success on the field

Keys to success on the field

As we kick off the 2014 football season, I can’t help but think about the similarities between this fall tradition and our work here at HCK2.

Much like football players, PR professionals are tasked with being strategic, communicating effectively and identifying the right “fans.”

To further illustrate these three points, I’ve built out these three key ways football can help inspire our work as communicators:

  • Be strategic:
    No football team can be successful without a strategy. The coaches, coordinators and players plan each week to find the best strategy for each opponent. In the same way, we must be strategic in our approach to each client. At HCK2, we work clients across varying industry verticals – technology, health care, consumer, nonprofit, etc. — and the same strategies won’t work for everyone. Each team conducts research and planning to identify a targeted approach for each client that fits their needs. Each “play” has a purpose in the greater scheme of the game…always working to produce a WIN for our clients.
  • Communicate with your team:
    Success on the field cannot happen without communication. If every player isn’t on the same page before a play is run, it will likely lead to an interception, intentional grounding or injury. Our teams are also unable to function successfully without clear communication. We work to ensure that everyone on the team understands what play is being called and who is responsible for what “moves,” which keeps us all working effectively toward the same goal.
  • Anyone can be a fan:
    Anyone can get excited about football for one reason or another. With an incredibly diverse fan base, football encompasses people from all walks of life. Sometimes brands and companies may feel limited by the types of fans they are able to attract. But, as with football, anyone can get excited about a brand given the right reason. We work with our clients to identify the types of fans they want to attract, purposefully engaging each and giving them a reason to hop on the bandwagon.

So this season, take some cues from football. Our strategic, integrated team at HCK2 sure does, and we are always working to bring more to the game for our clients.