Here is the third in what will continue to be a series of key communicators and their thoughts during this challenging time. We started with Kirk Reynolds, Ray Ridder of the Warriors and Josh Rawitch of the Diamondbacks, and then went to David Higdon of Riot Games, Dee Kundra of FC Bayern Munich, Mike Altieri of the LA Kings and Barry Baum of the Milwaukee Bucks. This segment goes another route, covering the agency side with Mary Scott of UEG, the NFL with Mark Dalton of the Arizona Cardinals and the college business with Shelly Poe of Auburn. Thanks for taking the time. Want to share your insights, they are welcomed, just email me [email protected] and we can set it up.
One of the most accomplished and respected leaders on the agency side of communications, Mary Scott is now President, Global Integrated Communications at United Entertainment Group. Her perspective is always welcomed and wanted.
Other than the obvious of no games, what has been the biggest surprise you have been dealing with, either as a one off or on a daily basis?
In some ways, there’s a new surprise every day as this is unchartered territory for everyone. What has pleasantly surprised me is how creative, thoughtful and resourceful so many brands, athletes, leagues, teams are who have risen to the occasion. Conversely, remain completely baffled by those who are tone deaf.
Is there a special lesson learned so far in this?
Communications is EVERYTHING – no secret to those in the biz, but never has it been more important and played a more critical role – from defining good leadership, to instilling confidence and trust with key stakeholders. Love the way the industry has come together, that the competition and silos have been knocked down for the greater good.
Whats been the biggest challenge in the process?
The unknown. We are all type A’s and like to plan ahead!
Who are some of the people you have seen emerge as leaders in this so far?
Shameless plus: Richard Edelman. In Sports, think Adam Silver continues to lead the pack.
What is the message that you as leaders in your business on the comms side have been able to convey to staff?
Lean in and be solutions orientated. This is not a time for us or our clients to hide and ride this out. Great leaders will emerge, compassion will win, and consumers/fans will remember what you do or not do during this time. We are talking and listening to our clients every day, understanding their situation, bringing ideas and helping to navigate this together.
This job is now more 24/7 than ever before probably, how are you able to break from being constantly on?
Ha! Now that I’m not commuting – I am carving out time to work out AND have dinner with the family AND stop to smell the roses. I’ve never seen the nature in our backyard more robust and abundant!
An NFL lifer, Mark Dalton has been with the Arizona Cardinals for the past 16 seasons, now as SVP of Media Relations. He took time out from a busy post-draftw eek to check in.
Other than the obvious of no games, what has been the biggest surprise you have been dealing with, either as a one off or on a daily basis?
I’m most amazed at how quickly – I mean almost in the blink of an eye – everyone in all walks of life adapted to a way of doing things that a couple months ago would have seemed unfathomable. Teachers and parents adapting to remote learning, everyone adapting to working from home, news anchors broadcasting from their basement, teams and journalists adapting to Zoom press conferences. It was just last month that the big story was sports teams moving media access from locker rooms to settings outside of them. Now all the access is conducted on platforms no one heard of two months ago let alone used. But it works because people adapt. And it works because it’s the best way to get the job done under these circumstances.
Is there a special lesson learned so far in this?
I think Roger Goodell hit the nail on the head when discussing the just-completed, entirely-remote & virtual NFL draft. It was a massive undertaking and a massive switch for everyone involved. It was also a massive success. Afterwards he said the experience taught him that if you keep working a problem, there is a solution; if you’re able to adapt and be nimble, you can accomplish things you never thought you could accomplish. Roger said it might have been the finest moment in the league’s 100+ year history and many agree. But leading up to it just as many– both inside the league and out – questioned whether it was appropriate and were skeptical that it could be pulled off. There’s a lesson in that too.
What’s been the biggest challenge in the process?
I think the biggest challenge – and this is probably true for a lot of people – is the absence of any sort of real timeline. There are no clear mileposts or an ending date and it’s pointless to try to speculate. So as a result, you focus on what’s immediately in front of you and what you can control today. For us, initially that was free agency and then transitioned to the NFL draft soon after. Both were handled very differently than have ever been done in the past but everyone figured it out and it worked seamlessly. Now we’re on to the offseason program in the same way. If we keep stacking those types of things up, soon enough we’ll be out of it.
Who are some of the people you have seen emerge as leaders in this so far?
From a communications perspective, I’m fascinated watching people like Gov. Cuomo and Dr. Fauci. You look at the sheer volume of their press availability, their tone and their command – it’s really a case study in effective crisis communications management.
In terms of leadership, I look to our own team owner Michael Bidwill who has challenged everyone in the organization to find ways we can use our unique platform to help. Our team gave $1M to launch the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund and partnered with State Farm to donate a million meals to local food banks. That’s awesome, no doubt. But not everyone can do that. So what are some things they can? Most people can give blood so we held three sold-out blood drives at State Farm Stadium. Most people can order take-out so we launched a Cardinals Carry-out initiative to not only support locally owned restaurants but also provide meals to those on the front lines in the health care & law enforcement communities. Those have been very meaningful too.
What is the message that you as leaders in your business on the comms side have been able to convey to staff?
Challenging situations bring great opportunities. And COVID 19 is as challenging as our generation has known. But there are definitely opportunities. Fans are just as voracious for content and news than they’ve ever been– in fact more so. And media outlets want to provide it to them but they’re challenged too. So let’s work the problem and find a solution. For us it’s definitely been the “bring the mountain to Mohammed” approach. Chase Russell from our staff is really sharp and quickly mastered Zoom so when this all hit & free agency started. It allowed us to bring our new players to the media virtually when in person was impossible. In fact we were the first team to do a completely remote press conference via Zoom thanks to Chase’s efforts. Shortly after that we did them with more players as well as our owner, GM and head coach who made themselves accessible to journalists without anyone involved having to leave their homes. Our digital team has been able to provide us with content that we in turn relay to media via drop box and that has led to very robust coverage, especially for community initiatives. Our broadcast & digital team has also taken advantage of the (literally) captive audience right now to increase viewership for team content like our award-winning Flight Plan documentary series. Those opportunities are unique right now.
This job is now more 24/7 than ever before probably, how are you able to break from being constantly on?
Working from home is old hat for many but it was all new to me. And I w ill say this quietly but it’s been far more enjoyable than I’d have thought. Like a lot of people who watched the NFL draft, it was really fun to see all the GMs & coaches share the experience with their families. In a similar way working from home the past 5-6 weeks has given my wife & kids (we have a 17-year old son & 15-year old daughter) visibility into what it exactly is I do for a living that they never had before. And, by the way, vice versa. While I’ve certainly enjoyed that, I’m afraid to ask them if they feel the same!!
Now the Assistant Athletic Director, Communications at Auburn University, Shelly Poe is one of the most respected and insightful leaders in intercollegiate communications. We asked for her to chime in from the quiet spring in the SEC.
Other than the obvious of no games, what has been the biggest surprise you have been dealing with, either as a one off or on a daily basis?
How much more quickly I accomplish my necessary tasks without interacting with other people – which shows how much time I spend in informal interactions and why I love working in a people-oriented profession – working from home has quickly shown me what I like best about the day-to-day and how much I miss my colleagues, especially the student-athletes.
Is there a special lesson learned so far in this?
How much we rely on teamwork and collaboration to be successful – we will be very appreciative of everyone’s contribution once we are all reassembled in the same location
Whats been the biggest challenge in the process?
Setting up a schedule that separates work time from the myriad home chores I look around and see – I am easily distracted on those lines, especially with no events or similar deadlines – it’s a process.
What is the message that you as leaders in your business on the comms side have been able to convey to staff?
There are still stories to tell, memories to share and people to connect as part of our fan base – and they need to hear from us more than ever!
This job is now more 24/7 than ever before probably, how are you able to break from being constantly on?
Try to do only “essential” work projects on weekends, to differentiate the weekend – this might be the first time in a long time most of us have had consistent weekends! And with no events underway, evening hours also are slower and more available to share with family and neighbors.
Thanks again all…every day we are one step closer to the new normal, your efforts and thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.
