By Ryan Hall, Account Executive
It’s the last week of September and that means the football season is in full swing. For fans of the NFL, you’ve had three weeks to evaluate your team and you are either happy with your chances, you know it’s going to be a long season, or you fall somewhere in between.
We’re big football fans here at KCD PR, with members of our staff pulling for the Chargers, Bills, Packers, and Patriots each week. Monday mornings bring a sense of pride and joy following a victory or heartache, possibly even embarrassment, following a defeat. We all have different hobbies and interests outside of the office, but football is one thing that can bring the whole team together.
While watching the Chargers take on the Titans recently, I realized something else about the game I’ve loved for as long as I can remember: being successful on the football field is a lot like be successful in business. For NFL teams trying to reach the Super Bowl, a strong, dependable offensive line is absolute must. Without five linemen doing their jobs, a quarterback will have very little success, whether he is handing the ball off, throwing down field, or running it himself.
In many ways an offensive line is like your business’ public relations and marketing efforts. If both of these aren’t part of your game plan, then chances are your business isn’t reaching its full potential, just like a football team wouldn’t reach its full potential if the offensive line wasn’t operating in peak form.
Here are few other ways pr and marketing tactics are very similar to an offensive line (broken down by position):
Center – While the quarterback is responsible for calling the plays and initiating the offense, the play doesn’t actually start until the center snaps the ball. The center is also often responsible for calling out blocking assignments to his fellow linemen and making adjustments based on defensive alignments. A public relations firm can help you initiate a media or marketing campaign and help you properly communicate your message to the marketplace.
Guards – Two guards line up directly on either side of the center and are also responsible for blocking. In some cases, a guard will pull out of his position in line to lead block for a ball carrier. Similarly, a PR firm can lead the strategic public relations and marketing efforts of your firm. Whether it is conveying your message to the media, creating marketing content, or initiating a social media campaign, a good public relations agency will use several different tactics to help support your business goals.
Tackles – The tackles play outside of the guards. In addition to blocking, one of the guards (depending on whether the quarterback is right-handed or left-handed) is responsible for protecting the QB’s ‘blind side’. A reputable PR agency will help keep your business “on its feet” by anticipating potential crisis situations and then providing strategic counsel when they arise. Trained PR practitioners will help you take steps to mitigate the potentially catastrophic impact bad press (and a poor response to it) can have on your firm’s reputation and bottom line.
In order to win a championship – at any level – a football team must be operating seamlessly in all phases of the game, from offense, to defense, to special teams. The same is true in business. Best of luck this season!