Media in the New Millennium

This past weekend’s NFL draft was a case study in the
fact that no PR campaign can have style triumph over substance. PR is an
essential tool for telling a story, but it can’t (and shouldn’t try) to simply
put lipstick on a pig, as they say.

Despite a media blitz by Notre Dame Quarterback Brady
Quinn, 22, following the conclusion of his season, his hopes of going #1 in the draft were dashed by a four-hour wait and the loss of millions of
dollars from his wallet.

Since the conclusion of the 2006 college football season,
Quinn could be found on every major sports radio talk show and TV show on both
the national and local level. Throughout his appearances and interviews he
lobbied to be the number one pick in the 2007 draft. “It’s been my goal since I
started playing quarterback,” was his constant refrain. It was not to be. Even
though he was the most prolific passer in the history of arguably the most
storied college football program in the country, his PR efforts to achieve his
goal didn’t pay off. You would think drafting the best quarterback, from the
best school, with the best NFL offensive coach (three-time Super Bowl winning
coach Charlie Weis) would have been a no brainer for pro scouts and a PR coupe
for Team Quinn, especially with the full court media blitz Quinn and his
representatives were applying to the media. He ended up getting drafted by his
home town beloved Cleveland Browns with the 22nd pick. “PR Style Beaten by
Physical Substance” should have been the morning’s sports headline.

Having seen the overexposure of Brady Quinn leading up to
the draft, it was ironic watching 21 players go before him and each and every
time the camera cutting to a obviously disgruntled and disheartened Quinn. You
have to wonder if Quinn didn’t set himself up for failure with his overexposure
by adding the extra pressure on any NFL staff that selected him. Take an overexposed pick #1, and he
better pay off quickly — perhaps more quickly than should be expected. 

When executing a PR campaign, understanding your
audience is key.  Will a scout for an NFL franchise really be influenced
by a  kid (let’s face it, these are kids)  telling anyone and
everyone he wants to be #1? Doubtful.

Too many in the PR profession think their efforts can
make a bad product good or a guilty person innocent. It’s simply not the case.
Our industry should focus on telling stories that are real and meaningful, not
spinning and simply collecting clips. Was the goal of Quinn’s PR campaign a stack of clips?
If so, call it a success. If it was to be the top pick, well, not so much.

In the end, no matter how much coverage you’re able to
achieve, it’s important for PR professionals to keep the ultimate goal in mind. Sometimes one story well placed beats 100 stories that are off-target.

 It will be interesting to watch Quinn’s career. If he
goes on to have a career like another Notre Dame QB, Hall of Famer Joe Montana,
we’ll see what kind of PR media blitz he executes as he lobbies to join Joe in
the Hall of Fame.

Share on Facebook