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”.