When it comes to public relations in 2023, few things are
more important than being first. Thanks to social media and aggregated news
outlets, the first story out becomes the accepted story.
On the morning of June 6, I was in a client meeting when my
cellphone started buzzing uncontrollably. I assumed it was an emergency, the
only question was if it was professional or family. I checked my phone to
realize it was neither. I’m a big golf fan, so everyone I knew was texting me
about the sport’s breaking news on CNBC.
I left that meeting and watched the now-infamous CNBC
interview myself. The PGA Tour and LIV Golf, funded by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, had agreed to a merger. It was a stunner
beyond belief. The PGA Tour had aggressively pushed back against the Saudi
influx of money, proudly standing upon its moral standing as defenders 9/11
victims and their families. There were lawsuits filed by both tours against the
other.
As it turned out, the “merger” was beyond belief because it
was not a merger. Shortly after the CNBC interview aired, the official press
release crossed the wire. The word “merger” was not in the press
release. The Saudi’s Public Investment Fund had, for lack of a better word,
had bought the PGA Tour.
Or as the PGA Tour put it in the press release, the Public
Investment Fund would offer a “world-class investing experience.” Insert the
eye rolls from millions of golf fans.
As we examine the PR nightmare that resulted since the
announcement, there is the undeniable fact that any agreement between the PGA
Tour and LIV Golf would’ve carried negative press. The battle between the two
leagues, both in the court of law and public
opinion, has been fierce, nasty, and endless.
In one specific way, the PGA Tour’s pre-emptive media spin
effectively controlled the narrative. Nearly every news story still refers to
the agreement as a merger, like this headline from Fox News, “Tom
Watson wants answers on PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger.”
While PGA Tour successfully inserted the word they wanted
into the discussion, it has significantly weakened its credibility. The
organization proudly went on CNBC to talk about a merger, only for it to be
revealed it’s not actually a merger.
There are two vitally important lessons that every PR
professional should take from this approach.
First, it’s never, ever been more important to get out first
with your version of a story – especially if it’s negative. For better or
worse, the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund were able to control the
narrative from the outset and got every media member to use their chosen
framing. That is a strong example of good crisis communications.
However, the PGA Tour failed on a critical part that is the
second lesson that PR professionals need to remember. It’s never, ever been
more important to tell the truth.
As reality set in – for golf fans, for players, for
corporate sponsors, and even for Congress – the words from the PGA Tour on the
morning of June 6 quickly rang hollow.
Even though they were first out with a story, their lack of
transparency has caused irrevocable damage. They said it was a merger, but it
wasn’t. What else aren’t they telling us?
The framework of the agreement was finally leaked to the
media on June 27 – exactly three weeks later – and it proved that not much has
been officially decided on.
No matter how bad the story you’re trying to spin is, you
can’t let it cost you your credibility.
Once you’ve lost your credibility, it’s nearly impossible to
get it back.
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