It was late November and the storm clouds wee again surfacing. The Giants had lost to the Washington Redskins, and the call for the end of the Tom Coughlin era was on again. Coordinators weren’t prepared, the team was a wreck changes needed to be made. What did you hear from Giants players and organization leaders? Silence. Positive comments. Consistent messages of hope. There was no Pollyanna whining, no whispering of rumors, just a dedication to excellence message. The results on the field speak for themselves since that game, as their Giants remain the least chaotic, and only team still playing, of the three NFL teams that find their loyalties tied to New Jersey.
Now thats not to say that the Eagles and the Jets didn’t make for good copy this fall. Both had their very public issues on and off the field, with various public spats between players, between coaches and with the media. They also carved their own images that the organization cultivated. The Jets were all about brash and were very open with access to the media. Little was out bounds and that led to many saying at the start of the season that the Jets brand had overtaken the Giants in some ways with brands, with the media and with the casual fan. Similarly the Eagles, although not as open, had lots of player banter back and forth and an organizational philosophy that was also more in your face and aggressive, one that the fans seemingly enjoyed. Michael Vicks’ resurrection of his image was one of the more interesting stories of the early season, and the team’s visibility rose with the tribulations of their star quarterback early on, as well as his boast of a “Dream Team.”
The Giants? Steady. consistent. Non-controversial. True Blue. Reflective of their ownership and their staff. Rarely wavering despite much of the baiting from their in-stadium and slightly southern rivals. Call it old school if you will. Still even with that old school perception, the team forged lots of new and innovative ground in social media outreach and brand value. Eli Manning is all over Toyota as a spokesperson, Justin Tuck’s R.U.S.H. For Literacy program helps thousands of kids in the area and many other players found their way to local brand partnerships and philanthropic efforts. The team expanded its relationship with MSG Network for shoulder programming in and around broadcasts, and they increased their activation in the social media space through a series of in-game promotions and access to players and coaches. The Giants head of communications, Pat Hanlon, has always been somewhat of a personality in the New York media circles, and used his own social media footprint to convey access to players and coaches with his own unique insiders style, conveying messages directly to fans on twitter. Most of the work the team does wasn’t a brash, look at me approach. It was a steady, consistent build coming out of the lockout, with those running the on-field working with those in ownership and on the business side. It is a very steady hand in glove relationship that conveyed consistency, even in the most challenging of moments with results on the field.
Now of course all of this positive messaging works because the team responded. If the team didn’t win then all the behind the scenes would have been nice, but nearly as effective with brands and fans. However in sport that is always the battle. You build your business to take advantage of weeks like this, where the team is playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl, but at the same time you are girded so that even in the worst of seasons you are still active and communicating consistently with fans, the media, the community and your brand partners. That is really the brand message the Giants convey very well. Consistency of brand in good times and bad, and this week that consistency continues to pay off.
