18°c A few clouds
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
More openness would help: PR expert
Says sharing business plan with fans key
Pro-Roughriders billboard on Route 90 at Silver Avenue urges green dress code for Banjo Bowl. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Related Items
The run to last year's Grey Cup is a distant memory, the current campaign appears lost and the team is coming off a near-record defeat, yet there still might be time for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to pull this season out of the fire.
The head of a Winnipeg public relations and communications firm said the Bombers need to let fans in on the CFL club's business plan if they want to salvage what's left of the team's reputation.
"Fans don't really sleep, they're 24-7 and they live in a social-media world. Organizations that care about their reputations need to be fast and nimble these days, even if their players aren't," said Shirley Muir, president of the PR House.
The defending Eastern Conference champions have been King Midas in reverse this year as virtually all they have touched has turned to lead. The list includes abandoning plans to move into their new stadium this year, banning homemade noisemakers such as cowbells, confiscating water bottles at the gate and firing head coach Paul LaPolice.
Then there's the little matter of having the worst record in the league, being at or near the bottom in nearly every offensive and defensive category and employing a revolving door at the quarterback position.
Magic bullet, anybody? Unfortunately, there is no quick fix, Muir said.
"They didn't get here overnight. This is something that will take a lot more effort than a press release," she said.
But playing your cards close to the vest can backfire in a situation such as this because whenever there's a communications vacuum, fans fill it with tweets, posts and emails, enabling movements, such as the sack Joe Mack campaign, to take on lives of their own.
"(Fans) need to know who's in charge, who will make the difference here. Is there a plan to get out of this or is the season lost and we'll start fresh next year? Communications is built on the business plan. You can't communicate thin air. The fans need to know there is some kind of strategy in play, not just on the field but in the corporate offices," Muir said.
A Fire Joe Mack petition on Facebook had garnered almost 4,000 "likes" by late Tuesday, less than 48 hours after it was created. When told of it Tuesday afternoon, new head coach Tim Burke replied, "I don't go on Facebook."
Thousands of Bomber fans do, including Danielle Snyder, who shared her displeasure with management and undying loyalty to the players on Facebook's Welcome to Swaggerville page. The 38-year-old season-ticket holder had Welcome to Swaggerville tattooed on her inner forearm last season. If she ever gets rid of the tattoo, it won't be because she's upset with the players, she said. "As far as I'm concerned it's not the players, it's the s heads in the office," she said. Losing so many veteran players hurt the team, she said.
"Coach LaPolice did the best he could with what he was given," said Snyder, who plans to keep on buying season tickets and speaking out.
"I think Mack needs to go. It's time to listen to the fans, not just their wallets. Us, as fans, put so much money into the community-owned team, we need a voice. Firing LaPolice just before Labour Day was the wrong thing to do."
There are rumours of less loyal and more irate fans turning in their Blue Bombers licence plates. Brian Smiley, spokesman for Manitoba Public Insurance, said Tuesday was the first day brokers were back at work after Sunday's 52-0 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders so they wouldn't file any transactions until this morning. There is a transfer fee of $25 to strip your fandom from your vehicle.
"We don't have any statistical data that would support any suggestion that Bomber fans are returning their plates en masse," Smiley said.
-- with file from Carol Sanders
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 5, 2012 A6
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Most Popular Local
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- City-wide average mosquito count drops
- MP Glover files new version of disputed 2011 election expenses
- Committee wants report on free replacement for garbage, recycling carts
- Pallister continues PST fight
- Province blows off wind megawatt goal
- Glover quits quarrel over election costs
- Safeway stores likely to close
- Squirrel crawls out of Winnipegger's toilet
- Poolside feeding prompts eviction
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Stoppage of play off the field
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Kenyan wins Manitoba Marathon
- Traffic heavy as Bomber fans flock to U of M
- Game-day planning a must
- Father blasts 'horrific' movie
- Safeway stores likely to close
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Car in deadly crash stolen?
- UPDATE: Now with FAQ: Keeping the e-party going without the party-crashers
- Squirrel crawls out of Winnipegger's toilet
- Daycare provider charged with abandonment
- Poolside feeding prompts eviction
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Province blows off wind megawatt goal
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Bible Belt's bogeyman still haunts town
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- Province's new approach to teaching math long overdue: readers
- City-wide average mosquito count drops
- Bus drivers would like more protection than just inspectors
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Squirrel crawls out of Winnipegger's toilet
- Safeway stores likely to close
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- $110-K worth of nickel plates stolen from Thompson mine
- Doctors blamed for death
- A day in the life of 13,380 Manitoba Marathon participants
- Province blows off wind megawatt goal
- Known as kind, outgoing men
- Stoppage of play off the field
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Squirrel crawls out of Winnipegger's toilet
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Father blasts 'horrific' movie
- Teachers support adding sexual-orientation themes to all curricula
- The crime fighter's revolution
- Safeway stores likely to close
- Car in deadly crash stolen?
- City's first urban reserve born
- On board with the Snowbirds
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.