If you tuned into the Today programme’s business strand at around 8.40 yesterday morning you could have been forgiven for thinking that you were listening to the sports slot instead, as the lead item was about whether Sir Alex Ferguson would be retiring as manager of Manchester United.
Jim O’Neill, former chairman of Goldman Sachs sounded rather surprised to be asked what he, as a friend of Sir Alex, knew about the rumours of his retirement. O’Neill wasn’t the only one – why the interest in a football manager on a business slot?
Presenter Simon Jack suggested that they were discussing the issue because United is listed on the New York stock exchange. It was a believable if rather too convenient link. However Jack knew that the Ferguson story was too good to pass up. In fact, confirmation of Ferguson’s departure was issued a few hours later by the club and the story led almost most mainstream news outlets throughout the day.
So, 24 hours on, what does this story tell us about the media? What lessons are there for those interested in media training and hoping to manage the media?
First and foremost, Ferguson ticks the “Human” box, which is so important for any news story. He’s not a dull, corporate speaking suit. He’s a character, a personality. He doesn’t use bland, corporate language – he tells it as it is. Anyone looking to engage with the media should bear this in mind.
Yesterday was not actually an ideal moment to try and grab the headlines as it was the day of a potentially controversial Queen’s Speech. However, the Ferguson story is not only sufficiently big, but it’s also sufficiently far removed from the world of politics not to have to compete head on. For media at the more popular end, it was far sexier than any announcements on immigration and deficit reduction.
For anyone trying to control the media, this was not a great example. Leaks and rumours were doing the rounds on social media websites and then the mainstream media hours before confirmation. Most organisations intending to make a major announcement will want to keep it confidential and then release it in a controlled way when they’re ready. Well, that’s the theory anyway, but the Ferguson story shows how fast the media reacts these days and how leaked information that would once have only been available to a small number of hacks can explode in seconds.
Alex Ferguson’s own handling of the media is interesting. He refused to do any interviews with the BBC for seven years after a documentary made allegations about his son, Jason, in 2004. Sky Sports was also put in the dog house by Ferguson for several weeks in 2003 after one of its crew’s door stepped him. Earlier this year he was caught on mic asking a club press officer to ban a journalist who asked a question about Ryan Giggs at a press conference.
Very few organisations could get away with this kind of attitude towards the media. Sir Alex can do it only because, well, he’s Sir Alex Ferguson. As we normally advise during our media coaching sessions, if a journalist or reporter upsets you then it’s best to grit your teeth and continue to engage with them. Fergie can risk upsetting particular journalists or even individual media organisations because, frankly, they need him more than he needs them. For most organisations maintaining good media relations and open channels of communication with journalists is essential – however annoying they might be!
It’s worth noting as well that Ferguson is very prepared to court the media whenever it suits them. For example, when Simon Brooke, one of our senior journalist tutors, was asked to interview the famously fiery Glaswegian about a new business that he was involved in Simon found Ferguson to be polite, charming and very helpful – no hairdryer in evidence. The result? A very positive article. One nil to Ferguson.
So what are the key lessons that we can learn from yesterday’s news;
- Your spokespeople should be relatable and engaging and able to deliver messages that are succinct and jargon free.
- Your launch timing is vital and the current news agenda may play a part in this.
- Control your launch for maximum impact. Do you want it leaked ahead of your embargo? Be sure to monitor social media.
- Most successful media engagements include shared agendas between the company, the spokesperson, the journalist and their/your audience.
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