It is my belief that the legendary Coach Joe Paterno’s role in the Penn State Football scandal is the CEO an ill conceived Cover up intended to protect the Penn State Football Brand that Paterno is inextricably tied to and benefits greatly from.
Unfortunately for all concerned particularly the defenseless young victims and their families that at best are scarred for life, the Penn State Brand was protected the wrong way and for the wrong reasons, and if I might add–at the wrong time.
Is there ever a right time for something as heinous as this–Definitely NOT! Never!!
That said, in the Era of Social Media the firestorm is fast, fierce, and fanned. The fact that the Coach F’ d Up is forwarded furiously by Social Media sites to land on front pages of publications like the Altoona Mirror (just 34 miles from State College PA) which featured the headline “The End of an Era” vertically adjacent to an image of Joe Paterno.
The protection of a Brand must be pre-emptive and if it does happen to be threatened or damaged, the response needs to be immediate and up front. The case study that Johnson and Johnson wrote nearly 30 years ago is documented in Marketing Communications textbooks across the Globe in defense of their tampered Tylenol Franchise. There was no band-aid by J&J. There was a serious, urgent, and a forthright nature.
Penn State on the other hand took a knee, attempted to run out the clock, and hid behind an iconic Coach who was a Wall Of Fame, and only too willing to shield the Penn State Football Brand in the interests of all stakeholders, most notably himself. Only when the Playbook was exposed for all to see, did Penn State University attempt to do the right thing and fire (almost) all involved, including the complicit Coach Joe Paterno.
A Brand is no longer just owned by a Company or Organization, it is in effect also owned by Consumers. In kind, Social Media is not owned by Media, it is owned by Consumers.
In 2011 and going forward, anyone that protects their brand the right way must realize this…
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DISCLOSURE: NO CONNECTION, UNPAID, NOT MY OWN
I have not received any compensation for posting this content. The views expressed in this guest blog do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of HJMT COMMUNICATIONS, LLC. Individual links could be associated with affiliate marketing sites and through the use of affiliate links contained herein, I may collect fees from purchases made.
Bryan Pazaras is a Marketing Strategist, Qualitative Researcher, and Adjunct Professor of Marketing at SUNY Westchester. As Managing Owner of Ideas and Informed Insights Inc.he can be reached at bryanpazaras@aol.com or at 914.242.0545
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