DRAGS, DOLLARS & SENSE: OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION
Mon, 2010-04-05 18:54
The unfortunate realities of life mean that, in a down-a-couple-of-cylinders economy, one business is off-to-the-races like Tony Schumacher and the U.S. 
Army Top Fuel team.
Crisis Communications.
Just ask Tiger Woods. Toyota. Jesse James. Mark McGwire. Alex Rodriguez. Or other names-of-note forced to hire experts to help formulate a message – and a strategy to convey it – following unhappy news.
The NHRA organization, however, is in the midst of something else:
The unfortunate realities of life mean that, in a down-a-couple-of-cylinders economy, one business is off-to-the-races like Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army Top Fuel team.
Just ask Tiger Woods. Toyota. Jesse James. Mark McGwire. Alex Rodriguez. Or other names-of-note forced to hire experts to help formulate a message – and a strategy to convey it – following unhappy news.
The NHRA organization, however, is in the midst of something else:
A Communications Crisis.
It’s been more than 40 days – and counting – and I’m still waiting for the courtesy of an answer from NHRA to a simple question.
On the morning of Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Arizona Nationals, I asked three NHRAers – Graham Light, the senior vice president of racing operations; Glen Cromwell, VP of national event marketing; and Zak Elcock, media relations manager – if the sanction had a national event contract with Firebird
International Raceway for 2011. It was a fair and journalistically-sound query given the Pro Stock mishaps in qualifying, facilities which I’ll charitably call less-than-modern, and overall poor promotion and administration. Issues which were reinforced and expanded by the terribly sad Antron Brown accident, and spectator fatality, which followed later in the day and the need to contest the last three Pro Stock rounds at Gainesville.
Light, Cromwell and Elcock all said they didn’t know the answer. Light said he didn’t have a copy of the contract with him. I kept a professional demeanor, but internally, found that either unbelievable or unbelievably unprepared – for years, I carried of copy of my employment contract to races, just in case.
I asked if I could get an answer that day: “Probably not.” In a follow-up conversation, though, I was promised a response.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
I know NHRA, like other businesses, has had to reduce expenses. But does that include long-distance telephone calls? I’m beginning to think so.
I provided, via the Arizona Republic and my The Race Reporters radio show, more total Firebird coverage than every other journalist in the state combined. How many pre-race rings did I get from 626, “Just checking to see if you need anything?” That number would be zero. I do receive a jingle from Glendora whenever NHRA has a complaint.
Last month I wrote of the importance of building and maintaining one-on-one professional relationships. And how that lesson from Business of Drag Racing 101 paid-off for Melanie Troxel with her In-N-Out Burger Funny Car sponsorship. I truly wish NHRA – increasingly viewed here as standing for No Human Relationships Attempted – would read that column and give it a good, long, considered think.
There’s been a pattern, in my observation and experience, of such communications lapses. Yes, the company has done some useful outreach – the day of the 2009 American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association’s All-America Team ceremony is immediately remembered – but here’s one essential truth for those wondering why the straight-line sport doesn’t get more season-long media coverage: NHRA starts paying attention to local journalists a couple of weeks before a National -- then forgets about them until the following year.
Its official industry source book still lists Mike Harris as the Associated Press’ racing writer. Harris retired last year. It lists Jim Pedley as the Kansas City Star’s racing writer. Pedley left the newspaper last year. It lists David Poole as the Charlotte Observer’s racing writer. Poole died last year.
To plenty of us, it’s all maddeningly frustrating.
Far-too often, NHRA comes across as an organization stalled on the side of the road, casually waiting for some kind soul to offer a jump-start. I have street-cred in writing those words because, more than once, I’ve tried to be that Good Samaritan – and NHRA knows it.
Two past examples of this overly-passive PR philosophy: On the occasion of the most significant rules shift in its 50-plus years – reducing the playing field from a quarter-mile to 1,000 feet – NHRA pressed “send” on a news release and then appeared to sit back and expect it to sell itself. If there EVER was a time for a pro-active approach, to get journalists and fans to embrace the change, that was it.
When the IndyCar Series, plus the New York Times, Indianapolis Star and other media called Danica Patrick "the first female to win a major auto racing event" (Japan, 2008), NHRA reacted (with a good historical review of its numerous female race winners), but only after I blew the whistle in my blog. Why they didn’t do this again – at the least – when the Professional Bowlers Association celebrated its first-ever woman winner earlier this year and got into Sports Illustrated and onto the ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, well, someone will have to explain that to me.
Meanwhile, IndyCar’s current ad campaign proclaims its contestants as “The Fastest Drivers in the World.” NHRA’s silence on this is more deafening than 32,000 four-wide nitro horsepower at Charlotte.
In the memorable line from Cool Hand Luke: “What we got here is a failure to communicate.”
Here’s a suggestion: NHRA works with IMG. The sports marketing powerhouse is a partner in Ari Fleischer Sports Communications, headed by George W. Bush’s White House press secretary, whose clients have included Woods, McGwire, Major League Baseball, Green Bay Packers and Bowl Championship Series. Maybe IMG could arrange for Fleischer to give the Glendora Gang a tutorial.
Meanwhile, I await an answer to my Firebird question.
Maybe you guys have forgotten.
I haven’t.
Feel free to consider this a reminder.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
Army Top Fuel team. Crisis Communications.
Just ask Tiger Woods. Toyota. Jesse James. Mark McGwire. Alex Rodriguez. Or other names-of-note forced to hire experts to help formulate a message – and a strategy to convey it – following unhappy news.
The NHRA organization, however, is in the midst of something else:
The unfortunate realities of life mean that, in a down-a-couple-of-cylinders economy, one business is off-to-the-races like Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army Top Fuel team.
Just ask Tiger Woods. Toyota. Jesse James. Mark McGwire. Alex Rodriguez. Or other names-of-note forced to hire experts to help formulate a message – and a strategy to convey it – following unhappy news.
The NHRA organization, however, is in the midst of something else:
A Communications Crisis.
It’s been more than 40 days – and counting – and I’m still waiting for the courtesy of an answer from NHRA to a simple question.
On the morning of Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Arizona Nationals, I asked three NHRAers – Graham Light, the senior vice president of racing operations; Glen Cromwell, VP of national event marketing; and Zak Elcock, media relations manager – if the sanction had a national event contract with Firebird
International Raceway for 2011. It was a fair and journalistically-sound query given the Pro Stock mishaps in qualifying, facilities which I’ll charitably call less-than-modern, and overall poor promotion and administration. Issues which were reinforced and expanded by the terribly sad Antron Brown accident, and spectator fatality, which followed later in the day and the need to contest the last three Pro Stock rounds at Gainesville.
Light, Cromwell and Elcock all said they didn’t know the answer. Light said he didn’t have a copy of the contract with him. I kept a professional demeanor, but internally, found that either unbelievable or unbelievably unprepared – for years, I carried of copy of my employment contract to races, just in case.
I asked if I could get an answer that day: “Probably not.” In a follow-up conversation, though, I was promised a response.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
I know NHRA, like other businesses, has had to reduce expenses. But does that include long-distance telephone calls? I’m beginning to think so.
I provided, via the Arizona Republic and my The Race Reporters radio show, more total Firebird coverage than every other journalist in the state combined. How many pre-race rings did I get from 626, “Just checking to see if you need anything?” That number would be zero. I do receive a jingle from Glendora whenever NHRA has a complaint.
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Last month I wrote of the importance of building and maintaining one-on-one professional relationships. And how that lesson from Business of Drag Racing 101 paid-off for Melanie Troxel with her In-N-Out Burger Funny Car sponsorship. I truly wish NHRA – increasingly viewed here as standing for No Human Relationships Attempted – would read that column and give it a good, long, considered think.
There’s been a pattern, in my observation and experience, of such communications lapses. Yes, the company has done some useful outreach – the day of the 2009 American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association’s All-America Team ceremony is immediately remembered – but here’s one essential truth for those wondering why the straight-line sport doesn’t get more season-long media coverage: NHRA starts paying attention to local journalists a couple of weeks before a National -- then forgets about them until the following year.
Its official industry source book still lists Mike Harris as the Associated Press’ racing writer. Harris retired last year. It lists Jim Pedley as the Kansas City Star’s racing writer. Pedley left the newspaper last year. It lists David Poole as the Charlotte Observer’s racing writer. Poole died last year.
To plenty of us, it’s all maddeningly frustrating.
Far-too often, NHRA comes across as an organization stalled on the side of the road, casually waiting for some kind soul to offer a jump-start. I have street-cred in writing those words because, more than once, I’ve tried to be that Good Samaritan – and NHRA knows it.
Two past examples of this overly-passive PR philosophy: On the occasion of the most significant rules shift in its 50-plus years – reducing the playing field from a quarter-mile to 1,000 feet – NHRA pressed “send” on a news release and then appeared to sit back and expect it to sell itself. If there EVER was a time for a pro-active approach, to get journalists and fans to embrace the change, that was it.
When the IndyCar Series, plus the New York Times, Indianapolis Star and other media called Danica Patrick "the first female to win a major auto racing event" (Japan, 2008), NHRA reacted (with a good historical review of its numerous female race winners), but only after I blew the whistle in my blog. Why they didn’t do this again – at the least – when the Professional Bowlers Association celebrated its first-ever woman winner earlier this year and got into Sports Illustrated and onto the ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, well, someone will have to explain that to me.
Meanwhile, IndyCar’s current ad campaign proclaims its contestants as “The Fastest Drivers in the World.” NHRA’s silence on this is more deafening than 32,000 four-wide nitro horsepower at Charlotte.
In the memorable line from Cool Hand Luke: “What we got here is a failure to communicate.”
Here’s a suggestion: NHRA works with IMG. The sports marketing powerhouse is a partner in Ari Fleischer Sports Communications, headed by George W. Bush’s White House press secretary, whose clients have included Woods, McGwire, Major League Baseball, Green Bay Packers and Bowl Championship Series. Maybe IMG could arrange for Fleischer to give the Glendora Gang a tutorial.
Meanwhile, I await an answer to my Firebird question.
Maybe you guys have forgotten.
I haven’t.
Feel free to consider this a reminder.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
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