Winning the Gold Medal in PR - Heying
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August 11, 2016

Winning the Gold Medal in PR

With the first full week of the Rio Olympic Games coming to a close, we have already witnessed some extraordinary feats. The “Final Five” women’s gymnastics team grabs gold by a margin of over 8 points, Michael Phelps earns his 21st gold medal (and counting) and the United States as a whole has come together to win a total of 32 medals thus far.  With all of these successes, how is it possible that there is still so much negative media coverage surrounding the Olympics?

Unfortunately, there are going to be positives and negatives behind every story. These athletes are defying the odds, but many are more captivated by the crime, politics and overall health concerns within the host city of Rio.

While the overall success of the media coverage of the 2016 Olympics is still in question, it has provided us PR Professionals with valuable lessons in how to establish the polished images we wish to convey to our audiences.

Here’s what the media coverage of the Olympics has taught us:

  • Provide factual answers and don’t try to spin anything
  • Become more proactive with social media to encourage and increase engagement
  • Own the camera and manage the image to highlight the positives
  • Acknowledge negative issues, but focus more on how to alleviate or fix them

 

By following these simple steps, no other team will stand a chance.