An avoidable PR nightmare - By Barry LeBrock
So, your company just spent a gazillion dollars creating a fabulous partnership with a professional
sports franchise. The holy grail of
PR and marketing -- an affiliation with the prestige of the NFL.
Congratulations!
Now as you focus on the next deal… and the next… make sure to glance over your shoulder every now and then. Public Relations is never finished. When the ink is
dry on that sterling new contract, you better keep an eye on the rear view
mirror -- even as you focus forward, stepping gently around the many potential landmines
of properly promoting someone else's business.
Case in point: Under Armour's deal with the Baltimore
Ravens.
It's
the Baltimore Ravens. What can go wrong!?!
Well, umm, this…
And suddenly, your
brand affiliation goes beyond what you signed up for with the Baltimore Ravens. Ladies and Gentlemen, this
episode of domestic violence has been brought to you by…. Under Armour!
It has been said that all publicity is good publicity. It has also
been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The intersection of
those two adages has the above image screaming "THIS is NOT good
publicity." 200 times.
Under Armour is an amazing company; well run, highly regarded and undoubtedly respected in the incredibly
competitive sports gear space. This situation though, was at minimum a wake-up call. At maximum, a huge fuck-up. The company whose slogan is "Protect This
House" might want to shift its focus to "Protect This Logo."
How someone from Under Armour PR didn't make
a frantic phone call to the the team -- or better yet, drive over
to nearby Ravens camp to personally yank down the banner that has
forever linked them to a despicable man-on-woman elevator punch,
is a big mystery and a bigger mistake.
The entire point
of Public Relations is to make people aware of your client's affiliation with something positive.
Something prestigious. Something admirable.
Checking those lists, I can tell you for certain, domestic violence is
not on them.
