Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions

“We’re humble enough to prepare, confident enough to perform.”– Tom Coughlin, head coach, New York Giants

It goes beyond saying that I was on top of the world seeing the New York Football Giants come out the winners in Super Bowl XLVI. The story is well known: At 7-7, the Giants needed to win out to get into the post-season. Well, the rest is history, as Big Blue rolled their way to Indianapolis and defeated the New England Patriots for their second title in four years.

Winning is outstanding, especially when you are the last one standing with the trophy. In public relations, you need solid planning and teamwork to be successful. Tom Coughlin is the Giants leader. Here are five lessons you could take from coach Coughlin and use them in your PR plans.

  • Have great trust in each other: If your client or team does not trust what you do or what plans you’ve come up with, a campaign is over before it starts. Give a client no reason whatsoever to not trust your ideas or plans.
  • Have a great belief that your team can “finish:” When you deliver your plans to a client, be confident that you can deliver everything you’ve put forth in a proposal. Don’t doubt because a client will see it right away.
  • Keep playing one play at a time: A campaign may have multiple points to it, but the important thing to remember is to not get too far ahead of yourself. Focus on the task at hand, then move on to the next.
  • Be able to perform under pressure, whether it is good or bad: Let’s face it, all campaigns aren’t just a release and then follow-up. As we’ve seen lately, a fair amount of crisis PR is needed. The ability to stay calm and focused can go a long way to quelling a crisis before is spirals out of control.
  • Find a way to win: I’m not talking about cheating or lying your way to getting success. Even when a PR campaign may be going awry, there is always a way to come out on top. Prior planning helps. However, sometimes street smarts are a good thing to have. It doesn’t hurt to fall back on past experiences either.

At the end of the day, you need that game plan to work out. But, when the plan is not working all the way, you make adjustments. Focus on the end goal and make sure you’ve covered everything. You’ll be on your way to success in the end.

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