Golf Tourney

For my Public Relations Campaigns class we are given a client and promote an event. We just developed a facebook page and here is the information;

I chose this because the golf tournament struck me as closest to my work in public relations. The main key getting the word out about your event. The lesson today is simple: If no one knows about your event no one will show up.

Addressing Controvery

So there have been some comments being made through various social media that some riders get favorable treatments on judging issues. This has made me want to address the issue from a public relations point of view.

The fans are the most important audience of rodeo and bull riding. As a public relations professional it is your job to make sure that your audiences are kept happy. When trying to bring in new fans it is important to make sure that your original fan base is happy with the way that things are.

Now the issue that arises now is how to keep the audience happy when they have in their minds that the system is broken. The issue as of late is that when challenging rides one rider seems to always be on the winning end of things, while other riders in what appears to be the same situation seem to get different judgements. The bottom line is simple: bull riding, like most sports. is bases on a system of subjective scoring. The judges do their best to look at the situation presented in front of them and make accurate judgements on times and determining if there was fouls made during the ride. The fact of the matter is the judges are well trained on how to do their job and they are humans and mistakes are made. The main rider who seems to constantly seems to be involved in controversial decisions rides in such a way that is harder to determine accurately things such as when to stop the clock and if contact was made with the bull. The judges thus have a harder time and look longer at it to make sure their decision is accurate. Fans do not get to see exactly what is being seen by the judge but he can see better than most what is going on in those tougher to call situations. With the rider most questioned by fans lately, the way he rides looks as if he is off well before the time is up but when reviewed it can be argued that he is holding on by the tail of his rope, which is legal.

So the question comes into play is how as a PR professional do you ensure the fans that the judges are being as accurate as they can and not showing favoritism? I have spent a long time contemplating this and think I have come up with a good answer. There has been new technology introduced called hypermo, a special form of slow motion replay. The PBR has experimented with it and just by watching it for a few seconds you can see it makes it easier to critically review issues that come under review. By making this technology available for judge replays you can make the job of the judge easier. I believe that more wide use of this could make fans feel more confident in the decisions that the judges are making.

Now knowing that this technology is expensive and all budgets might not be able to afford it I also have an alternate route to take. I think that by making it be better known who the judges are and what there history is might help make fans feel more confident in the job being done. Most all judges at any level of competition are well experienced with great credentials to do their job. Making fans more aware of this information might help build confidence.

Now I have to note that earlier this season the PBR did show a good decision by making it known to the fans that they do penalize judges who make decisions that seem out of regulation. By continuing to do this also helps ensure that the PBR will not stand for judges making bad calls.

It just needs to be remembered that judges are human and humans make errors. This does not mean organizations should have to justify every decision a judge makes but if it seems that the fans are upset by decisions being made and voicing those opinions in a public forum then there needs to be some attention paid before fans are forced to turn away because they can't trust the way things are being judged.

Balancing needs of fans and contestants

The other day I came across an article on the PBR website and there as a link posted by a fan to his personal blog about the PBR. I read it wanting to see what some of the pressing issues were to the fans. Oddly enough the post was about the after party the PBR hosts after every event. He mentioned that he thinks it is a bad thing to have for the safety of the riders.

His comments made me think about how the PBR is constantly trying to have new ways for the fans to meet and talk to the riders. The fact of the matter is there really is no need to have after parties at clubs where the riders are encouraged to drink and socialize I know as a PR professional it is important to have the riders out there with the fans, but is putting them in a situation to get hurt even more in an already dangerous sport worth a little more publicity? I think that one of our most valuable assets in promoting rodeo and bull riding is the contestant. So why are we pushing them into potentially dangerous situations for their health.

I don’t think the party idea should be done with though because I see the casual setting as a something great for the fans. Personally as a fan I see it amazing that I can be in a situation where I can spend time just relaxing and talking to one of the riders. I think that it needs to be taken to a spot where the alcohol temptation is taken. Most of the time before the event there is a fan zone so why not make that a more casual event just have music and a place for the riders and fans to have a good time before the event, without having to wait in line to get an autograph and leave quickly to let the person behind you get theirs. Also this opens it up to the people who can’t or don’t wish to be in a club setting with alcohol. I think doing this is the perfect way to get the best of both worlds.

So I guess the point of this post was to discuss the little considered factors in public relations with athletes. I think it is important to have that balance between what the fans need and what the athletes need to be able to keep doing what the love.

Making the best of the off season

So in rodeo, as in all other sports, you encounter off-seasons. This time is when it becomes hard to market the sport, but really there is a way to get around it.

One of the main goals of public relations is to make sure that people know your brand and what you stand for. One good way to keep your name out there is to promote a big event coming on later in the year. For a really huge scale event it is never too early to begin promotion. The National Finals Rodeo sells out pretty much as soon as tickets go on sale, and the PBR Finals are promoted all year long. These events happen in November and December and the promotion for the next year begins as soon as the current year ends. An off- season break is a great time to make another huge push at major events such as those. Again, the point is to keep your brand in the minds of your audience.

Another method that I have seen recently in use by the PBR is athlete features. This is a good time to do in-depth features on the athletes fans watch week in and week out. This is also a good way to get the media to keep the sport in their minds as well. With the athlete features you can pitch them easy to local papers near the athletes hometown. Local newspapers love coverage on their citizens and successes they come across. Also if you are so lucky to have an athlete who has a truly extraordinary story, you might even be able to get national coverage as a human-interest piece. The PBR just did a piece on a rider who is both a full-time bull rider and full-time college student. I personally as a college student love to hear stories about how people can succeed like that. I see it as an inspiration to strive and do better with my remaining time in college. It mentioned that he recently had to get an extension on a speech for his business class because a bull riding accident recently caused him to have his jaw wired shut. He ended up having to do this speech at the same time as the National Collegiate Finals Rodeo. By the end he had placed in the Finals and earned an A on his speech. This is true inspiration for college students that college town papers would love to run as inspiration to students while possibly tapping into a new audience of fans.

Just because the events may have come to a temporary end with the off-season, that is no excuse to take it easy on the public relations. I believe, as do many other experts in the world of PR do, that public relations needs to be proactive, meaning making things happen, not waiting for something to happen.

Taking the best of the past and bringing it to the present

So with rodeo, there is this overwhelming view that it is past its prime. So how do you as a public relations specialist deal with this obviously untrue belief? The best way that you can deal with it is to add modern twists to the classic sport. This has been done by almost any rodeo I have visited. Loud music, flashing lights, and strong personalities calling the festivities make rodeo a different sport than it ever was.

The truth is I see rodeo as easier to market now, so long as the right angle is taken. It is so much easier to gain new fans and attendees when all the modern technology makes it so easy to explain things. With knowledgeable announcers calling the action it becomes easy to educate fans quickly so they can get on to enjoying the action they are witnessing. Also with the big screens and pumped up music how can one not be drawn into the action?

The history of the sport also can help bring in a new audience. There is an arena in Helotes, Texas that has been home to a PRCA sanctioned rodeo for over 20 years, and has been in existence well before that, has been host to some of the greatest cowboys in the history of rodeo. It also was a filming location for the beloved rodeo movie 8 Seconds. I have been going to that event for years now and love feeling all the history that is there. The arena has been exactly the same for 20 years, which to me is something comforting. I think that playing on the history of the sport is a great way to gain new fans. Remember, rodeo is the only sport that can be traced to have been created in America. Use that information to your advantage. People love to show national pride and what better way to do that than to support the only true American sport.

So in the end the ting to remember is that you need to not neglect the past, but blend it in with the present and market rodeo as the best of the past meeting with the present.

Promoting events to a wide, diverse audience

Rodeo has in the past been known as strictly a southern and western United States sport. In the past 20 years though, due to many different factors, rodeo has slowly begun to not be such a regionalized sport. Now although the strongest roots for the sport still lie in the old west strong fan bases have been built both nationally and internationally.

The best example of this would have to be the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series tour. This tour lands in about 30 U.S. cities throughout a calendar year. They make the obvious stops, 2 times each in Texas and Oklahoma. But what some would be surprised to know is that one of the major events each year is at Madison Square Garden, and yes the one in the heart of New York City. They also travel all over New England, with stops in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan and Ohio. Now those states do not seem to be the heart of rodeo country but these events are constant bestsellers of the tour. By airing all events on an international television network the PBR develops a fan base of all walks of life. Also by airing all events in a season, they allow for the sport to unfold like a television drama, allowing fans everywhere to want to tune in and see the show live as much as possible.

This causes a need for public relations to be dependent on a local focus.

The truth of the matter is there are people everywhere who want to hear your message and see the sport of rodeo. I am a perfect example of this. I was born and raised until age 13 in the suburbs of Connecticut. Not exactly where you would expect to see a dedicated and knowledgeable rodeo fan to come from. This misconception comes from making stereotypical judgements based upon where someone lives. What most people don't know about Connecticut is that has a very large rural population, but all that comes to peoples mind is the rich, country club suburbia population. I spent a lot of my free time as a child going to county fairs on the weekends, not a far stretch from what I do today in Texas. Now rodeo was not a part of those fairs as they are in Texas, but there was a common element: both are deep rooted in a passion for animals and the outdoors. I believe that this is what would play a key factor in marketing an event in the New England area. Living in New England, where the weather is always nice, being outdoors was something enjoyed most of the year. Why not market an event in the Spring, Summer or Fall season to New Englanders as a way to enjoy the outdoors and have a fun new form of entertainment to enjoy.

Just knowing all aspects of where the event is being promoted can help so much. Another good example is to think big, in some states, just because the events physical address is in one state, does not mean that you can only market to that state. Look again at New England and Connecticut. On a good day one can travel the whole width of Connecticut in 1-2 hours time. This means that if your event is in a smaller state like that, or within reasonable travel time from another state, think big and market outside the state. I believe it or not have seen this be done here in Texas as well. For the Iron Cowboy in Arlington, Texas, the PBR had a sponsorship deal with a casino in Oklahoma. The casino was an hour and a half away from the arena, and was the host hotel accommodations for the event. The night before the casino hosted an event with the contestants and fans gaining fans from both Texas and Oklahoma. I personally made the drive from San Antonio, in south Texas, to the casino just past the state line in Oklahoma. I believe it or not, actually met people who had made the trip from similar distances to come to the event. With this event you had a chance to run into casino guests, who may not be fans of rodeo or bull riding, and sell the event to them.

So when you are doing public relations for a diverse audience, just remember that the sky is the limit and look at what aspect the people you are promoting to would care about.

Promoting Large Events

This past weekend the Professional Bull Riders Inc. hosted an Olympic-style competion that was met with mixed reviews. Upon reading comments from fans on stories posted about the event I saw a surprising amount of negative feedback. The main concern being the time at which the event aired. Due to contractual obligations that the network airing the event had with another sport organizaiton the airing of the event was postponed to eastern standard time.

The main mistake here was not thinking about the audience of the event. Fans of the PBR are mainly men and women in their late 20s or above. Most of these people have been working all day and just do not wish to stay up to such a late hour to see an event. This weekend the PBR is battling the contractual obligations again but this time is dealing with it in a better way by airing the event in the late afternoon.
Another issue that I noticed was a lack of interest in the event. For the past years of this event the schedule has been relatively stable occuring in mid to late August. Due to scheduling issues the event had to be pushed up months. This upset the majority of the fans who live in the United States because the short notice made it impossible for many of them to work the event into their work schedules. This caused many of them to just be not excited about the event in general and also returned many negative reviews.
One last review that I had seen, and from a public relations standpoint would have to disagree with, is the comments saying things to the effect of "why should I care about this event?" As public relations specialist we look for that new exciting angle and take off running when it comes our way. The general public in this day and age are concerned with the issue of "what makes this so special that I should spend my time or money on it?" The answer in this siutation is: This kind of event only happens once a year and it is the only chance in the sport of bull riding for the riders to compete for something larger than themselves: a team and their country. This year the PBR lost sight of that and went off the angle of drama. Drama sells, but you can only push the limit so much before the audience pushes back and rejects you. This year there was a lot of speculation on who was going to make the team for the two most competitive teams of the events past three years. Both team captains were constantly making public declarations that they would not hesitate to cut some fan favorite from the team if they were not performing. This lead to most of the discussion of the event to be over who made the team, as opposed to what it should have been about, the competition. Hype can take you so far, but you need to be able to draw back and not lose sight of what the event is really about.

If I had been in the public relations department when all this was occuring I would have been trying to keep these comments from taking over the commentary about the event. The best way to do this is to make sure that the people making these comments somehow always get back around to the team, national pride aspect of the event. Most of these comments were made in on-air telecasts. The best way to handle this is to talk to the broadcast team and tell them that if someone is going off on the hype too much reel them back in. The media, here the broadcasters and the writers, are on your team. They want to tell a story people want to hear about. At a certain point the audience is going to stop reading all these team speculations because they know something new will be said tomorrow that contradicts what is being read today. You need to work with the news. If you want to play the hype card have the media do a weekly team update. Have someone talk to the team captain and find out where there team is right now and what they are looking to do before the event.
The level of prestige the riders place on this event is amazing. The riders love getting to ride for something bigger than themselves, they want to ride for their friends and their country. This event is about something fans and riders alike can relate to and that is national pride. In the past years of the event the discussions and promotions had always been about that but this year got lost in all the hype.

So the message to take out of this discussion is that when promoting large events, don't get lost in the hype factor, always remember to pull it back to what makes the event special and the public relations will be set for success.