Four PR takeaways from University of Tennessee Vols’ misfire hire of Greg #SchiaNO
The recent Rocky Top Revolution is proof positive that social media ignites online fury and stokes offline uprisings. When the Vol Nation got wind of the impending hire of Greg Schiano as the University of Tennessee’s next head football coach, it set off a digital firestorm that evoked the futon-burning crowds of Lane Kiffin’s notorious departure.
It wasn’t only on Twitter that the Volunteer faithful expressed their outrage, as protestors gathered on campus to voice their displeasure in person. So, what was the brouhaha all about, and what are the PR lessons to be learned in its aftermath?
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Never underestimate power of social media
Social media has empowered individuals to speak up and speak out about issues large and small. From the Arab Spring that unseated Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak after three decades in power to the #metoo movement that toppled Hollywood’s old-boy network of sexual predators, social media has been a driving force for change. It’s given voice to ordinary people, no longer disenfranchised and silenced by the gatekeepers of traditional media. We live in an era of citizen journalism, where the democratization of information means everyone with an iPhone has instant access to mass communication.
When the news leaked about Schiano, there were over 250,000 public mentions of his name on social media within eight hours – a 12,000 percent increase over the course of a day, according to data generated via the Adam Brown Social Media Command Center in UT’s College of Communication & Information.
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While journalists still command attention and carry the credibility and cachet of their respective media outlets, individuals are increasingly influential in the digital dialogue. UT’s athletic department lost control of the narrative and never regained it when the story leaked that Ohio State’s defensive coordinator was to be Butch Jones’ successor. In fact, there was no word at all from Athletic Director John Currie or the UT administration as the rumors took on a life of their own via Twitter on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t until a day later that Currie offered his justification for his decision.
Don't alienate your fan base
Whether Greg Schiano knew or didn’t know about Jerry Sandusky’s serial child molestations is a moot point. UT is still reeling from a federal Title IX lawsuit, and the current zeitgeist is painfully sensitive to issues of sexual assault and exploitation. Tennessee fans revere Pat Summitt and Phillip Fulmer, who built national championship teams while maintaining their personal and professional integrity. We crave that kind of leadership. This is the land of Dolly Parton and Davy Crockett, big hair and coonskin caps, plain talk and traditional values. It only makes sense to build on that legacy.
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Currie’s efforts to conduct a coaching search outside the national sports media spotlight were an attempt to avoid a repeat of past searches with unsuccessful job offers and the media – and social media – debates that accompanied them. Dropping a bombshell hire of a mediocre coach associated with an unsavory program without testing the waters first was a rookie mistake. Now it’s déjà vu all over again. Every PR practitioner knows perception is reality. It’s not about facts, it’s about feelings.
Build buy-in before you break big news
If Currie had floated the idea of Schiano as a prospective hire in advance, he could have avoided the outrage of a community that felt disregarded in the decision-making process. This is why ads are tested with focus groups, and message strategies are tailored to speak to specific audiences. Tennessee fans are deeply invested in the program. After years of frustration over bad hires and big buy-outs, the Vol Nation deserves to be part of the process. Involve your constituents and invite their input before making a decision that affects them.
Embrace the tradition. Don’t fight it.
While the national media may scoff at East Tennessee’s peculiar passions, to dismiss us as an unruly mob of rednecks is to misunderstand our culture. What happened Sunday afternoon was not a headless chicken running amok. It was a crowd of like-minded football fans saying enough is enough. We’re fed up with being ignored, and we care too much about our storied program to let it crash and burn. If our fervor frightens future prospects, so be it. They’re not the right fit. But if you want to tap into our fervent loyalty and support, you have to put up with our over-the-top devotion to faith, family and football, not necessarily in that order.
Laura Mansfield is a communications consultant and professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Tennessee. She holds an MBA from UT and is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America. Contact her at lauram@utk.edu.