One of the biggest teams in the Kingdom of Eswatini, Mbabane Swallows recently released a press statement addressing the talk of town: the freezing out of key players who include fan-favourite, Banele ‘Pupu’ Sikhondze. We at the Journalism/PR Watchdogs by virtue of being stakeholders of the club and public relations and journalism experts have a lot to say about this press statement that was aimed at putting to bed the much talked about debacle in the Birds’ nest.
For starters, we commend the ‘Birds’ for finally addressing this matter- phew, it took them forever. Everyone was asking themselves as to why the club was silent in the midst of a storm that saw Swallows marshalls manhandling a supporter who allegedly tried to assault the team’s head coach, Caleb Ngwenya in last Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Police side, Royal Leopards at Mavuso Stadium.
While we applaud the team’s decision to address the matter via long-serving official, Sandile Zwane, there are a few talking points that raise eyebrows in this statement. We will do the honors of unpacking them offering insights on what should have been done.
START BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM
When dealing with a crisis regardless of the stage it has taken, it is recommendable to always begin by acknowledging what seem to be the bone of contention between the parties involved. This will show that the party addressing the matter is well versed on the issue and is aware of what is the cause of the commotion amongst the stakeholders involved.
instead of stating that the club is aware of the commotion caused by the absence of certain key players who include Sikhondze, the club starts by defending their silence on this matter- the culture of the club is to keep mum and sweep internal issues under the rug, so says the statement.
experts will agree with me that this part should have been served at a latter stage of the press release!
CHOOSE THE RIGHT TONE AND ANGLE
After deciding to address a thorn in the fresh even with tampers flaring higher than a rocket, it is advisable to utilise the right tone and angle that will strike the chord of your target audience while extinguishing the fire. This is why PR is all about psychology- we seek to control the emotions of our target audience and shape how they perceive an issue or brand.
In the case of the press statement by Swallows should have taken the route of explaining the status quo of the star. That is what it matters to the most aggrieved stakeholder (the fans and supporters). Instead of stating that the club is worried by the spread of conspiracy theories that put the name of this noble team in dispute, the best thing was to state the events that led the team to this quagmire and what has been done to put the issue to bed.
Firthermore, on the receiving end of this press statement were important stakeholders who include the media and the supporters of this team. Instead of name calling, the club should have resorted to use the term stakeholders to group everyone and instead of accusing them of spreading fake information, the best thing to do was to encourage them (stakeholders) to verify what they consume from different mediums in the near future. You are hitting two birds with one stone by humbly stating that the information was false and requesting them to desist from doing that in the near future.
The moment one decides to attack the media, the moment that relationship will turn sour; every PRO’S worse nightmare. The media is a powerful tool that should be utilised profitable instead of being attacked. In this case, alerting the media who the contact person is for reliable information at the club would do no harm.
BE PROACTIVE
In public relations, there is nothing like assuming how the stakeholders will react to a phenomenal. You are always a step ahead of them by ensuring that you influence how they perceive an issue thus preventing them from forming their own conspiracy theories that will surely spread quicker than the truth; akere lies fly while the truth adopt a tortoise pace.
Instead of blaming supporters for being the spreaders of fake information about the whole debacle at the Birds’ nest, the club should have taken full ownership of the entire situation. It is the duty of the club to inform the stakeholders on why a certain player has been frozen and what steps are being taken to correct his/her shortcomings. The moment you leave a gap in your line of communication, you open the door don’t take that will allow yourstakeholders to connect the dots using their own formula; it is nature to create your own way if there is none infront of you.
PSG demonstrated proactiveness by ensuring that they announce early that a decision has been made to suspend Lionel Messi over his trip to Saudi Arabia. The team went on to state the fine and time frame of his suspension. They didn’t just freeze him out but announced so that all stakeholders will be on the same page and won’t form their own conspiracy theories regarding their star-player.
Nevertheless, nothing is loss at the Birds’ nest as the storm seem settled with the player reportedly available for selection on the next game. Indeed, the team has excelled in the conflict management role. This is a team that has over the years represented Eswatini on the international stage thus the need to offer advices where possible with the hope that the powers that be will be open to constructive criticism. One can only say, MKHONTO KASHAKA, YIZE BELILE YIZE BEKHALA!
N.B THE IDEAS BEING SHARED ON THIS PLATFORM DON’T MEAN THAT THERE IS ANY AGENDA AGAINST THOSE AT THE RECEIVING END BUT IS MEANT TO CRITIQUE AND SHAPE THE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND JOURNALISM FIELDS IN THE SOCIETY.
PR Watchdog 