Beware the wrath of the celebrity athlete

Beware the wrath of the celebrity athlete

Overzealous folks at the US Open learned the hard way to never forget who brings value to the sport. Andreas Keller shows how the region can learn from this PR debacle.

September 30, 2011 4:36 by p.deleon

Here are some key tips for employers on how to tackle unexpected situations successfully:

- Every action you take will trigger a reaction – anticipate how your key stakeholders, especially the more important ones, will react to the decisions you take

- Give importance to all your key stakeholders – never underestimate the importance of the people who represent your brand

- You must get the people who are most important to your organisation on your side. If you don’t reach out to them they will feel ignored, alienated and unimportant which can lead to dissent.

- If there is dissent, deal with it quickly before it spreads like cancer

- Engaging in a transparent dialogue will always go a long way towards mitigating any animosity your stakeholders may have towards your brand

- Never assume people will automatically be on board with what you are about to do. That’s a recipe for failure

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Tags: Andreas Keller, ESPN, Jon Wertheim, organizers, PR, PR crisis, Public relations, Rafael nadal, rainy day tennis, Roddick, sports illustrated, tennis, tennis championships, United States Tennis Association, US Open, USTA, Weber Shandwick