Basketball and Business

     Lebron James is a young superstar in the National Basketball Association who is loved by millions of fans all throughout the world. Before the age of 30 Lebron has been able to achieve what most athletes do not accomplish in their whole career.

     Lebron James began receiving the spotlight as a junior in high school. Scouts and several camera crews went to all of his games, and certainly he could have attended any college of his choice.

    Deciding to fore go college, Lebron James was selected as the number one draft pick in the NBA. To make the fairy tale story even better, the team that drafted him was the local Cleveland Cavaliers that he had grew up watching.

    Before ever even stepping onto the court as a professional, Lebron had already pocketed millions of dollars through his many sponsors.

   Starting his career Lebron James broke many of rookie records and surpassed expectations as only a teenager. What more could anyone ask for? The guy was everything! Everybody loved him, and everybody seemed to be rooting for him.

   In 2010 Lebron was faced with a decision: stay with the local team he grew up watching in the Cleveland Cavaliers, or move to a different city and join another team.

   Lebron decided to announce his decision in a unique way. The decision to announce his plans to the world through an hour long television show was something that nobody had ever done before.To everyone’s surprise, Lebron choose to join the Miami Heat and play with superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

   The public quickly attacked the celebrity.  Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers said the decision was selfish, and an act of cowardly betrayal. The public didn't think it was fair for three superstar athletes to all play on the same team.

   Fans were not excited that the announcement was made through a television show. It now appeared this was all a stunt to get some extra cash. It appeared Lebron James felt he was better than others. It’s safe to say Lebron went from villain to hero in a matter of minutes.

   Now being 2013, Lebron James seems to have recovered and restored his image as a good guy. It has taken some time, but certainly Lebron has done some good things to help his public image.

   Lebron James always remained himself throughout the whole process. He has never varied from he who was. It would have been really easy for someone in his shoes to try to be somebody they aren't  in hopes to get some people to like them.  This seems to be a common mistake for many who are receiving negative attention.

   The second principle that should be mentioned is the ability to replace negativity with positivity. Lebron James has simply just kept playing basketball. He has let his game statistics speak for themselves. He has now won a championship and silenced the critics.

   No matter if you are playing basketball or operating a billion dollar company it is important to replace the negative attention with positive actions. Speak of the good that you are trying to do in the world. Speak of what you want to speak about, and the things that will help restore your image. Don’t focus on the negative stuff, control what you want to speak about, and then allow the attention to fade away.

Preparation saves Southwest Airlines

     Thanks to marketing strategies and a successful business model, Southwest Airlines have become one of the major airlines in the United States. The company flies over 100 million customers each year.

     The airline has hit the target audience through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. To honor receiving their 3 millionth Facebook like to their page the company offered some great deals exclusively through Facebook.

     The promotion was an instant hit. Unfortunately the system was flooded and customers were being double billed for their purchases. Some customers were even charged up to 50 times.

     Any company is vulnerable to mistakes which can immediately turn a great promotion into a deadly Public Relations fiasco. In the recent past Southwest Airlines has also had to overcome the bad words of a pilot regarding flight attendants. The pilot accidently left his radio on after speaking to air traffic control. His ill words regarding the flight attendant were quickly released to a news station.

     To make matters worse the company has also received negative tweets from customers which have received national attention.

     Considering the circumstances, Southwest has been able to move forward as a company with few regrets. The company deserves to be mentioned as a model of how to overcome situations that cause bad Public Relations.

     Southwest has credited their success to overcoming the Public Relations disaster by being prepared. Paul Flaningan, an airline spokesman for the company said "We're busier when there's nothing going on because we are constantly preparing and altering our contingency plans to address things that could happen.”

     Within the drop of a hat, a company can go from hero to villain. Most often a company does not know when they will face an event that could turn their company upside down.

     Each company needs to be prepared for how they might handle bad “PR”. Every company needs to know what events could cause bad “PR” and how they would respond to the event.

     To once again use Southwest Airlines as an example; Paul Flaningan said “Communicators meet up every month to update those plans. Pre-approved statements for various scenarios each have an executive spokesperson attached.”

     Of course there is only so much a company can do to prepare. They must be able to act quickly, and respond quickly to overcome the disaster. One major point of emphasis is the importance that every spokesperson representing the company is always fully prepared. The representative must know all of the facts, details, and possible questions.

     Because of Southwest Airline’s preparation, the company is still helping thousands of customers fly each day. The company will continue to remain calm as they watch all bad “PR” wash away, and sales revenue climb.

Burger King Gets Hacked

     Burger King is experiencing the fear that every company has in the back of their mind. HACKED! On Monday supporters and customers of Burger King were welcomed with shocking and inappropriate tweets on their twitter accounts.

     The hackers began with acting as though they were McDonalds. Twitter eventually shut down the account after inappropriate messages were delivered to the public. No updates were made to Burger King’s Facebook page on Monday but it was obvious that something had gone terribly wrong for Burger King.

     The main principle that should be understood is that this disaster will quickly turn into a positive result for Burger King. Is playing the victim such a terrible thing for Burger King? They have done nothing wrong! The downside is that the company had to face the public embarrassment that occurred while they lost control of what was being tweeting to thousands of followers throughout the world.

     Burger King has now become the center of attention in the news world. They will receive free publicity over the next few weeks while the media focus their attention on the technological world we live in today. Other businesses will likely try come to conclusions on what could be done differently to be assured that the same situation does not happen again.

     The saying that “bad publicity is good publicity” will become evident for Burger King. Of course Burger King will receive this attention no matter what happens, but is there something that they could do to get even more publicity and keep the attention on them?

     Perhaps Burger King could begin tweeting with jokes. What if they made light of the situation? What if they gave the news something more to talk about by tweeting back to the hackers? A little humor could go a long ways!
   
     After regaining control of their twitter account Burger King said “Interesting day here at BURGER KING®, but we're back! Welcome to our new followers. Hope you all stick around!”Certainly Burger King realizes they have received thousands of more followers. Now it is time for them to make the most of the situation.

     Public Relations professionals are paid to create a face or an image for the company. Burger King needs some professionals at this time that can help create an image of friendly and easy going. They need to relate to the millions of young people across the world who are simply just trying to get a good laugh in their daily life. This is the opportunity to market to a new class of people. This is the opportunity to create a new slogan. This is the time to create a new item. The time is now! With the added attention don’t be surprised to see a few more Whopper wrappers in the parking lots.

Steroids in Basketball

     In the lives of a sports star there is great attention surrounding all of the decisions these celebrities make. They are held to a high standard and asked to be a role model for the millions of kids who idolize them. For some, this is tough for others they absolutely love the attention. In fact some want the attention so badly they are willing to do anything to rise to the top. They want the money and they want the attention.

     Over the last twenty years the sports audience has recently discovered that many have begun cheating with performance enhancing drugs to rise to the top. Baseball’s records books will forever be tainted. Football will always live under skepticism with the doubt of who is cheating and who isn’t cheating.

     Basketball has been one of the main sports in America that fans have felt athletes are not cheating in. Why would one use steroids in basketball? Strength gives little advantage in the game of basketball. Recently Hedo Turkoglu of the National Basketball Association (NBA) was caught having used a steroid which is against the leagues banned substances to help him recover from a season ending injury.

    Turkoglu has recently came out and stated that he did not know he was using the banned substance. He said he was advised from a physician in Turkey(his home country where he has been living the last few months) and had no clue that he was doing anything wrong. However in the public’s eyes will this stance be enough? Will fans accept his statements?

    Turkoglu has his career and reputation sitting on the fence right now. He has now opened the door that there could possibly be many of other athletes in the NBA who are using steroids to recover from injury. Turkoglu has left us wanting to know more. Regardless of how Turkoglu looks at it, he needs some help from a public relations specialist.

     If I were the specialist leading Hedo Turkoglu back into a positive view of the public I would tell him he must get the Physician who has helped him in his recovery to speak. If his past comments were honest, then hearing from the physician would give him more credibility. Turkoglu also needs to come out and say what it was that he was taking. The last thing that I would advise would be that Turkoglu stay quiet for a while and let everything sweep by.

    Certainly Hedo Turkoglu will receive the benefit of the doubt more than the average athlete because he is from a different country that isn’t quite as advanced. His story sounds reasonable. Hedo Turkoglu needs to accept responsibility and admit that he should always know what he is being given and what he is taking to help him recover from injury.

Michigan watching their student athletes profiles on social media sites

     Many companies today are asking to be “friends” with their employees via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. There has been some controversy with this approach; some feel it is an invasion to personal privacy. Employers want to be sure that their employees are not destroying the face of their company with written words or statements. Certainly both perspectives have some valid points, however from a Public Relations standpoint it is viewed by most as a smart decision. Some businesses are now even asking interview candidates for permission to be able to view their Facebook page during interviews. Recently the University of Michigan has been in the middle of the media when athletic director Dave Brandon said that the athletic department had a fake online persona befriend players. He defended their actions saying it was with the goal to teach the student-athletes a lesson on the dangers of online relationships for athletes. Since the recent statement people have been commenting on Michigan’s actions; many feel Michigan is “catfishing” their athletes. Catfishing is when someone pretends on social media to be someone they are not. They have received great criticism for their approach.

     If I were the President of the school or in a high ranking position I too would request that my players be followed on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. As a company, school, or organization those that represent you create an image to the public of who you are. This school has done nothing wrong. Representatives involved in the situation have said “We’re real. [Catfishing is] someone faking an identity. When we Facebook them, they see me; they see pictures of my wife and kids. The men and women who work for us (some of whom are interns) use their own real profiles to do the social media research. As long as the company isn't deceiving their trainees or sharing the information they learn publicly (or using it to humiliate their trainees during a social media training class), the term ‘catfishing’ seems totally misplaced,”

     Michigan has done a great job of responding to the controversy by first identifying what catfishing is. They have succeeded in communicating their objectives to the public. They have made it clear why they are doing what they are doing. They simply hope that their athletes become aware of the problems that exist. One idea that may really help the University would be having some student-athletes comment regarding the situation to help the public realize that there are no hard feelings between the school and the players. 

Volkswagen Controversial Commercial

A recent advertisement commercial posted by Volkswagen have many of people throughout the country discussing if it was racist or not. For CBS not to accept the four million dollar charge to air the commercial must mean that it is offensive right?

“The concept of Volkswagen's ‘Get Happy’ advertisement is to put a smile on your face, and continues to build upon the heritage of ‘human stories, told simply.” Said a spokesman from Volkswagen regarding the controversial advertisement. A representative from Volkswagen went on to say “We actually talked to about 100 Jamaicans in the research, and we had a speech coach on site to make sure it was authentic as possible.” 

Certainly Volkswagen is bringing light upon their company and causing the public to have their name at the center of their mind. A person might think their approach is to direct their advertisement to a certain ethnic group, or a person might agree that indeed they are just trying to portray that a new beetle or any other German car with the VW symbol can put a smile on your face, and Volkswagen has done absolutely nothing wrong! Regardless of your opinion Volkswagen as a company must consider their ethics in their approach.

Some points I would direct Volkswagen officials to consider are:

·         What is their code of conduct?

·         Analyze the issues of ethics that are common within automobile dealers, and analyze the common issues of ethics within business and advertisement.

·         What are their priorities as a company?

·         Lastly are they truly doing the right thing, or is this a unique way of trying to earn some extra money off of more sales?

I am not saying that Volkswagen has done anything wrong. I am not saying that I agree or disagree with their commercial. I am simply pointing out a few points to consider that will help them as a company. Public relations professionals must be driven to preserve, defend, sustain and enhance the health and vitality of the organization. One Public Relations professional said “ An organization is the lengthened shadow of a man.”  If their actions hold to the values and business practices of their corporation then they should stand by their actions, and accept any criticism they may come.

It is important as a company they hold themselves accountable for their actions. Volkswagen needs to turn to their expertise; a great public relations representative can build mutual understanding between the company and the public, add credibility to their company, and continue to build relationships that will be able to make this added extra attention into a positive situation.

Beyonce Knowles Lip-Synching Our Nations Anthem

     Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s was granted the opportunity to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” during President Obama’s inauguration! This is an opportunity to be center stage in front of the country and more importantly in front of the world! This is something that every singer dreams of.  

     Unfortunately for Beyoncé there were some problems with her performance. The twitter world credits her with a mediocre job for her performance. But could things get worse for Beyoncé? There are now reports that Beyoncé possibly lip synced the honored song which represents our country. We have seen other star singers accused of also lip syncing performances, only to see their reputation be slanted.  Rather she did lip sync the performance or not, Beyoncé must now make a decision of how she will move forward. She must try to do something to protect her image.

     Of course any Public Relations Consultant would advise her to just be honest with the world. If she lip synced it then admit it, but what if she really did not lip sync the song? Will anyone actually believe her?

     Beyoncé and her advisers could benefit from a plan of motivating the public. They can use the beloved song to their advantage. They can have an emotional appeal, pointing out that no such person could disgrace the star spangled banner in such a way. As they speak of the opportunity that it was for her, and the honor that she had to help represent President Obama and the next four years of his term they can create a different image in the public’s eye. A question might present itself of “how does Beyoncé get this message to the public?” Beyoncé can use the two-step flow theory to first beam her message to the mass media, which would then deliver the message to readers, listeners, and viewers all over the world.

     Beyoncé can use herself “the person” as the message. In similar tactics a Public Relations Consultant might have to use the medium as the message, or the content as the message. But because Beyoncé is a well-recognized singer with millions of followers all over the world, she can use to her advantage the fact that she is speaking on a topic that millions of people are wondering about.

     Beyoncé’s career is not over, in fact it is far from over. However the stance she takes can impact her career with millions of dollars and the legacy that she leaves behind. Through these simple steps of showing the public that she cares she can help change her public image at this time. She can put the attention back on her in a positive way and use this to her advantage.

Lance Armstrong

     Lance Armstrong is one of the biggest motivational stories of all time. The man beat testicular cancer and won seven tour de Frances in a row. These accomplishments were once viewed as impossible. For almost two decades Lance Armstrong has fought the attacks that he used performance enhancing drugs. Tonight during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the publicized hero came clean that he cheating during almost his whole career using performing enhancing drugs, including testosterone boosters and blood doping.  From public relations perspective Lance did exactly what he needs to do try to restore his image, and be given any creditability at all. He finally came clean! He was very forthcoming and did not hold back from any questions offered by Winfrey.

      The best option for Lance is to continue to tell the truth, give all the details, and try to use his story to affect the world. Lance will face the attacks and criticism, in fact it will probably be that way for a while. However could Lance potentially use his story to change the meaner of sports? Over the last two decades we have found compelling evidence that superstar athletes from baseball, football, and other popular sports have used human growth hormones or steroids. Can he use his story, his energy, and his leadership to create a clean or cheat free professional sports environment.Lance does not have the option that many companies in the past have done with changing their name or merging with another company. He is Lance Armstrong, there is no changing that he is who he is. There is hope that one day Lance Armstrong’s name may not leave a sour taste in the public’s mouth.  

     What does Lance Armstrong do with his Livestrong foundation he started years ago to help cancer patients and survivors. In such disasters, corporations will usually make adjustments at the top to bring in new faces and show that change has taken place. But what happens when the face of your company and the CEO is the person that needs to be removed?

     One important step for Livestrong will be to show that they can move forward without Lance Armstrong.  They must use an emotional plead to help others understand that the Livestrong foundation is committed to helping cancer victims survive. They must help the public understand that there is something much bigger than Lance Armstrong, there are people dying every day from a devastating disease. In order for the Livestrong foundation to successfully adapt to the new perceptive they must understand the latitude of acceptance.The new faces of livestrong will need to find areas where investors and donors can be persuaded. Indeed they will need to use strong, logical, and personally relevant arguments. Livestrong will need to have the public’s trust and in time they can have the hopes of having a positive view in the public’s perceptive.