This week I decided to go back to survey research and analyze two of my classmates blogs and compare and contrast them to my survey post. I looked at Jessica Tessier's, who also focused her blog on sports public relations, as well as Alexis Gerleit whose topic is fashion public relations. I found the two posts took a different approach than I did and it was interesting to see how different people handle the same topic.
Jessica Tessier focused her semester blog around sports public relations like myself, and throughout the semester I have looked at her posts as a comparison to mine. For survey research, I talked about Sports Illustrated online surveys that are often times reported during games or sports news. My surveys had fans as the subjects and asked various questions about baseball, the best team, player, stadium, coach, fans etc. Jess's survey was an ESPN survey that questioned 50 randomly selected NHL players. I thought this survey was unique because it doesn't seem very common to survey the players. My original thought was that surveys were predominately conducted through fan input. However, Jess's post proved me wrong and offered an interested perspective into the opinions of athletes. The survey wanted to get detailed information on the opinions of different cities and players according to various hockey players. Jess said the survey offered comic relief to ease the participants, but really answered the detailed questions the surveyors were looking for. Essentially, the survey killed two birds with one stone. Sneaky.
On the other end of the spectrum, Alexis Gerleit posted about fashion public relations and how surveys are conducted in that field. She provided a couple of examples from class, ones she found when researching and from Victoria's Secret. What I really liked about Alexis' post was that she applied her learning from class to real life surveys. She critiqued one from Victoria's Secret and was able to pick it apart to find the flaws. She found they used HATE and LOVE in their responses, which, like we learned, should be avoided. I liked Alexis' approach to that blog because it showed that our classroom knowledge can be easily applied to the outside world. I also liked it because you realize how many people may not actually know how to conduct surveys. Before this class I would not have thought anything of having HATE or LOVE as answers to choose from, but now after learning the proper technique, I know it is a major faux pas in survey research.
My favorite part of commenting on classmates blogs is that I get to see how other people handle the same situation. We all have different topics our blogs are focused around, but each week we post about the same research method. I love how people can drive their blog in totally opposite directions while still correctly answering the same question. I have learned a lot from my classmates methods and they have allowed me to think outside the box and approach situations in different ways.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Extra Jolt
It's no secret experiments are performed everyday in the sports world. Athletes test new equipment, new diets, trainers put together new conditioning routines, and everyone is testing the latest supplements and sports drinks. Researchers, product developers and inventors are always looking to test their latest developments, and often times athletes are the main target.
Recently, a study was conducted that tested the effects of sports and protein drinks on athletic performance. Athletes are always looking for a way to get ahead and elevate their skills and strength. The study reported that adding about 2% protein to a carbohydrate sports drink was able to increase endurance over just a plain carbohydrate drink. Multiple tests were done on various athletes from different sports and the results were conclusive.
When athletes start to dabble in different pills, supplements, and drinks, public relations practitioners need to be ready to interfere. Steroid scandals are on the rise, and should an athlete be caught in this problem their publicist needs to be ready to defend their client and re image the athlete. Examples like Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemons and David Ortiz, all high profile athletes under investigation of steroids, needed their PR team to take over the reins. Press conferences were held, tests were done, and statements were released. As we have learned before, coming out right away and clean is the most ethical and effective way to practice public relations.
The need for public relations in sports is very necessary when experiments start being conducted. If an athlete gets hurt with a new workout, sick from a new supplement, or accused of using performance enhancing drugs, public relations teams need to step in. First and foremost...cut to the chase and come clean!
Recently, a study was conducted that tested the effects of sports and protein drinks on athletic performance. Athletes are always looking for a way to get ahead and elevate their skills and strength. The study reported that adding about 2% protein to a carbohydrate sports drink was able to increase endurance over just a plain carbohydrate drink. Multiple tests were done on various athletes from different sports and the results were conclusive.
When athletes start to dabble in different pills, supplements, and drinks, public relations practitioners need to be ready to interfere. Steroid scandals are on the rise, and should an athlete be caught in this problem their publicist needs to be ready to defend their client and re image the athlete. Examples like Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemons and David Ortiz, all high profile athletes under investigation of steroids, needed their PR team to take over the reins. Press conferences were held, tests were done, and statements were released. As we have learned before, coming out right away and clean is the most ethical and effective way to practice public relations.
The need for public relations in sports is very necessary when experiments start being conducted. If an athlete gets hurt with a new workout, sick from a new supplement, or accused of using performance enhancing drugs, public relations teams need to step in. First and foremost...cut to the chase and come clean!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Survey Says...
Survey research seems to be the most basic research method out there. For the most part, surveys are easy to construct, simple to complete, and gives immediate answers and resluts. The information is easy to interpret because participants select from given answers. There is no need for interpretation or miscommunication. If the question is plainly put, the survey should give reliable answers to any research question.
I find surveys to be a very popular research method in sports. Whether it be to predict which team will win the big game, who is thought to be the highest played athlete, what is the most popular sport to watch, or who is the best athlete, surveys can be used and answers can be recieved. I found an article from Sports Illustrated online that contained multiple surveys. I knew Sports Illustrated is known for their surveys and polls becuase I grew up in a house of all brothers and a die-hard sports fan for a father. The article was all about baseball and asked various questions about the best players, the legends of the game, best stadium, best and worst fans, and who the best and worst coaches are. It picked apart and analyzed every segment of baseball. It presented the questions in a very matter of fact, simple way which would eliminate confusion to the particpants. In return, the data was presented in percentages with the highest first and continued in descending order allowing for easy reading and interpretation. 550 people participated in the surveys which is a good sample size, but what the article does not specifiy is if all 550 are regular Sports Illustrated readers, or where the sample came from.
I think, especially in sports when things are changing so rapdily and there are multiple games a day and things to report, surveys are a fun, effective way to gather informatoin. They are usually about the hot topics, be it scandal, upsets, or victory, and draw a lot of attention. It is an interatcive way to get readers involved as well as attracting new followers. Many times the Sports Illustrated polls are put on moving tickers at the bottom of games or sports programming which is further getting the name out. The high profile player critique, or fan favorite moments represented in the survey serve as fun, interesting reading material for the public, but can provide serious insight to coaches, players, or publicists about apprecaition of a player, or attitiudes regarding certain topics.
I think surveys are a fun, easy, effective way to gather information. In sports, the survey topics and questions are endless and there is always something arising that sparks curiosity. The need for opinion is a huge reason for surveys, and instead of asking open-ended questions and getting a million variations, surverys are quick, straight-forward and to the point. As long as there is no tricky wording in the question or contradiction in the answers, and the sample is drawn on a broad scale to get an accurate population representation, surveys are the way to go. Always listen to what the survey says!
I find surveys to be a very popular research method in sports. Whether it be to predict which team will win the big game, who is thought to be the highest played athlete, what is the most popular sport to watch, or who is the best athlete, surveys can be used and answers can be recieved. I found an article from Sports Illustrated online that contained multiple surveys. I knew Sports Illustrated is known for their surveys and polls becuase I grew up in a house of all brothers and a die-hard sports fan for a father. The article was all about baseball and asked various questions about the best players, the legends of the game, best stadium, best and worst fans, and who the best and worst coaches are. It picked apart and analyzed every segment of baseball. It presented the questions in a very matter of fact, simple way which would eliminate confusion to the particpants. In return, the data was presented in percentages with the highest first and continued in descending order allowing for easy reading and interpretation. 550 people participated in the surveys which is a good sample size, but what the article does not specifiy is if all 550 are regular Sports Illustrated readers, or where the sample came from.
I think, especially in sports when things are changing so rapdily and there are multiple games a day and things to report, surveys are a fun, effective way to gather informatoin. They are usually about the hot topics, be it scandal, upsets, or victory, and draw a lot of attention. It is an interatcive way to get readers involved as well as attracting new followers. Many times the Sports Illustrated polls are put on moving tickers at the bottom of games or sports programming which is further getting the name out. The high profile player critique, or fan favorite moments represented in the survey serve as fun, interesting reading material for the public, but can provide serious insight to coaches, players, or publicists about apprecaition of a player, or attitiudes regarding certain topics.
I think surveys are a fun, easy, effective way to gather information. In sports, the survey topics and questions are endless and there is always something arising that sparks curiosity. The need for opinion is a huge reason for surveys, and instead of asking open-ended questions and getting a million variations, surverys are quick, straight-forward and to the point. As long as there is no tricky wording in the question or contradiction in the answers, and the sample is drawn on a broad scale to get an accurate population representation, surveys are the way to go. Always listen to what the survey says!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Quality of Social Media
This week we once again had to read through our classmates blogs and comment on their topics and previous posts. Last week, we posted about qualitative research and how it is conducted and used in various aspects of the public relations field. The knowledge was mostly based off our classmate's presentations so there was a vast array of methods to choose from. I personally talked about ethnographic research in sports and how when a high school athlete is sent on recruiting trips for colleges they are immersing themselves in the culture of the university and becoming one of them, if only for a weekend. I was curious to see what other's took from class presentations and how they were able to apply it to their blog.
The first blog I looked at was Steph Ferris' post about blogs and qualitative research. She brought up some interesting topics and points I never would have thought of, or associated with qualitative research. She talked about how qualitative research is good at telling a story from the participants perspective. I thought that was a good way of putting it because we usually just talk about how it is their opinions and beliefs, but by phrasing it as them telling a story, it gives more credit to the participants.
She then took this one step further and said that blogging is the perfect example of qualitative research in this angle because blogging is a way for a subject to tell a story. The connection Steph made is something I would have never thought about or linked together. Another thing that was brought up was the idea of a diary being qualitative research. It is again a story being told by a certain subject. I wouldn't have ever thought of diaries being research because typically they are a private journal.
Overall Steph brought up the importance of social research and that it is going to be a great asset as social media continues to bloom in the industry.
Katerina Torres also focused her blog on social media, but instead of blogging she focused on social medias such as facebook. She brought up the fact that facebook has pages for companies, celebrities and products and that they often offer a discussion page. This discussion page is where the research is conducted. People can post their opinions on certain issues and from that researchers can go on and collect data.
The example Katerina used was about her favorite, and much of the country's favorite show, Glee. She mentioned how there is a character on the show whom happens to be her favorite, but often gets negative publicity for being rude or insensitive. Katerina went onto her facebook page to see what people were writing about her and found out that in fact the majority of facebook followers love her and had only good things to say about her. By Katerina doing this, she was conducting qualitative research. I never thought of this as being research because it was something we so often to. She really emphasized the point that research does not have to be formal or expensive or planned, but in fact we do it multiple times a day, everyday.
This made me think, if Katerina, a fan is doing this, are producers or editors or publicists doing this? It is a great way to find the new, hot, popular celebrity to use for an upcoming appearance or movie or photo shoot. It is a great way to get information on how the public receives your client or product. This form of research is definitely something that could be converted into a much more formal process.
Both girls talked about social media and the connection to qualitative research. I never really put the two together and always was under the impression research costs money and takes time, but they proved me wrong. It is simple, cheap and can be conducted under your own roof. It really is a great way for unobtrusive research to be conducted and for information to be gathered.
The first blog I looked at was Steph Ferris' post about blogs and qualitative research. She brought up some interesting topics and points I never would have thought of, or associated with qualitative research. She talked about how qualitative research is good at telling a story from the participants perspective. I thought that was a good way of putting it because we usually just talk about how it is their opinions and beliefs, but by phrasing it as them telling a story, it gives more credit to the participants.
She then took this one step further and said that blogging is the perfect example of qualitative research in this angle because blogging is a way for a subject to tell a story. The connection Steph made is something I would have never thought about or linked together. Another thing that was brought up was the idea of a diary being qualitative research. It is again a story being told by a certain subject. I wouldn't have ever thought of diaries being research because typically they are a private journal.
Overall Steph brought up the importance of social research and that it is going to be a great asset as social media continues to bloom in the industry.
Katerina Torres also focused her blog on social media, but instead of blogging she focused on social medias such as facebook. She brought up the fact that facebook has pages for companies, celebrities and products and that they often offer a discussion page. This discussion page is where the research is conducted. People can post their opinions on certain issues and from that researchers can go on and collect data.
The example Katerina used was about her favorite, and much of the country's favorite show, Glee. She mentioned how there is a character on the show whom happens to be her favorite, but often gets negative publicity for being rude or insensitive. Katerina went onto her facebook page to see what people were writing about her and found out that in fact the majority of facebook followers love her and had only good things to say about her. By Katerina doing this, she was conducting qualitative research. I never thought of this as being research because it was something we so often to. She really emphasized the point that research does not have to be formal or expensive or planned, but in fact we do it multiple times a day, everyday.
This made me think, if Katerina, a fan is doing this, are producers or editors or publicists doing this? It is a great way to find the new, hot, popular celebrity to use for an upcoming appearance or movie or photo shoot. It is a great way to get information on how the public receives your client or product. This form of research is definitely something that could be converted into a much more formal process.
Both girls talked about social media and the connection to qualitative research. I never really put the two together and always was under the impression research costs money and takes time, but they proved me wrong. It is simple, cheap and can be conducted under your own roof. It really is a great way for unobtrusive research to be conducted and for information to be gathered.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Be Part of the Team
After hearing all the presentations about qualitative research, i started to think how frequently the methods are used, not just in terms of sports public relations, but in everyday life. The topic that really stuck with me was the presentation on observation and ethnographic research. I find it fascinating to submerse yourself in a totally new environment to get a feel for the surroundings and how other people live. The group talked about a MTV show in which a guy went week from week living the life of another individual. Immediately my mind went to sports, and all i could think of was recruiting trips.
As a former athlete, and one who went on many recruiting trips, i realized i, myself, participated in ethnographic research. For that weekend I was a member of the team. I did not go to that school yet, and it was never even certain I would, but for my time there i became on of the girls. I went to their classes, ate with them, stayed in their room and went to their parties. I observed their practices and was part of the locker room talk. I felt as though I was undercover living one of their lives.
When i thought of this idea, i started researching it on the Internet, and found someone who had a similar experience as myself. I read an article about a boy being recruiting to top southern schools on a football scholarship. He talked about how great it was to get letters from the school, and calls from the coaches, and the five star treatment from the team and supervisors because it made him feel wanted. He felt he had already adapted to that lifestyle saying, " when you go on (a recruiting visit), it makes you feel a part of the program before you even go". That's a good recruiting trip. That means that he felt as though he meshed with the team and student body, and as a type of undercover critic, found himself being easily submerged in their culture.
However, not all recruiting trips go as smoothly, and there are times where the athlete finds themselves not fitting in. They don't like the people, they don't like the lifestyle, they don't like the school. Regardless of a positive or negative outcome from a recruiting trip, ethnographic research is still being done. For that weekend you still must live as them, you can just choose to enjoy it and continue on there, or hate it and find a better home.
Another topic in the presentation was observation. Like in many daily situations, when an athlete goes on a recruiting trip they must observe. They need to take in what they like and what they don't like. They need to understand what they are getting themselves into, and that goes for any student looking at colleges. You observe what the kids are wearing, what they are doing, what music they are listening to, and then try to place yourself there. I know that when I was looking at schools, I would see one, meet the team and coaches, and when I got home my parents would make me write out a list of everything I liked and didn't like. At the time I found it to be a pain , but looking back, especially after having a better understanding of qualitative research, i realized it was one of the best things i could have done. It is the reason i am so happy here at Quinnipiac. I took the time to observe, be part of the community, and make the decision to ultimately spend the next four years of my life here.
Ethnographic and observational research is done almost everyday. Whether you are aware of it or it is a subconscious habit, people on constantly observing. We all want to fit in and be part of the community. We all see what people do and if we like it, we do it. It is a part of natural human instinct to observe, and copy what you like, and as soon as I learned that, all I could think of was my experience searching for the perfect team.
As a former athlete, and one who went on many recruiting trips, i realized i, myself, participated in ethnographic research. For that weekend I was a member of the team. I did not go to that school yet, and it was never even certain I would, but for my time there i became on of the girls. I went to their classes, ate with them, stayed in their room and went to their parties. I observed their practices and was part of the locker room talk. I felt as though I was undercover living one of their lives.
When i thought of this idea, i started researching it on the Internet, and found someone who had a similar experience as myself. I read an article about a boy being recruiting to top southern schools on a football scholarship. He talked about how great it was to get letters from the school, and calls from the coaches, and the five star treatment from the team and supervisors because it made him feel wanted. He felt he had already adapted to that lifestyle saying, " when you go on (a recruiting visit), it makes you feel a part of the program before you even go". That's a good recruiting trip. That means that he felt as though he meshed with the team and student body, and as a type of undercover critic, found himself being easily submerged in their culture.
However, not all recruiting trips go as smoothly, and there are times where the athlete finds themselves not fitting in. They don't like the people, they don't like the lifestyle, they don't like the school. Regardless of a positive or negative outcome from a recruiting trip, ethnographic research is still being done. For that weekend you still must live as them, you can just choose to enjoy it and continue on there, or hate it and find a better home.
Another topic in the presentation was observation. Like in many daily situations, when an athlete goes on a recruiting trip they must observe. They need to take in what they like and what they don't like. They need to understand what they are getting themselves into, and that goes for any student looking at colleges. You observe what the kids are wearing, what they are doing, what music they are listening to, and then try to place yourself there. I know that when I was looking at schools, I would see one, meet the team and coaches, and when I got home my parents would make me write out a list of everything I liked and didn't like. At the time I found it to be a pain , but looking back, especially after having a better understanding of qualitative research, i realized it was one of the best things i could have done. It is the reason i am so happy here at Quinnipiac. I took the time to observe, be part of the community, and make the decision to ultimately spend the next four years of my life here.
Ethnographic and observational research is done almost everyday. Whether you are aware of it or it is a subconscious habit, people on constantly observing. We all want to fit in and be part of the community. We all see what people do and if we like it, we do it. It is a part of natural human instinct to observe, and copy what you like, and as soon as I learned that, all I could think of was my experience searching for the perfect team.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
He Said, She Said
One of my favorite topics we have discussed thus far in class is unobtrusive research. I find it so interesting since it is considered an expert research method, but it is essentially just spying. For my research method presentation, I did unobtrusive content analysis, and found it to be actually one of the most accurate research methods. You are naturally observing people in their habitat which means there are no influences. I didn't realize how often I conduct this type of research until I truly understood what it was.
I looked at Lindsey's Blog and found that she related unobtrusive research to her actually internship experience. I like that she was able to make a personal connection because I believe it makes it easier to understand. She had real life experiences and struggles to offer which made her blog very interesting to read. She also, like myself, didn't realize how often she conducted unobtrusive research. It is such a common sense, mindless act, but such a dependable form of research.
Jordan's Blog also was a good example of professional use of unobtrusive research proving how accurate and reliable it is. She talked about the American Cancer Societies campaign for Breast Cancer. For such a serious issue it was interesting that they can conduct research without formally asking any questions. The campaign wanted to know how many people donate and fund breast cancer awareness, and by doing that they observed the people and the number of participants in the walk. It was a very simple way to get a conclusion about donations, and something I wouldn't have considered research. To me, it seems as though it is standard procedure, but that is what is so interesting about it. It is such simple, yet respectful method.
I looked at Lindsey's Blog and found that she related unobtrusive research to her actually internship experience. I like that she was able to make a personal connection because I believe it makes it easier to understand. She had real life experiences and struggles to offer which made her blog very interesting to read. She also, like myself, didn't realize how often she conducted unobtrusive research. It is such a common sense, mindless act, but such a dependable form of research.
Jordan's Blog also was a good example of professional use of unobtrusive research proving how accurate and reliable it is. She talked about the American Cancer Societies campaign for Breast Cancer. For such a serious issue it was interesting that they can conduct research without formally asking any questions. The campaign wanted to know how many people donate and fund breast cancer awareness, and by doing that they observed the people and the number of participants in the walk. It was a very simple way to get a conclusion about donations, and something I wouldn't have considered research. To me, it seems as though it is standard procedure, but that is what is so interesting about it. It is such simple, yet respectful method.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
We're Watching You
In 2007, most football fans would have considered the New England Patriots to be a winning dynasty. Having won three Super Bowl Championships between 2002 and 2005, they were a powerhouse franchise hungry for more success. That is why the 2007 Patriots cheating scandal caused such an uproar.
The team was accused of secretly recording the New York Jets defensive signals after a total blowout win. This accusation started to disgrace the name and reputation of the team and allude to the fact that the Patriots success is largely due to their "hidden cameras". I read an article from ESPN that talked about what the accusations were and how they came to the conclusions. It mentioned repercussions the Patriots could suffer and how their court process will unfold.
However, as more information came out, more charges were made and the Patriots were being investigated on the number of radio frequencies they were using during given games and if that could have contributed to insider information causing an abundance of wins. The Patriots felt blindsided by this whole ordeal and owner, Robert Kraft, simple stated that he was not surprised his team was being investigated due to their success. Anytime someone is consistently winning, their competition will do anything to sabotage.
This scenario relates to unobtrusive research because if in fact the Patriots were filming signals and plays and using too many radio frequencies, they were doing it without the knowledge of the subjects. I never thought of hidden cameras as a research method until this class, but now am able to analyze the situation and conclude it was, in fact, unobtrusive research. They were studying the coaches and players in their natural habitat watching them do what they would typically do. There was no consent given to record the information and therefore could be considered an invasion of privacy.
This also brings up an ethics issue in that not only was there no confirmed consent, there was cheating involved. In any aspect of life cheating is frowned upon. Whether it is cheating or plagiarising in school, getting insider information, or even cheating on your spouse, it is never considered ethical.
The result of the scandal was that the Patriots were indeed found guilty of these accusations having apparently violated the no cameras in the coaches booth rule.
This relates to class due to the fact it was unobtrusive research and violated ethics. They were studying the plays on film from previous games and seasons which could be looked at as content analysis, and by having coaches assigned to observing the competitor coach's, indirect research would be performed. Knowing what plays are going to be executed totally changes the outcome of the game, and essentially eliminates the need to play.
Having sports as the focus of my blog, and being a die hard New England Patriots fan, I found this to be the perfect blog for this week. I remember the scandal and how it was shameful to be a Pats fan for those few weeks, but I never understood the research and ethics behind it. I, along with a lot of the population, just focused on the cheating and how absurd that was. Now, however, I realize that the collection of data plays an important role in that cheating and how it was unethical, not just the fact that they were cheating. This class has given me to opportunity to look back on past experiences and start to understand why things were right or wrong from research standpoints and how information was obtained. The understanding of research methods causes me to think more and consider where the information came from, how it can be used and whether or not its ethical.
The team was accused of secretly recording the New York Jets defensive signals after a total blowout win. This accusation started to disgrace the name and reputation of the team and allude to the fact that the Patriots success is largely due to their "hidden cameras". I read an article from ESPN that talked about what the accusations were and how they came to the conclusions. It mentioned repercussions the Patriots could suffer and how their court process will unfold.
However, as more information came out, more charges were made and the Patriots were being investigated on the number of radio frequencies they were using during given games and if that could have contributed to insider information causing an abundance of wins. The Patriots felt blindsided by this whole ordeal and owner, Robert Kraft, simple stated that he was not surprised his team was being investigated due to their success. Anytime someone is consistently winning, their competition will do anything to sabotage.
This scenario relates to unobtrusive research because if in fact the Patriots were filming signals and plays and using too many radio frequencies, they were doing it without the knowledge of the subjects. I never thought of hidden cameras as a research method until this class, but now am able to analyze the situation and conclude it was, in fact, unobtrusive research. They were studying the coaches and players in their natural habitat watching them do what they would typically do. There was no consent given to record the information and therefore could be considered an invasion of privacy.
This also brings up an ethics issue in that not only was there no confirmed consent, there was cheating involved. In any aspect of life cheating is frowned upon. Whether it is cheating or plagiarising in school, getting insider information, or even cheating on your spouse, it is never considered ethical.
The result of the scandal was that the Patriots were indeed found guilty of these accusations having apparently violated the no cameras in the coaches booth rule.
This relates to class due to the fact it was unobtrusive research and violated ethics. They were studying the plays on film from previous games and seasons which could be looked at as content analysis, and by having coaches assigned to observing the competitor coach's, indirect research would be performed. Knowing what plays are going to be executed totally changes the outcome of the game, and essentially eliminates the need to play.
Having sports as the focus of my blog, and being a die hard New England Patriots fan, I found this to be the perfect blog for this week. I remember the scandal and how it was shameful to be a Pats fan for those few weeks, but I never understood the research and ethics behind it. I, along with a lot of the population, just focused on the cheating and how absurd that was. Now, however, I realize that the collection of data plays an important role in that cheating and how it was unethical, not just the fact that they were cheating. This class has given me to opportunity to look back on past experiences and start to understand why things were right or wrong from research standpoints and how information was obtained. The understanding of research methods causes me to think more and consider where the information came from, how it can be used and whether or not its ethical.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Many Voices of Sports
With sports Public Relations being the focus of my blog, I decided to look through other blogs to see if anyone was going with the same idea. I came across two actually, and was thrilled to read them. I was also surprised to see that all three sports PR blogs were done by girls, but we will get to that a little later. Anyway, for my blog this week I decided to comment on posts by Mallory and Jess.
Last week, Mallory focused on research results performed in the NHL. She had a very well written blog which, although was about sports and results, was very different from mine. She followed a study that was conducted among the athletes. This sparked an interest for me because I never really pictured the athletes participating in research. I don't know why, it seems logical that the subjects of the show would be constantly researched, but nonetheless it was a new viewpoint for me. For my blog last week I did research results based on Super Bowl viewership and how the ratings can increase sales for certain products. Obviously Mallory and I took different approaches, but remained under the same topic which shows how versatile Public Relations and research results can be. One point that I really liked of Mallory's came towards the end of her blog. She was commenting on how the results of the study were never posted and how they claimed further testing would be done but nothing had been released at that time. She went on to tie that into the book and how we learned not to give all your research findings to the public. I liked that she touched upon that because I realized how true, and evident that point is. Very few research articles give you the exact findings or numbers, and for Mallory to be able to think of that while reading her article, and tie it back to the class was very impressive in my opinion.
Along with Mallory's blog, I looked at a second classmates, also focusing on Public Relations in the sports world. Jess, like myself, wrote about football and the viewership it reaches. Her blog for last week was focused the first Monday Night Football game of the 2010 season, then gave the history of the MNF game. Jess and I were on the same page last week both referring to major games and highlights of football. Every team obviously dreams of playing on the cold February night in the Super Bowl, which I touched on, and playing the MNF game of the week is an adrenaline rush for the players. We also both touched on the history of the games and how they originated. Lastly, we both commented on how there is a surprising viewership for those games. I focused on how there is a drastic increase in viewership, and related it back to the commercials being an attraction for a different audience, but Jess took a different approach. She was surprised to find that 40% of the viewers for MNF games were women. We were both interested in our results, which ties me back to my comment in the beginning. I mentioned earlier that I was surprised the three blogs on sports were done by women. That coincides with Jess's results. I think these statistics could prove that there is an increase in female particiapantes and fans of sports. I'd be interested to see what research on this topic would result as compared to women viewership say, 20 years ago.
Overall, I really liked reading other peoples blogs and see what spin they took on the same focus. I was really impressed with what I read and was interested to see all the different methods out there, and we didnt even touch the surface. I'm going to continue to follow these blogs to see how the girls and I compare and contrast, but I must say, this week was my favorite post because of the research I got to conduct.
Last week, Mallory focused on research results performed in the NHL. She had a very well written blog which, although was about sports and results, was very different from mine. She followed a study that was conducted among the athletes. This sparked an interest for me because I never really pictured the athletes participating in research. I don't know why, it seems logical that the subjects of the show would be constantly researched, but nonetheless it was a new viewpoint for me. For my blog last week I did research results based on Super Bowl viewership and how the ratings can increase sales for certain products. Obviously Mallory and I took different approaches, but remained under the same topic which shows how versatile Public Relations and research results can be. One point that I really liked of Mallory's came towards the end of her blog. She was commenting on how the results of the study were never posted and how they claimed further testing would be done but nothing had been released at that time. She went on to tie that into the book and how we learned not to give all your research findings to the public. I liked that she touched upon that because I realized how true, and evident that point is. Very few research articles give you the exact findings or numbers, and for Mallory to be able to think of that while reading her article, and tie it back to the class was very impressive in my opinion.
Along with Mallory's blog, I looked at a second classmates, also focusing on Public Relations in the sports world. Jess, like myself, wrote about football and the viewership it reaches. Her blog for last week was focused the first Monday Night Football game of the 2010 season, then gave the history of the MNF game. Jess and I were on the same page last week both referring to major games and highlights of football. Every team obviously dreams of playing on the cold February night in the Super Bowl, which I touched on, and playing the MNF game of the week is an adrenaline rush for the players. We also both touched on the history of the games and how they originated. Lastly, we both commented on how there is a surprising viewership for those games. I focused on how there is a drastic increase in viewership, and related it back to the commercials being an attraction for a different audience, but Jess took a different approach. She was surprised to find that 40% of the viewers for MNF games were women. We were both interested in our results, which ties me back to my comment in the beginning. I mentioned earlier that I was surprised the three blogs on sports were done by women. That coincides with Jess's results. I think these statistics could prove that there is an increase in female particiapantes and fans of sports. I'd be interested to see what research on this topic would result as compared to women viewership say, 20 years ago.
Overall, I really liked reading other peoples blogs and see what spin they took on the same focus. I was really impressed with what I read and was interested to see all the different methods out there, and we didnt even touch the surface. I'm going to continue to follow these blogs to see how the girls and I compare and contrast, but I must say, this week was my favorite post because of the research I got to conduct.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
super budget, super brand, super bowl
The Super Bowl is one of the most widely watched TV programs out there, and for sports fans it is the be all, end all of athletics. Once February rolls around, regardless of your teams standing or your interest in the game, an average of 90 million viewers tune in. But, are all the viewers putting on CBS for the game? NO. Sure there is the pre-show, the player/coaches interviews, the half-time performance, and of course the 2 halves full of touch downs, picks, and big hits, but what people really want to see...the commercials. It is said that the Super Bowl is one of the few TV programs that has not been affected by audience fragmentation, meaning the new demand for social media, video games, movies, and pod casts, and commercials are partly responsible.
When researching Public Relations research results and how they can affect sports, I came across another blog that had some interesting facts about the Super Bowl and their commercials.
During Super Bowl XLIV, a 30 second ad on CBS cost a company between $2.5-$2.8 million dollars. Now that doesn't include the cost to produce the ad, totaling nearly $4 million dollars for 30 seconds of brand recognition. Why do companies continue to spend their annual budgets on those 30 seconds? Because they have to. Certain famous ads, such as previous ones from Pepsi, Budweiser, and Snickers have created their own fan base. People tune in just to see who the latest celebrity to endorse the product is, or what creative scene they will depict that year. Whether they are trying to attract an audience, just get their name out there, or out-advertise competition, the ads are being seen by an enormous public.
In 2009, Pepsi decided for the first time in 23 years that they were not going to put an ad out during the Super Bowl, but rather do their advertising via social networks. For the company it meant that their competitor, Dr. Pepper won that year in terms of hits. The Dr. Pepper ads were seen by enormously bigger crowds than the Pepsi ads were. Although the blog did not specify whether Pepsi sales decreased or Dr. Pepper increased, I would guess it did not help Pepsi. Sure they are a highly recognizable and dependable brand, but that night Dr. Pepper was the name on top of everyone's mind.
Budweiser, another brand people are at the edge of their seats waiting for, decided to also cut back in 2009. They did not produce the commericals they usually put out claiming they did not intend to gain awareness, but rather just keep their name circulating. Well, the company instantly regretted this decision as shipments fell 9.5% from the previous year. Their plan? Get as much time in the 2010 Super Bowl as possible. The company realized that advertising during the game is an integral part of their success.
A success story arising from the Super Bowl is the instant fame of GoDaddy.com. 5 years ago they launched their first 30 second spot during the Super Bowl, and the game is being credited with building and launching the brand. They have since then put reoccurring ads on TV, but continue to work the Super Bowl.
Not all commericals are beneficial to a company. Subaru for example had a disastrous experience with their Super Bowl commercial. Not having the budget their competitors such as Toyota, Chevy, and Honda have, their commercial lacked spunk and influence while trying to launch their newest Impreza model. The company spent their entire yearly budget on that ad with nothing to show for it. Since then they have pulled their ads from the Super Bowl and stopped advertising with such recognized events.
It is proven that sales growth can result from time on the Super Bowl, and year after year CBS sells out their advertising space. So despite what athletes and devoted fans would like to believe, people are not watching the Super Bowl just for the football. The annual event draws in a crowd of TV obsessed, brand loyal, couch potatoes that fuel the market. Without the Super Bowl, company advertisement may not be as successful, but without the much talked about and highly anticipated commercials, the Super Bowl may not be the biggest TV program of the year proving it to be a Public Relations practicioners dream come true.
When researching Public Relations research results and how they can affect sports, I came across another blog that had some interesting facts about the Super Bowl and their commercials.
During Super Bowl XLIV, a 30 second ad on CBS cost a company between $2.5-$2.8 million dollars. Now that doesn't include the cost to produce the ad, totaling nearly $4 million dollars for 30 seconds of brand recognition. Why do companies continue to spend their annual budgets on those 30 seconds? Because they have to. Certain famous ads, such as previous ones from Pepsi, Budweiser, and Snickers have created their own fan base. People tune in just to see who the latest celebrity to endorse the product is, or what creative scene they will depict that year. Whether they are trying to attract an audience, just get their name out there, or out-advertise competition, the ads are being seen by an enormous public.
In 2009, Pepsi decided for the first time in 23 years that they were not going to put an ad out during the Super Bowl, but rather do their advertising via social networks. For the company it meant that their competitor, Dr. Pepper won that year in terms of hits. The Dr. Pepper ads were seen by enormously bigger crowds than the Pepsi ads were. Although the blog did not specify whether Pepsi sales decreased or Dr. Pepper increased, I would guess it did not help Pepsi. Sure they are a highly recognizable and dependable brand, but that night Dr. Pepper was the name on top of everyone's mind.
Budweiser, another brand people are at the edge of their seats waiting for, decided to also cut back in 2009. They did not produce the commericals they usually put out claiming they did not intend to gain awareness, but rather just keep their name circulating. Well, the company instantly regretted this decision as shipments fell 9.5% from the previous year. Their plan? Get as much time in the 2010 Super Bowl as possible. The company realized that advertising during the game is an integral part of their success.
A success story arising from the Super Bowl is the instant fame of GoDaddy.com. 5 years ago they launched their first 30 second spot during the Super Bowl, and the game is being credited with building and launching the brand. They have since then put reoccurring ads on TV, but continue to work the Super Bowl.
Not all commericals are beneficial to a company. Subaru for example had a disastrous experience with their Super Bowl commercial. Not having the budget their competitors such as Toyota, Chevy, and Honda have, their commercial lacked spunk and influence while trying to launch their newest Impreza model. The company spent their entire yearly budget on that ad with nothing to show for it. Since then they have pulled their ads from the Super Bowl and stopped advertising with such recognized events.
It is proven that sales growth can result from time on the Super Bowl, and year after year CBS sells out their advertising space. So despite what athletes and devoted fans would like to believe, people are not watching the Super Bowl just for the football. The annual event draws in a crowd of TV obsessed, brand loyal, couch potatoes that fuel the market. Without the Super Bowl, company advertisement may not be as successful, but without the much talked about and highly anticipated commercials, the Super Bowl may not be the biggest TV program of the year proving it to be a Public Relations practicioners dream come true.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
ETHICS IN SPORTS
The readings this week focused on the ethics of Public Relations research. In the text it talked about how to conduct ethical research, what to do ethically once the data was collected, and how to present it in an accurate manner. It talked about adhering to a strict code of ethics and protecting your reputation as a researcher as well as the opinions and feelings of your subject.
Interestingly enough, I found an article that was a guideline and code of ethics for coaches when dealing with their players, representing their organization and handling the media. Sports Public Relations being the focus of my blog, I thought there wasn't a better article to use for this weeks post.
The article, entitled "Code of Ethics and Conduct for Sports Coaches" used 10 major headlines while explaining the ethics of sports. For each of those 10 examples, I could easily relate an aspect of research proving that a core set of ethics can be applied to just about anything.
First, the article talked about humanity in sports and how coaches need to treat players with respect and respect them no matter what their background, religion, sexual orientation, or political views may be. When conducting research for Public Relations, the researcher must respect their subject. In many cases, a subject may be sharing a deep secret or personal feeling, and the subject needs to be treated like a person and not mocked. Along with that, in both sports and research, it is important to establish relationships. The coaches need to protect their players, their reputation, the members of the organization. A researcher needs to protect the subject and the data being collected. Both areas need to have definite boundaries and guidelines and a certain level of trust needs to be obtained on both levels.
Another aspect of sports which is extremely important in research is commitment. Players need to be committed to the coaches, and coaches to the players, and both to the fans, but a researcher needs to be committed the the experiment and the subject. On the other hand, the subject needs to be committeed to the project and give the information they signed up to give. On the same level, cooperation is key to success. Both the subjects of an experiment, or the players of the team need to cooperate with the rules set forth by the higher power. If the guidelines are followed there is a lesser chance of error in both scenarios.
Integrity is an important quality for any individual to posses. It allows for honestly and pride. In terms of coaching and conducting research, one must be sure that they are leading in the fairest way possible. They need to make sure everything they do is appropriate and within their rights as leaders. By respecting these rules and being honest, the players and subjects will gain more respect and ultimately more trust leading to a much better outcome. Going along with honesty, it is important for research, especially, to keep all information confidential. A coach or researcher cannot do anything to abuse their power, and all private matters must be kept within. It is unethical to share data or personal views with the public when the subject expects privacy, and personal matters should be kept between coach and player.
Lastly, safety is a must. At all times coaches and researches are responsible for those underneath them. They are responsible for their personal safety and the safety of their feelings and information. By ensuring that the coach or researcher is there for them, the participants are more likely to feel safe and share more information or put in more effort.
For all these situations it is unethical to do the opposite. Coaches and researchers alike must remember respect is most important. It is unethical to say one thing and do another. I never realized that research could relate to such a vast array of topics, but after reading this article I realized that there is, in a sense, a generalized code of ethics which can be easily applied to almost any aspect of life. In sports PR it is imperative that the team, player, coach or organization is always put in the best light possible, however, should a crisis arise, it is only ethical to explain the situation right away, abide but the privacy and code of ethics, and do the best you can to properly restore an image without any further damage.
Interestingly enough, I found an article that was a guideline and code of ethics for coaches when dealing with their players, representing their organization and handling the media. Sports Public Relations being the focus of my blog, I thought there wasn't a better article to use for this weeks post.
The article, entitled "Code of Ethics and Conduct for Sports Coaches" used 10 major headlines while explaining the ethics of sports. For each of those 10 examples, I could easily relate an aspect of research proving that a core set of ethics can be applied to just about anything.
First, the article talked about humanity in sports and how coaches need to treat players with respect and respect them no matter what their background, religion, sexual orientation, or political views may be. When conducting research for Public Relations, the researcher must respect their subject. In many cases, a subject may be sharing a deep secret or personal feeling, and the subject needs to be treated like a person and not mocked. Along with that, in both sports and research, it is important to establish relationships. The coaches need to protect their players, their reputation, the members of the organization. A researcher needs to protect the subject and the data being collected. Both areas need to have definite boundaries and guidelines and a certain level of trust needs to be obtained on both levels.
Another aspect of sports which is extremely important in research is commitment. Players need to be committed to the coaches, and coaches to the players, and both to the fans, but a researcher needs to be committed the the experiment and the subject. On the other hand, the subject needs to be committeed to the project and give the information they signed up to give. On the same level, cooperation is key to success. Both the subjects of an experiment, or the players of the team need to cooperate with the rules set forth by the higher power. If the guidelines are followed there is a lesser chance of error in both scenarios.
Integrity is an important quality for any individual to posses. It allows for honestly and pride. In terms of coaching and conducting research, one must be sure that they are leading in the fairest way possible. They need to make sure everything they do is appropriate and within their rights as leaders. By respecting these rules and being honest, the players and subjects will gain more respect and ultimately more trust leading to a much better outcome. Going along with honesty, it is important for research, especially, to keep all information confidential. A coach or researcher cannot do anything to abuse their power, and all private matters must be kept within. It is unethical to share data or personal views with the public when the subject expects privacy, and personal matters should be kept between coach and player.
Lastly, safety is a must. At all times coaches and researches are responsible for those underneath them. They are responsible for their personal safety and the safety of their feelings and information. By ensuring that the coach or researcher is there for them, the participants are more likely to feel safe and share more information or put in more effort.
For all these situations it is unethical to do the opposite. Coaches and researchers alike must remember respect is most important. It is unethical to say one thing and do another. I never realized that research could relate to such a vast array of topics, but after reading this article I realized that there is, in a sense, a generalized code of ethics which can be easily applied to almost any aspect of life. In sports PR it is imperative that the team, player, coach or organization is always put in the best light possible, however, should a crisis arise, it is only ethical to explain the situation right away, abide but the privacy and code of ethics, and do the best you can to properly restore an image without any further damage.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
PRR 332 BLOG
For my blog I chose to focus on Sports Public Relations and the jobs, skills, scandals, and struggles that follow it. I will deal in the broad sense and not limit myself to one team, sport, or University but rather cover sports as a whole.
Sports Public Relations practitioners are responsible for coordinating the flow of information from teams to the press and to feed the public's hunger for news, data and statistics on their favorite teams or athletes. They are responsible for generating public interest in the organization and must deal with news media, supervise the creation and delivery of game programs, write press releases, maintain historical facts and respond to the media while putting teams and athletes in a positive light. They must focus on crisis communication, reputation management, media tactics, audience research methods, community outreach and web technology.
I am interested in sports PR because I have a long history of athletics in my family. My father played college football and attended training camp and preseason with the Greenbay Packers before suffering a career ending injury. I was an avid high school athlete and have worked for ESPN for four years. A lot of my best friends are college athletes who often have games broadcasted on television and I find that aspect interesting and fun. I feel as though I have insider information in that sense and would like to explore that more. Finally, it seems all of a sudden the sports world is being continuously shaken by scandal and controversy and I find it extremely interesting how negatives can be turned into positives and how it seems that athletes don't speak for themselves but rather let their team formulate their opinions.
Overall I think this will be a very interesting topic for me to investigate further. I want to be involved in sports PR for a career and this will be the perfect learning tool.
Sports Public Relations practitioners are responsible for coordinating the flow of information from teams to the press and to feed the public's hunger for news, data and statistics on their favorite teams or athletes. They are responsible for generating public interest in the organization and must deal with news media, supervise the creation and delivery of game programs, write press releases, maintain historical facts and respond to the media while putting teams and athletes in a positive light. They must focus on crisis communication, reputation management, media tactics, audience research methods, community outreach and web technology.
I am interested in sports PR because I have a long history of athletics in my family. My father played college football and attended training camp and preseason with the Greenbay Packers before suffering a career ending injury. I was an avid high school athlete and have worked for ESPN for four years. A lot of my best friends are college athletes who often have games broadcasted on television and I find that aspect interesting and fun. I feel as though I have insider information in that sense and would like to explore that more. Finally, it seems all of a sudden the sports world is being continuously shaken by scandal and controversy and I find it extremely interesting how negatives can be turned into positives and how it seems that athletes don't speak for themselves but rather let their team formulate their opinions.
Overall I think this will be a very interesting topic for me to investigate further. I want to be involved in sports PR for a career and this will be the perfect learning tool.
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