CYCLING NEEDS TO CHANGE IT’S STORY

Post the action packed summer of 2012 with Wiggins now becoming the first British winner of the Tour de France and Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong facing a PR nightmare, cycling has returned to it’s depressing old state of generating negative headlines.

Lance Armstrong’s confession on the Oprah Winfrey show on January 17, 2013 has once again put the spotlight on the downside of cycling.

While people might appreciate Armstrong for “coming clean” and confessing to the public, it makes me wonder if coming clean on a “TV show” was actually a terrible idea from a PR perspective.

Armstrong’s mistake was that he lied right from the beginning, all along, for 13 years, blaming and suing people who knew of the ugly story behind the brilliant records. He should have come clean right at the start. In today’s highly connected world the public easily finds out if something is not right, specially when it is about personalities like Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods. It is impossible to push news like this under the rugs and move on.

So what now? What happens to brands like Nike and Livestrong?

People associate with brands because they feel a connection with the brand and the personality endorsing it. With Nike terminating its contract in October 2012, its time for Armstrong to bounce back. Perhaps the most courageous thing Lance Armstrong could do over the next couple of months/years would be to speak to the public against drugs and cheating in sports and continue with his hard work at Livestrong.

All along my career in Public relations i have studied the importance Story telling. Story telling is an important aspect of Public relations. There are two kinds of story-telling: the story you want to tell your audience and the story that others tell for you. Right now, cycling is having its story told for by the public and that it is linked with cheating and drugs.

How do you think Lance Armstrong can bounce back?? Is this a cleaver PR strategy or do you think he has decided to park his bicycle??

– Juhi