We’re all aware of the public relations problems the New York Yankees have suffered this season. The new stadium has brought a ton of negative press upon the Yankees (tax-free bonds, elimination of city fields and parks, exorbitant new prices, etc.) and the organization, like it or not, has had to recognize and deal with the extra distractions.
Maybe the Yankees PR problems are their own fault, maybe their not. Either way, the Yankees have to accept the glaring PR issues and deal with them much more affectively and professionally.
The worst thing an organization could do, especially one as well known as the New York Yankees, is underestimate the severity of a PR crisis. Like all pro sports teams, the Yankees most valuable asset is their brand. And anything that threatens (or might threaten) the brand must be dealt with immediately, strategically and clearly.
It may be too soon to critique the Yankees overall PR effort for this season. But it’s fair to say, today, the organization has not been consistent and has done a poor job delivering its message to fans, the community and the media.
The team’s PR messaging has not been clear.
The problem, it seems, is that there are too many Yankee representatives speaking to the media on behalf of the organization. When that happens, it’s only a matter of time before PR errors are made. And the Yankees have already made two big ones.
The first error revolves around the recent controversy regarding a new policy at Yankee Stadium. Beginning this year, in the new ballpark, fans were no longer allowed to make pregame visits to the various seating areas near the playing field (unless they had a ticket) in order to meet players and get autographs.
In the past, fans came early to the stadium to hangout near the Yankees dugout or in the outfield-area seats to snag batting practice homers. It was a great treat for fans that, for some reason, was eliminated with the opening of the new stadium.
Fans were understandably upset and voiced strong complaints and expressions of displeasure that have surfaced in the media the last few weeks, adding more embarrassment to the Yankees season.
With pressure mounting on the organization, Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost addressed the media in defense of this Yankees policy with the following statement: “If you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite? If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?"
What? Huh?
Apparently Trost didn’t fully grasp what the issue was about and made the Yankees look even worse in the eyes of their fans and community.
WISELY…a few days later the Yankees announced, via a statement, that the new policy has been relaxed and fans are now allowed to enter those seating sections prior to the game without a ticket. The statement was issued by “Yankees spokesperson” Alice McGillion who is actually an employee of Rubenstein, a huge public relations agency that represents the Yankees.
Maybe the Yankees PR problems are their own fault, maybe their not. Either way, the Yankees have to accept the glaring PR issues and deal with them much more affectively and professionally.
The worst thing an organization could do, especially one as well known as the New York Yankees, is underestimate the severity of a PR crisis. Like all pro sports teams, the Yankees most valuable asset is their brand. And anything that threatens (or might threaten) the brand must be dealt with immediately, strategically and clearly.
It may be too soon to critique the Yankees overall PR effort for this season. But it’s fair to say, today, the organization has not been consistent and has done a poor job delivering its message to fans, the community and the media.
The team’s PR messaging has not been clear.
The problem, it seems, is that there are too many Yankee representatives speaking to the media on behalf of the organization. When that happens, it’s only a matter of time before PR errors are made. And the Yankees have already made two big ones.
The first error revolves around the recent controversy regarding a new policy at Yankee Stadium. Beginning this year, in the new ballpark, fans were no longer allowed to make pregame visits to the various seating areas near the playing field (unless they had a ticket) in order to meet players and get autographs.
In the past, fans came early to the stadium to hangout near the Yankees dugout or in the outfield-area seats to snag batting practice homers. It was a great treat for fans that, for some reason, was eliminated with the opening of the new stadium.
Fans were understandably upset and voiced strong complaints and expressions of displeasure that have surfaced in the media the last few weeks, adding more embarrassment to the Yankees season.
With pressure mounting on the organization, Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost addressed the media in defense of this Yankees policy with the following statement: “If you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite? If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?"
What? Huh?
Apparently Trost didn’t fully grasp what the issue was about and made the Yankees look even worse in the eyes of their fans and community.
WISELY…a few days later the Yankees announced, via a statement, that the new policy has been relaxed and fans are now allowed to enter those seating sections prior to the game without a ticket. The statement was issued by “Yankees spokesperson” Alice McGillion who is actually an employee of Rubenstein, a huge public relations agency that represents the Yankees.
Rubenstein is a tremendous asset for any organization to employ for its crisis communications and mid to long range PR goals and strategies. But don’t let them be a mouthpiece either. You always want a face to go along with a statement. Rubenstein’s strength is its work behind the scenes, which is where they should always be.
The second error committed by the Yankees PR efforts occurred in late April when team president Randy Levine made a ridiculous and arrogant remark regarding a comment by Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber. Garber was discussing the problems the Yankees were experiencing with selling higher-end seats and he related it to his own league’s financial struggles.
Apparently angered by the comments (for some reason), Levine countered with: “Don Garber discussing Yankee attendance must be a joke…We draw more people in a year than his entire league does in a year. If he ever gets Major League Soccer into the same time zone as the Yankees, we might take him seriously.”
What? Huh?
Now, both Randy Levine and Lonn Trost are highly educated and tremendously successful members of America’s sports industry. They’re both very well respected and considered extremely intelligent.
But it’s clear they should either not address the media in any capacity or undertake some intense media training. Just because you’re successful in one area of sports business doesn’t automatically qualify you to serve as a team spokesperson - leave it to the trained experts.
The Yankees director of media relations, Jason Zillo, is probably the most high profile and quoted media rep for the team regarding off the field issues (aside from General Manager Brian Cashman). Zillo also does a very good job managing the day-to-day media inquires and requests for the players. He’s a PR pro.
So just let Zillo and Cashman field the media questions, and nobody else. They’re both trained experts in public relations and serve as a reliable and trusted source for the media.
The Yankees are a multi billion dollar operation that relies heavily on the media to communicate to its fans and community. The organization has to be better at defining its message and then delivering it through one or two reliable and appropriate voices and faces.
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