I was 0-1 on my NFL picks before the weekend started, and it didn’t get much better. Here’s a crazy stat: in the six late games Sunday, all six home teams lost. (In the Giants’ case, “lost” is an understatement.)
While I got a few games right, clearly I should not be giving you NFL gambling advice.
I’ll stick to communications advice. If I’m going to spend a few days watching football, I might as well write about it. Fortunately, I noticed a few things that are good reminders for communications pros.
🏈 Nobody cares about your fantasy football team.
Everyone wants to talk about that brilliant draft pick, the great call on their starting lineup or their improbable win. Bad news. The target audience for this is precisely one person. (Hint: it’s you.)
Communicators can fall into this trap, too, talking about what they want to say instead of what their readers want to hear, or framing things from their perspective instead of tailoring to their audience.
🏈 Watch up to four games at once!
YouTube TV, which took over NFL Sunday Ticket this year, offers “multiview” – a split screen showing several games at once. Long gone are the days when you were limited to one or two games on local channels and had no say in which games you could watch.
It’s a reminder that people consume information on their terms, not yours – what they want, when they want, how they want. Communicators must understand this and adapt.
🏈 Netflix launched the ultimate counter-programming.
The new season of “Virgin River” premiered Friday, so fans of the soap could binge all weekend instead of watching football. (We certainly chose sides in our household.)
Communicators can follow the formula by looking at the big picture, taking advantage of situations and timing. Jump into the conversation on trending topics or current events (when it’s appropriate). Avoid periods when your audience is unavailable or distracted, and use data to find when they’d be most receptive. (For instance, when I worked at a utility, communications about how to save money resonated with customers more in summer, when temperatures were in triple digits and bills were high.)
🏈 Give me Peyton and Eli over Buck and Aikman.
Monday Night Football offers two viewing options – the traditional broadcast and the Manning Cast, with the two brothers and former QBs chatting, trading insults, welcoming guests and reacting like fans while watching the game.
(Eli to his older brother: “You played against the ’85 Bears.” Peyton was 9 at the time. Peyton to guest John McEnroe: “You’re known for your calm demeanor.”)
A long time ago someone decided, “This is how you broadcast a football game.” And it remained that way, until someone else changed it. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Take the familiar and turn it on its head. Or try two different versions of the same thing and see what works best.
🏈 A good story always wins.
Amid conspiracy talk that the NFL is rigged, the league leaned in with commercials showing a table read for the new season’s “script.” And while I’d love to see a receiver make a no-handed catch, you don’t have to “make this stuff up.” Between the Lions’ feel-good win, the latest chapter of the Bears-Packers rivalry, the whole Aaron Rodgers situation, a 7th-round draft pick QB who hasn’t lost a regular-season start and more, the games are compelling enough on their own.
The lesson here is obvious. Tell a story, grab people’s attention, find the hook even on the most mundane of topics.
Make your audience care about whatever you’re writing about, as much as they care about what happens with Mel and Jack in Season 5 of “Virgin River.”