The PR war

the covenanters

New Member
As welcome as are the raising of complaints by individual fans to the BBC, or newspapers, over coverage of non-football matters, the lack of a strong PR response from the club, or board members,
is a worrying trend in the wake of Liewell's sustained campaign to attack Rangers through his offensive against the complacency of the SFA.
Whether there is any stomach at board level in other clubs to pursue his agenda is beside the point, as the continuation of his attack keeps it in the mhedia spotlight, and therefore guarantees a reaction from "professional" journalists, no matter the content, or accuracy of the accusations.
The club's current ploy of keeping a distance from the petty squabbling in the everyday scramble for "news" items for the back page, may well retain dignity. Yet, the PR response to any event seems to me to lack direction, or immediacy. Which could be due to Kings infrequent presence. That, in its self, would imply a lack of focus. You only have to consider the recent billboard campaign around the city when the scum qualified for the CL, to see how serious they are in parading their current financial and footballing superiority.
This disparity in PR was highlighted when Club 1872 issued a statement after the touchline incident involving the Hivs manager. Lemon himself dismissed it by suggesting he thought it was written by a fifteen year old (the irony that he didn't understand, and the mhedia failed to mention, that his pitch-side antics were equally adolescent, illustrates what the clubs is up against). Lemon and the mhedia's amusement at the amateurism of the statement undermined any merit it may have had.
So, the question remains, what should be the clubs strategy against the forces pitted against Rangers?
For make no mistake, the more we succeed, the more we challenge, the more we win, the greater
the determination of our detractor's will be to undermine and belittle our history and achievements.
 
The club should be "building bridges" and creating positive PR. The fans should also be helping. Anybody who thinks being at war with the countries media will get you anywhere with PR doesn't understand how it works. PR isn't about a scattergun statement that has fans celebrating. It's subtle and about changing public perception. As appears to have happened with clubs we need to change relationships with media outlets. The same people who were screaming for the board to go for talking about building bridges with clubs(which appears to be helping us) will be the ones screaming for war with the countries PR machines and getting angry about this post.
It takes time and probably changes of staff within media organisations but we should build relationships with those organisations or positive PR just isn't possible. Stuff on the club website does nothing to change public perception and "PR"
 
The club should be "building bridges" and creating positive PR. The fans should also be helping. Anybody who thinks being at war with the countries media will get you anywhere with PR doesn't understand how it works. PR isn't about a scattergun statement that has fans celebrating. It's subtle and about changing public perception. As appears to have happened with clubs we need to change relationships with media outlets. The same people who were screaming for the board to go for talking about building bridges with clubs(which appears to be helping us) will be the ones screaming for war with the countries PR machines and getting angry about this post.
It takes time and probably changes of staff within media organisations but we should build relationships with those organisations or positive PR just isn't possible. Stuff on the club website does nothing to change public perception and "PR"
It hard to create positve pr when the media is nothing but a celtic pr machine.that is the main thing no matter what we do the scottish media will try and put a negative spin on it.
But your correct about changes in staff inour media organisation. We need a proper pr firm.
 
That's my point though. It isn't a PR department we are talking about. It'll take time but we have to turn it back a bit. If they were pro Minty then that's not right either, they should be neutral and promoting the game, clubs and competitions. Any dictator in history would've taken over the media(PR and public perception) from the very start. It's that important and being at war with it isn't an option. A PR company can't possibly change it when the club is at war with the country's media. They need people to put the spin out. There's more chance of a good company jacking it and saying it's an impossible job in those conditions. We probably are making moves behind the scenes but some fans are going to have to stick their favourite anti-board "building bridges" up their arse. The club's future is more important and the people running it (under advice from a PR company) will do what's best and that will see our most bitter calling for their heads every second thread(not aimed at you or anybody in particular)
Think I've blown my cover :(

Edit.. Meant to quote Turrabear)
 
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Good PR is one thing, but there's not really much we can do when the mainstream media in Scotland is filled with Rangers haters.

We can generate the good news stories, but the media can turn a blind eye to it.
 
I understand the sentiments of a lot of Bears, that Selik have a slick PR machine, I don't know if this is the case, what they do have is a number of journalists and pundits who make their Selik affinity or Rangers hate well known and they shout down any fan (and I mean any fan) who offers an alternative view to their own. It saddens me that their journalism is about not offending their friends rather than reporting the events.

The fan attempting to assault Mbappe and Ralston crass comments were not reported very well. One of journalists said that the attempted assault was 'alleged'! At least Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail has come out and reported the facts.

I would hope that our Club has a media and PR strategy and that this is being implemented.
 
The club should be "building bridges" and creating positive PR. The fans should also be helping. Anybody who thinks being at war with the countries media will get you anywhere with PR doesn't understand how it works. PR isn't about a scattergun statement that has fans celebrating. It's subtle and about changing public perception. As appears to have happened with clubs we need to change relationships with media outlets. The same people who were screaming for the board to go for talking about building bridges with clubs(which appears to be helping us) will be the ones screaming for war with the countries PR machines and getting angry about this post.
It takes time and probably changes of staff within media organisations but we should build relationships with those organisations or positive PR just isn't possible. Stuff on the club website does nothing to change public perception and "PR"

This phrase really grinds on me, we've been told we should be "building bridges" for the last 6 years and what exactly should we be building them for? We took the punishment handed to us and the less than above board fines, deals and restrictions put upon us.

The PR war is about spin and having media poodles who are willing to put out positive angles on issues rather than distorted versions from elsewhere.
Until such time as the obvious media bias, and not just sports media, is tackled we will continue to be on the wrong end of the PR battle.
 
This phrase really grinds on me, we've been told we should be "building bridges" for the last 6 years and what exactly should we be building them for? We took the punishment handed to us and the less than above board fines, deals and restrictions put upon us.

The PR war is about spin and having media poodles who are willing to put out positive angles on issues rather than distorted versions from elsewhere.
Until such time as the obvious media bias, and not just sports media, is tackled we will continue to be on the wrong end of the PR battle.

The phrase may grind gears but it's the one that was used. I'm not sure what other one would go in it's place because to get to where we should be as the biggest club we need allies. We will never ever win a PR war against a country's media. The media IS the PR. They are the people who need to print the positivity to change perception. It might take a long time and certain journos to be removed or go one way or the other but being at war with everyone will never work. It'll mean being at war with every lower ranking journo because of his employer and they will inevitably replace the current lot. So do we just keep at war with all media and accept how it is or try to change it?
How do you change it without people more friendly to you or talking to people(i.e. Building bridges)? You don't, you accept how it is, bubble about it on the internet, get new board members who say stuff(big chuck?) and just keep on as it is. We either start trying to change things(building bridges) or we stay on the sidelines being kicked for fun by people we are at war with. You can't win PR by being at war with a country's PR machine.
 
The phrase may grind gears but it's the one that was used. I'm not sure what other one would go in it's place because to get to where we should be as the biggest club we need allies. We will never ever win a PR war against a country's media. The media IS the PR. They are the people who need to print the positivity to change perception. It might take a long time and certain journos to be removed or go one way or the other but being at war with everyone will never work. It'll mean being at war with every lower ranking journo because of his employer and they will inevitably replace the current lot. So do we just keep at war with all media and accept how it is or try to change it?
How do you change it without people more friendly to you or talking to people(i.e. Building bridges)? You don't, you accept how it is, bubble about it on the internet, get new board members who say stuff(big chuck?) and just keep on as it is. We either start trying to change things(building bridges) or we stay on the sidelines being kicked for fun by people we are at war with. You can't win PR by being at war with a country's PR machine.

This is one of the most sensible posts I've seen on here in years. From the Whyte era through to Green and the Ashley 'spivs', there was a bunker mentality where the odd statement, or some rabble-rousing, or some outright ignorance, was normal. Clubs didn't hear from Rangers and the press lived on leaks.

It needs to be managed much more carefully and longer-term as you say. Build bridges but at the same time, challenge perceptions. I've said many times on the old board, Celtic don't force journos to write anything - they simply remind journalists that anything (everything) they write will be challenged. Can't prove someone is a Celtic fan despite running on the field at their home stadium? Then don't write it or we'll see you after school.

It's bullying yes, but a lot of defensive PR works that way. A good PR used to say they had done their job if their client was never in the papers, whatever they got up to.

Making the clubs understand that Rangers won't be pushed over, but at the same time will promote the general health of ALL clubs and not just the top two, is a huge leap forward. For many years the clubs hated Rangers and Celtic for promoting their own interests over and above Scottish football - TV deals, sponsorships, etc. Rangers can get the other 40 clubs on side by playing that game while Celtic look like they're lording it.
 
The phrase may grind gears but it's the one that was used. I'm not sure what other one would go in it's place because to get to where we should be as the biggest club we need allies. We will never ever win a PR war against a country's media. The media IS the PR. They are the people who need to print the positivity to change perception. It might take a long time and certain journos to be removed or go one way or the other but being at war with everyone will never work. It'll mean being at war with every lower ranking journo because of his employer and they will inevitably replace the current lot. So do we just keep at war with all media and accept how it is or try to change it?
How do you change it without people more friendly to you or talking to people(i.e. Building bridges)? You don't, you accept how it is, bubble about it on the internet, get new board members who say stuff(big chuck?) and just keep on as it is. We either start trying to change things(building bridges) or we stay on the sidelines being kicked for fun by people we are at war with. You can't win PR by being at war with a country's PR machine.

Been saying the same myself for some time. I have a media and PR background and it'll be a slow slide into pariah-hood and then irrelevance if we think staying in a bunker is any kind of sustainable option.

Thankfully we didn't fall for Lawell's trap this week by sending out another furious statement designed to please anonymous FFers but actually just dragging us into it, keeping a non-story alive for a day and shifting focus away from Doncaster and Celtic to us. Was the smart move, hope this is the start of some decent strategic thinking

We should be ending this BBC thing too. McLaughlin isn't important enough to allow this to continue. We should be the bigger man
 
Good PR is one thing, but there's not really much we can do when the mainstream media in Scotland is filled with Rangers haters.

We can generate the good news stories, but the media can turn a blind eye to it.
In a nutshell. Luckily it's highly incestious as outside Scotland no one gives a %^*&. However the key is the relationship with the fans. We've rolled over far too much. As for building bridges , that's laughable when the other side of the river is launching missiles on a daily basis. The BBC sums it up when it can send correspondents to the worst shit hole war torn places in earth but won't engage with us when a journalist is called out for his proven bullshit. We should never back down to this.
 
This is one of the most sensible posts I've seen on here in years. From the Whyte era through to Green and the Ashley 'spivs', there was a bunker mentality where the odd statement, or some rabble-rousing, or some outright ignorance, was normal. Clubs didn't hear from Rangers and the press lived on leaks.

It needs to be managed much more carefully and longer-term as you say. Build bridges but at the same time, challenge perceptions. I've said many times on the old board, Celtic don't force journos to write anything - they simply remind journalists that anything (everything) they write will be challenged. Can't prove someone is a Celtic fan despite running on the field at their home stadium? Then don't write it or we'll see you after school.

It's bullying yes, but a lot of defensive PR works that way. A good PR used to say they had done their job if their client was never in the papers, whatever they got up to.

Making the clubs understand that Rangers won't be pushed over, but at the same time will promote the general health of ALL clubs and not just the top two, is a huge leap forward. For many years the clubs hated Rangers and Celtic for promoting their own interests over and above Scottish football - TV deals, sponsorships, etc. Rangers can get the other 40 clubs on side by playing that game while Celtic look like they're lording it.
Agree.. The structure is supposed to give smaller clubs a voice but in the past we have made sure it's been us and them who controlled and benefitted. It's possible a lot of clubs seen a few years ago the opportunity to split that could be beneficial so appeared to side with the one who seemed strong and would bring in money.
What they've found is a very obvious power grab and probably feel like they're just being used as pawns in the scums anti Rangers self interest. We may well be offering exactly what they thought was happening a few years ago and even with their all encompassing PR we look far more trustworthy at board level with more to gain by being true allies rather than a mere hate filled monster. Something is changing and we fans have to trust the people who are delivering it. Not overnight and maybe not the way some want it done but the only sensible way is the way it's happening, and working.

Hobjo.. I missed a lot of the most recent shenanigans with the FF board change etc and hadn't thought much about what the club didn't say. Any statements would definitely have allowed focus to shift and lifted the carpet for some furious sweeping.

People need to be patient and realistic which are two things football fans aren't great at tbf but board have to be backed and it is probably more important to the future as results on the pitch. The changes being shown can't be overestimated as part of a bigger picture.
 
In a nutshell. Luckily it's highly incestious as outside Scotland no one gives a %^*&. However the key is the relationship with the fans. We've rolled over far too much. As for building bridges , that's laughable when the other side of the river is launching missiles on a daily basis. The BBC sums it up when it can send correspondents to the worst shit hole war torn places in earth but won't engage with us when a journalist is called out for his proven bullshit. We should never back down to this.

The key isn't the fans, that'll just see us even more margianalises while they're promoted all over. The current fans are the heart beat but the future fans are the future heart beat.
Not backing down is accepting we are where we are. It's au unwinnable war.
 
We're a generation behind them in PR. While we basked in the success they lined up their duckies and infiltrated the media.

That's not the fault of the current board and they can only chip away and act when it's possible.

It'll take a while before media reporting is even and balanced.
 
We're a generation behind them in PR. While we basked in the success they lined up their duckies and infiltrated the media.

That's not the fault of the current board and they can only chip away and act when it's possible.

It'll take a while before media reporting is even and balanced.
Short and to the exact point. It might mean a generation but that'll be a generation of bridge building otherwise we are and will be where we are.
 
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