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Following a long line of public figures who have deployed kids to try and win the sympathy vote in public opinion - think UK’s John ‘Mad Cow’ Gummer and Aussies Matt Brown, Andrew Bartlett and John Hewson - thugby player Greg Bird recently arrived at court dragging his little brother (maybe about 5yrs old?) through a media scrum. His sister also ported their other baby brother to try keeping media snappers at bay. Accused of ‘glassing’ his American girlfriend’s face with a wine glass, Bird’s media advisers (lawyers or PR people we wonder?) clearly felt he needed to soften his image as this sports PR disaster unfolds. Bird’s girlfriend suffered cuts and a fractured eye socket after allegedly being hit in the face with a glass wielded by Bird himself. He denies the assault and blamed a pro-golfer mate.

Ever fond of hoary old sayings this weather, I’ll bastardise another; “character isn’t revealed when things are going well, but how you behave when things are going badly”. Greg from an older PR pro; ditch the entourage and the media manipulation. Face these allegations directly, with integrity and, if appropriate, with contrition. That’s the only way to bring this unseemly PR disaster to a close, and rebuild your much tarnished reputation. 

 

There’s an old saying that runs along the lines of “…behaviour is not the main thing that influences reputation…it’s the only thing.” In trying to create “a siege mentality” within a beleagured English soccer club, Newcastle United, new manager Joe Kinnear swore 52 times at a media conference often directly attacking journalists. What does this do for the club’s reputation, Kinnear’s or those who appointed him? More, how will the prospective new owners feel about Kinnear’s custody of their brand reputation? PR disaster or what?

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=BKdETq7ZGgQ

Pies President Eddie Maguire.

A PR disaster all about employee trust, and how individuals control the collective reputation. AFL club Collingwood today faces not just an embarrassing PR disaster, but surely a serious HR issue too. After the club CEO Ed Maguire publicly flamed one young player (Heath Shaw) for involvement in a drink driving car crash, then dismissed claims that another player (Alan Didak) was involved, it’s been revealed Didak fled the DUI car!! Before a media conference, both players insisted to the club and leadership group that Didak was not involved, despite eye-witness reports saying otherwise. This goes to the heart of organisational and HR culture. In a toe-curlingly embarrassing moment, club President Maguire threw out Didak’s poss involvement, inferring the player would be implicated in the Kennedy assasination next! Didak is no stranger to dodgy drink related car escapades, either. And the club previously lost a sponsor over another drunken player episode. So how does Collingwood regain the reputational lost ground now? By letting the players ‘play on’ - the club laughably spins this as a punishment - or by showing its public(s), that it’s HR policy is really intolerant of behaviour - drunkenness, feeing the scene of an accident and lying within the ‘company’ - and metes out a credible deterrent?

The club’s decision has just been announced: Collingwood has suspended Alan Didak and Heath Shaw for the remainder of the 2008 season, including finals, for lying about a drink-drive accident.

English pro football side Crystal Palace has released 18-year old Ashley Paul Robinson after he announced on his Facebook page that he would imminently be having a trial with another London side, Fulham. Neil Warnock - Palace Manager - was not amused when someone reported the Facebook post/boast and Warnock simply said: “…it’s probably better that he (sic Ashley) looks elsewhere to further his career.”

From Reuters and Yahoo News reports.

Following a host of pesky media inconveniences, Steven Spielberg’s ‘conscience’ resignation has signalled alarm bells for Olympics organisers who may have to rely on Public Relations agency, Hill & Knowlton to combat the steady drip of bad news stories suddenly contaminating the Olympic run-in.
With rumours of construction worker deaths, real life dissident arrests and China’s inaction over the atrocities in Darfur, China needs to be on its PR game if it wants to ensure that the investment and spectacle of The Games doesn’t become a lavish backdrop for the airing of some dirty Chinese laundry, by a plethora of activist groups. A Human Rights observer noted: “It is a wake-up call to them in terms of the risks that the games pose to China’s global image. I think this is just the beginning in terms of expression of concern about human rights.”
With more than 20,000 accredited journalists due to attend the games, their unfettered comments on everything will present a challenge to Chinese information managers and PR consultants alike.

Story courtesy of UK Guardian.

Two of the biggest PR disasters making news headlines in Australia this week:

West Coast star Ben Cousins clearly still has issues with illegal substances.

Packaging mogul Dick Pratt admitted to knowing that his business was illegally price fixing. And his media ‘PR apology’ looked perfunctory and insincere.

BBC reports say that

Nelson ‘PR DIda-ster’ Dida has been banned for two matches for feigning serious injury, with UEFA charging him with a lack of sportsmanship after a pitch-invading fan made the lightest of contact with the burly Brazilian.

Who, me…banned?

The idiot fan, who was quickly identified and banned by Celtic for life, ran onto the pitch and made contact with Dida, who proceeded to briefly give chase before collapsing to the ground. Celtic FC was found guilty of a lack of organisation and improper conduct of supporters at the Celtic Park match, and fined 25 thysand of her majesty’s greenest folding.
Despite the early illusion of nobility and acceptance of their keeper’s wrongdoing, Milan officials say they’re going to appeal the two match ban decision. Like Dida, they’re eminently not capable of taking it on, or below, the chin, either.

Thanks to the humanure webspot, we can see just what happens when the sh1t hits the footy fan.

News.com.au reports that three, young Adelaide Crows footballers - Ivan Maric, John Meeson and Andrew McIntyre - have been caught posting hand-drawn pornographic pictures on a website accessible to children.

The club claimed its young charges were unaware the pages could be accessed by anyone registered with the publicly accessible Facebook website, yet the episode shows how easy it is for a PR disaster to befall any organisation that fails to understand the new rules of reputation management. Too often, collective reputation can be sullied by the act of one or two rogue individuals; the challenge lies not in post-event punishment but in early PR education (Is that too obvious a plug??). If only more football clubs and corporations would teach their people about the importance of being ambassadors for their employers! (Surely that is!!) Read more

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