Begininning with the letter "P"

Today's word of the day is "Pride" and can be described as: (1) a feeling of personal worth and self respect. (2) satisfaction with your (or another's) achievements.

Well who'd of thought? I'm back and much like my last gig, I once again get to talk about Canadian pride in sports. Last time it was about our national sport of hockey and its continued lack of NHL support in a country where the sport was born. Much like my last entries this one is about that same topic, only now it's Olympic sizes.

How excited were we as a country when Alexandre Bilodeau won not only the first gold medal for a Canadian this Olympics but also the first ever when we hosted the Winter Games. Talk about a proud moment for him, his family and our country. So does the pride we feel reflect his achievement or is it more about our own feeling of worthiness in finally winning THAT gold?

The thing that struck me as odd was the hype and expectations that were put on an individual to win a certain color medal for a country that at times doesn't even know who they are or what they compete in. Sure there are those that follow certain sports but Men's Moguls?

Instead of all the pressure we are putting on our athletes to win a record amount of medals (preferably the gold ones it seems) just because the games are in our country, maybe the pride we need to feel is for them accomplishing their dream, not ours and leave it at that.

Begininning with the letter "R"

Today’s word of the day and my final entry is “Reflection” and is described as: (1) a thought or an opinion resulting from intent consideration (2) an expression without words. (3) an implicit or explicit attribution of discredit or blame.

This will be my last blog entry and …yes…you guessed it, my gimmick is over. The reason for my choice to use this word is that I believe how you use PR in the media to put forward your reflection can influence opinions even after the event is over. Let’s briefly review the reflections of Jim Balsillie and Gary Bettman who realistically were the main players in the Bankruptcy of the Phoenix Coyotes case that was before the courts earlier this year. We have already discussed what each did well when it comes to using PR to represent their case (even losing, Balsillie did a better job) but what will their refection be to the public in years to come?

First there is Jim Balsillie, the master of public approval. By remaining accessible with media friendly PR throughout the case, Balsillie drew rave reviews in the press and in public opinion. While he may have lost in his bid to buy the Coyotes, his puppy dog looks, ever smiling face seen thousands of times in media outlets captured the hearts of millions and won his case in the publics mind. Sometimes expressions mean everything when it comes to effective PR and Balsillie ensured no words were needed.

Now when it comes to Gary Bettman…well this concept seemed foreign. He was often short with the media usually giving a quick statement then hurrying off. It was almost like he didn’t really care what the media or the public thought about him or the way he was handling the case. He was seen as arrogant, combative and unapproachable. While he may have won the case, Bettman should have considered what the end opinion may result in and stop the PR method of character assignation which he used to discredit Ballsillie throughout the case.

In the end one person won and one person didn’t. However, the only “Reflection” that the public will want to see again is the one who unfortunately came away from this case without the team.

At this time I would like to thank all of those that made comments throughout my blog gimmick. It was those comments that gave me great ideas’ and made me want to provide you with both an informative and reflective look into the PR respective of this case. You never know, maybe I’ll be required to do this type of gimmick again. If I do, I hope you’ll be along for the ride with me.

Jordene

Begininning with the letter "P"

Today’s word of the day is “Powerful” and can be described as: (1) having great power or force or potency or effect. (2) potent: having great influence.

As I mentioned in my entry yesterday when the word of the day was “effective”, I would use another word in the same topic. So now it’s time to take a look at just how well Gary Bettman and the NHL used PR to sell their case.

The reason why I choose the word “powerful” which is a synonym for the word effective was I thought the definitions described just how Bettman and the league tried to present itself during this case. Did this have the outcome they wanted? Well, they did kind of win. However, was it due to the way they played the PR game or was it more due to some of the rules they played out being just too complicated to have them lose?

There was no question that Bettman and the league had their Constitutions and Bylaws nailed down. This was repeated over and over during this case (by them). By having these in place and never before challenged prior to Jim Balsillie taking them on, it was almost impossible to rule against something that others had followed and seemingly had no problem with. It also didn’t hurt the organization that many of the franchise owners are also wealthy and well known in the business community. Talk about influence.

In part of Judge Baum’s final ruling he stated that in respect to Balsiilie’s claim it could not work because he could not properly satisfy the NHL's rights regarding relocation (hmmm, sounds like Section 36 of the Bylaw) . Baum noted "In the final analysis, the court cannot find or conclude that the interests of the NHL can be adequately protected if the Coyotes are moved to Hamilton without first having a final decision regarding the claimed rights of the NHL and the claims of the debtors and (Balsillie)". The best interests of the NHL, what about the best interests of the sport? Seems Judge Baum forgot about that part.

The thing is, Bettman and the league used what they had…power, and they used it well. By focusing on and using the media to report the lengths and depths they would go to in protecting their precious Constitutions and Bylaws they achieved the effect they wanted. That said, it may be the continuing effects of just how far they went to get it that makes the “Powerful” look petty and weak.

Begininning with the letter "E"

Today’s word of the day is “Effective” and can be described as: (1) producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect. (2) able to accomplish a purpose.

I choose this word to start wrapping up by blog (my gimmick is ending soon) on how all the parties involved in both the Phoenix Coyotes Bankruptcy case and the NHL as a whole has used PR in an effective way. My next entry will be the flip side to this (but I will need to find another word, ineffective is kind of cheating) as we look at what has not worked and maybe why.

So, let’s start where my blog began….the case that consumed the media earlier this year. While we all know what happened in the end, how did each side use PR in an effective way to gain support in their cause? We will begin with Jim Balsillie as he was the reason this whole case went before the courts. Without him, I would have been stuck for a topic both in this blog assignment and my Case Analysis (another gimmick).

What exactly did Balsillie do right? Well for starters the guy is friendly. People like him. He’s not hard to look at, he’s a Canadian success story, he’s camera friendly and he knew what he had to do before the case went high profile. That’s the whole trick in setting up effective PR. Knowing what you’ll settle for in the end and how to get there. Now, he might not of 100% believed he could win this (and he was right) but maybe in the end that wasn’t his master plan. Balsillie knew that the only way to stand a chance was to gain public support and by doing so turn the tables on what was wrong in the NHL and with its Commissioner Gary Bettman. Did he do this? The answer to that is …. absolutely.

By doing things like having the media in his dressing room before his pick-up Hockey games, always (well almost always) remaining above the name calling and character assignation, Balsillie was able to remain a positive connection in this case. He started a website with him appearing in the video “Make it seven” which was nothing short of contagious in Canada. Even always pro-Canadian Don Cherry plugged his cause in a segment of Hockey Night in Canada. His media release’s were filled with patriotic overtones and if he was quoted once he was quoted 1,000 times as saying “I just want an opportunity, to bring a NHL team back to the country where it belongs” A bit much?, well the public didn’t think so. Balsillie’s popularity and support continued to grow throughout this case while the other side…well...you’ll have to read tomorrow’s entry.

Even after the verdict was read, Balsillie used his prior tactics of the underdog to continue his character superiority in the media with saying “Although, I personally was unsuccessful, I hope my efforts may pave the way for what I have just always envisioned, another team in Southern Ontario. When that day comes, I will be the first in line to buy a ticket”. Oh, Jim, you nice guy, you.

All joking aside, Balsillie proved that good PR is majorly important in what you are trying to achieve. While you may not necessarily score the winning goal in the Stanly Cup, it’s sometimes the path you took to get there that can be as “effective”.

Begininning with the letter "D"

Today’s word of the day is "decline" and can be described as: (1) a downward movement (2) a change in something to becoming smaller or lower.

What I would like to do in today’s blog entry is to close the book on my parents photo’s they provided me ( thanks Mom) but also to start to show how if any PR related methods currently being used by some of the franchise’s can be considered effective. I believe we can agree that effective would mean increased ticket sales.

Let’s start with the obvious (and I’m sure some of you are getting tired of hearing about) Tampa Bay Lightning. I’ll begin here because I have a few previously unreleased photos’ that were taken that can help emphasis my intent here. The Lightning’s main PR campaign this year is “Together We Will” which would imply people becoming involved. Which would imply more people showing up at games, right? From some of my past entry’s we have seen as my parents did first hand that this campaign may be in trouble.

Part of the together thing is that the Lightning PR team is trying to promote the game as a social gathering so that the Tampa area can become involved, excited and wants the team to succeed. They offer a onstage pre game jazz band, those dreaded cheerleaders greeting those fans that actually showed up and an outside open bar area (remember it was 80 + degrees the night my parents went) with big screen televisions everywhere for those that prefer a less colder climate than that inside. Has this increased attendance so far?

It is estimated that attendance on average is down by 2,000 per game (wasn’t great to begin with) compared to last year. It is also common knowledge that new owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie don't have the money to operate the team successfully as the purchase was financed with a $105 million, three-year bullet loan, meaning in 2011 they will either have to pay the loan off or refinance it. As well, TV ratings have dropped 21%, the most of any NHL club this season and the owners are on their third coach and also fired Jay Feaster, a qualified general manager. Kind of looks like the “Together We Will” has turned out to be more like “Looks like we won’t after-all”.

In this situation of over loan extensions, poor management and a culture that is just not into the Lightning’s effective PR is almost impossible. While some of the ideas are good (with the exception of those cheerleaders) the painful movement downward will continue until small becomes none and lower becomes underground in the “decline” of this franchise and others in the US.

Begininning with the letter "A"

Today’s word of the day is “Attendance” and can be defined as: (1) the number of people that are present. (2) the frequency with which a person is present.

In today’s entry I would like to once again take a small look at my parent’s recent trip (via photo’s) to Florida and their attendance at a Tampa Bay Lightning game. While they weren’t the only ones there, my step-dad was surprised at the amount that was not. As mentioned in my last entry, my parents estimated that the St. Pete’s Forum was about half full with a lot of empty sections throughout the arena. How does this compare to other relocated or expansion teams in the NHL and what PR methods are they using to draw in the crowds? It seems that in Tampa, having undressed girls skate and cheer that either once dreamed of being in the Ice Capades or on a professional football field but clearly settled in life hasn’t worked, has anything?

The obvious choice to start with (but I won’t because we already know what happened) would be the Phoenix Coyotes. Lets just all agree, whatever PR methods were used to increase attendance failed and will likely remain that way until the team is relocated (again). Lets then move to the Atlanta Thrashers that joined the NHL in 1999 as an expansion team and compare that to the Calgary Flames that were actually a relocation team from Atlanta in 1980. So, Atlanta had a team then lost the team then got another team. See where I’m going here?

The Atlanta Thrashers play out of the Philips Arena which has a capacity for NHL games to hold about 18,500 people. The average attendance in the 2008 playing season was about 14,600. The home website offers all kinds of promotions for tickets with the average ticket price on the second level ranging from $62 to $84 US. One of the marketing things used on this site that caught my attention was the promotion of “4 tickets and 4 combo’s starting at $89”. This sounded great until I drilled in and realized that the tickets were at the very top of the arena (the players would look like ants) and there was all kinds of restrictions on the food you were allowed. I’m not sure this would turn out as enjoyable as the price sounds.

In comparison the Calgary Flames play out of the Pengrowth Saddledome which has a capacity to hold about 19,500 people. The average attendance in the same season was 19,289 which tell us things are going well in Calgary. Average ticket prices for the same section ranged from $49 to $66 CAN with many group promotions as well. What I didn’t see on the home website were the same marketing grabbers that the Atlanta Thrasher had to boost ticket sales. Clearly Calgary doesn’t need them because the city supports the team already.

The main point in this entry is if you can’t fill the seats you can’t have a successful franchise. How much sense did it make to put another NHL team in Atlanta when years before you moved one out? Did something change in the city’s culture towards the game of Hockey that indicated a franchise would then succeed when it hadn’t before? With leaving an average of 4,000 seats empty per game I would say not. Perhaps the NHL and Bettman should have looked at what was wrong in Atlanta before pretending that “attendance” didn’t really matter.

Begininning with the letter "R"

Today’s word of the day is “Re-apply” and can de described: (1) to again request or solicit something. (2) to transfer something that has been successful and use it elsewhere.

For today’s entry (first of the next three), I am going to once again reference my parent’s recent trip to Florida and their attendance and observations at a Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Hockey game. With that I hope to compare some of this franchise’s marketing techniques to that of others sports and how or if our Canadian counter parts would and do use these methods to draw attendance. The main reason I chose the word reapply was because I think at the end of this we will all be able to draw a fairly informative conclusion on the success or failure in what some of this NHL expansion team is doing to market the sport of Hockey.

First let’s look at one of the marketing tools used by the Lightning that clearly is a re-apply from another sport, cheerleaders. That’s right cheerleaders. They have them and use them to as an apparent draw for increased attendance and I guess sport promotion. Both my parents found this not only surprising but somewhat demining to the sport itself. The NFL has been promoting its franchises cheerleaders beginning with the craze of the Dallas squad in the mid seventies right through to today’s teams. All teams have those good looking young ladies carrying pompoms and cheering on their team along the sidelines. Is this a marketing success for the NFL? Absolutely, because it has become part of the whole experience in the sport of football in the US and if they were not there it would be noticed. That’s all part of effective marketing. While the cheerleaders may not necessarily draw additional attendance just to see them adds to the whole marketing package.

So, can you take a successful marketing tool from one sport and re-apply it to another? In the case of cheerleaders on skates, my parents thought not. While there was whole mascot thing (Canadian teams have those as well) who ran around from section to section promoting people to “Make some Noise” and clearly entertaining young children, the Lightning Cheerleaders they felt were “just wrong” and did not belong in a sport played in a colder environment to which they were clearly underdressed. To add to this was the embarrassment (my mom thought but my step-dad didn’t seem to mind) of having a few come onto the ice and push a shovel around to assist the Zamboni in its ice cleaning duties. That would kind of be like the cheerleaders of an NFL team assisting the punt kicker by holding the ball?

There are many ways that marketing tools and Public Relation campaigns can be re-thought and re-applied to be used for other products. The use of animals and hit songs is an example. Recent TELUS, Dawn and the ever famous Super Bowl Budweiser commercials all use animals in brand recognition. Some memorable songs in recent commercials like AT & T’s “Come Together” by the Beatles, Buicks “Dream On” by Aerosmith and Chevrolets use of “Like a Rock” by Bob Seger, all have re-applied a common marketing tool and been successful. So has the re-application from the NFL to the NHL in respect to cheerleaders helped the over-all attendance in the case of the Tampa Bay Lightning?

The St. Pete’s Forum where the Lightning play out of for home games can seat approximately 19,500 fans. My parents figured there were approximately half that present, meaning a lot of empty sections. They also noted that there were not as much fan wear, meaning fans wearing hockey jerseys, waving those huge #1 foam hands or even fan slamming (this is when fans yell at their own team after a bad play). They found the whole experience uneventful. Would we use that word after attending a Leaf, Senators or Canadian game where fans are famous for turning on their own team at a game but defending them the next day at the water cooler?

The whole cheerleading thing is just a small example of a Hockey market in those NHL expansion teams that haven’t yet figured out what to do with what Bettman and the NHL have given them and in many cases do not seem to want. While the Tampa Bay Lightning may be desperately trying to take a marketing success from another sport and “re-apply” it to their own, they may have first wanted to solicit advice from some of the Canadian markets were the implementation of cheerleaders at a game would be a popular as Jim Balsillie seems to the NHL and Bettman right now.