The Pioneer Strategist – August 2010

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”
- William Feather

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Pioneer Strategies partners with clients to plan and implement strategic communication campaigns to achieve their goals.

Pioneer Strategies Celebrates Nine Years in Business

Pioneer Strategies celebrates nine years in business this month.  The firm was founded in August 2001 and officially incorporated in September 2001.

“Pioneer Strategies has continued to persevere and grow through several periods of economic uncertainty,” says Frank Williams, the firm’s founder and president.  “We look forward to continuing to provide businesses and other organizations with strategic communication counsel and services to help them achieve their goals in the years ahead.”

Follow-up:  Public Relations Lessons from the LeBron James Media Spectacle

by Frank Williams

The feature article in last month’s newsletter was entitled “Public Relations Lessons from the LeBron James Media Spectacle.”

I received several e-mails in response to that article.

One of the e-mails came from a friend I have known since college.  The subject line was “Are you kidding?”, and the e-mail said the following:  “LeBron did this publicity stunt for the Boys and Girls Clubs. He will not be hurt at all from this.  You should know better.”

In actuality, I pointed out the fact that the show benefitted the Boys and Girls Clubs in my original article.  However, I also stated my belief that the message got lost in the hype generated by the manner in which he made his announcement, a belief reinforced by several e-mails I received from people who had absolutely no idea that proceeds from the special benefitted a good cause.  Their perception was that the special was driven by nothing less than an ego trip.  One person expressed their dismay that he was “being treated like a head of state.”

While I absolutely applaud LeBron’s efforts to help the Boys and Girls Clubs, from a public relations perspective I maintain that his message was lost in the hype surrounding the television special.

Perceptions are real, even if they are inaccurate, and most people with whom I have talked perceived the manner in which LeBron made his announcement as an ego-driven spectacle.

Another friend sent an e-mail with several points:

  • “Great article. However I think both LeBron and Dan Gilbert were wrong. Lebron should not have had the ‘Decision’ special, and Dan Gilbert as an owner should not have sent out a letter to Cleveland fans in the manner and tone he did.” I do not disagree. While I understand the motivation behind Gilbert’s letter, he should have slept on it.
  • “Lebron has been announcing for the past two years that he was keeping his options open with regard to free agency and where he may go in 2010, so the fact that he left Cleveland should not have been a surprise to the fans or the Ownership of Cleveland. His leaving was a possibility.” Again, I agree. From a public relations perspective my issue is not with him leaving, it is with the manner in which he announced the decision.
  • “Dan Gilbert was wrong in what he said. I would bet that many NBA players took note of his comments, and may have said they would not play for Cleveland unless the Cavs paid them a boat-load of money. He will have a hard time attracting high-level talent moving forward unless he pays a lot of money.” Excellent point.

This same friend added, “Frank you are a PR strategist; what would have been the ‘right’ way for LeBron to announce that he was leaving Cleveland, given the entire circus over the past two years anticipating this? I think stating the ‘right’ way it should have been done would be a great article from someone such as yourself. All I have been reading is how wrong LeBron and his people were for doing this, so I am asking you to write an article providing a step by step process on what would have been the ‘right’ way to announce he was leaving Cleveland given all that has transpired over the past two years.”

If I had been advising LeBron, some of my key recommendations would have been:

  • Prior to LeBron’s free agency, I would have pointed out that his decision would generate its own hype, as evidenced by the long-running discussion for two years leading up to LeBron’s free agency. Given that fact, I would have recommended a more low-key announcement. There is no need to hype a situation that is already over-hyped, and doing so can backfire (as I believe it did in this case).
  • Before announcing his decision publicly, LeBron absolutely should have notified the Cleveland Cavaliers’ ownership, coaching staff and his teammates. I would have recommended that he do so personally.
  • In this particular situation, I would have recommended a low-key announcement such as a press release (or possibly even making his public announcement on Twitter or Facebook). His announcement was going to make headlines no matter which method he chose, so a low-key announcement would have been a better fit.
  • Further, I would have recommended that LeBron not give the media or anyone else advance notice about his announcement; I would have recommended that he simply make the announcement when he was ready to do so.
  • Finally, I would have recommended that LeBron record a personal, heartfelt video message addressed to Cleveland’s fans thanking them for their support over the years and post the message on his website.
  • After all of these, by all means he should have gone to Miami to celebrate with his new teammates and the fans of his new team.

Frank Williams is president of Pioneer Strategies, Inc.

This column is posted online here.

Help the Family of Dawn Baldwin-Ivey

Those of you who live in or near Brunswick County may have heard that Dawn Baldwin-Ivey, a Brunswick County native who was extremely involved in the community, recently died due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident.  Dawn, who was only 37, leaves behind a husband and three young children.

Friends of the family, with the assistance of the State Employees Credit Union, have established a special account to offset expenses and assist with future needs related to Dawn’s children.  Donations to this account can be made in person at any State Employees Credit Union across North Carolina by using the account name “Tillman Ivey Special Account.”  Checks can also be mailed to the following address: State Employees Credit Union, 5011 Randall Parkway, Wilmington NC 28406.

Support Communities in Schools of Brunswick County

Communities in Schools of Brunswick County (CIS) provides a number of much-needed programs and services to help Brunswick County children stay in school and prepare for life.  Unfortunately, as is the case with many other organizations, CIS’ budget has been hit by the recent economic downturn.  You can support CIS’ efforts by sponsoring the organization’s ninth annual benefit gala for children, a black tie optional event on October 21, 2010 at Sea Trail in Sunset Beach.  By sponsoring the gala, you will play a critical role in helping ensure that CIS is able to continue its valuable after-school programs, teen and peer court programs, adopt-a-school program, family literacy center, family resource centers, dropout prevention program and parenting education program.

Please click here to download a brochure with details of the various sponsorship opportunities available, and please let us know if you have questions.

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