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.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
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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