the Olympics should expect when they travel to the host city. Story examples include the cultural differences between Americans and the locals—with dos and don’ts—and areas-of-interest articles. Include a paragraph written in a newsworthy way about the client’s promotional plans for the Olympics. Attach a more detailed explanation of the client’s Olympic plans, which will give a reporter the option of expanding the graph in the feature, or doing a separate marketing story.
Landing Earned Media Coverage for U.S.-Based Events
In one sense, PR practitioners representing sponsors of high-visibility events like the Super Bowl and World Series face the same problem as those who work on Olympic accounts, in that “official sponsor” brands expect their PR reps to promote their multi-million dollar sponsorships.
However, it’s easier to gain positive earned media for a non-Olympic event staged in the U.S. because of an important reason: the absence of publicity restrictions imposed by the International Olympic Committee. For mega sports events in the U.S. like the Super Bowl and World Series, here are useful tactics and tips I’ve employed to garner positive earned media.
- Play up the nostalgia angle. Sports journalists like to write about stars of the past. At least two weeks before an event, bring on a former sports star as a spokesperson and schedule interviews with a variety of sports outlets.
- Avoid arranging interviews too close to the event. The closer you are to an event, the more difficult it is to gain earned media, because the reporters have to report on other related topics, including players, teams, etc.
- Do not hire a spokesperson as a “the star of the day.” Reporters see those athletes every day during the season, so they are not apt to write a story about the athlete’s commercial involvement.
- Incorporate the sponsor’s message into the interview. An athlete that has been out of the media spotlight for a while will likely be asked this question: “What have you been doing?" Such an opening gives the spokesperson an opportunity to include the sponsor's message in the answer.
- Conduct “mini press conferences,” inviting several reporters to lunch with said spokesperson. Couple this with arranging individual interviews.
Building Relationships With Journalists
As with any account, differentiating yourself from the pack is the way to make friends with journalists. That is best done by being helpful to reporters, editors and producers, and understanding the deadline pressures they face. This is especially true during mega events, when reporters and producers are bombarded with requests by PR practitioners who are under significant pressure to deliver earned media for their client’s multimillion-dollar sponsorships.
Do not bug reporters with frequent telephone calls or emails asking if they are interested in your pitch. Wait a few days before following up, and assume that if you do not hear back, your pitch struck out. And remember, be selective to whom you pitch. Nothing ticks off a journalist more than a PR person who doesn’t know who covers what.
Arthur Solomon was an SVP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller, responsible for restructuring, managing and playing key roles in significant national and international sports and non-sports programs. He has been a key player on Olympic marketing programs and also has worked at high-level positions directly for Olympic organizations.