Contrasts

It is said that to fully appreciate the good things in life, one has to experience some tough times. This came to light last week as I sat on a beach with my wife, sipping a Mai Tai, observing surfers, sail boats and palm trees. A text message from my son alerted us to the fact that it was -40 degrees Celsius with the wind chill at home. So I appreciated my good fortune just a little more and pondered just how great my life is (After a couple of Mai Tai’s I can get a little nostalgic) and reminisced that it hasn’t always been sunshine, lollipops and roses.

My life, like most people’s lives, has been littered with its share of heartache, sorrow and misfortune.

No one that I know has been left unscathed by illness, premature death, failed relationships, financial disasters or unfulfilled dreams. Nobody gets a free pass forever.

What matters isn’t how many times we are pushed, or fall to the ground. What matters is the number of times we get up, and forge ahead, a little bruised, but stronger and smarter for the experience. What matters is that when the good times come, we accept them, and embrace them with grace, humility and without apology.

What matters is recognizing that most of the good things in life aren’t things at all.

 - Ron Morris, Owner/Culture & Direction Leader

What Could the NFL have Done Differently?

Those that know me realize I am an NFL Football fan.  I like it all - the hype, the games, their marketing success and their video production - everything!  I also respect the players who play the game they love for gazillions of dollars.  (The price that their bodies pay is another discussion...)

That being said, the aftermath of the Superbowl caught my attention.  400 passionate fans bought tickets ( at an average ticket cost of $2,400), but once they got to the Superbowl in Dallas, they realized those seats did not exist.  The Dallas Cowboys and the NFL did what they thought was best to accommodate these fans and ensure that they got to watch the game – from outside the stadium.  After the Superbowl, the NFL responded by offering these fans 3 times the face value of these tickets.  Does this make up for the time they took off and the year long (sometimes planned out even further in advance) commitment that these fans made to come to the Superbowl?  I question if it does.

I am looking at the Leadership issue here.  The NFL makes billions/year off of its merchandise and products that it sells to its loyal fan base.  The media exposure in this league is extraordinary and they had an opportunity to make a positive impact and deal effectively with this issue.  Instead, they chose to offer a band-aid solution to a wound that will bleed for a while.  They fans banded together and put together a lawsuit against the Cowboys and the NFL, claiming that they both knew about the seating shortage in advance and did nothing but react to what is becoming a 'public relations nightmare' for the NFL.  Next, the NFL ‘upped the ante’ by offering those 400 affected fans a seat to a future Super Bowl of their choice.  They also offered the choice of a cash payment of $2,400 (three times the face value of the ticket) or round-trip airfare and a hotel. Many shut-out fans paid above face value for the tickets, according to the lawsuit. Source: http://ca.reuters.com.  To view this related article in full, please click here.  In my view, the powers failed to take advantage of an opportunity after ‘dropping the ball’.  The emotional letdown of not being able to attend the Superbowl for these fans was not equated by the offer that was made to these fans in an attempt to appease them.  They need to respond QUICKLY and MASSIVELY!

What could have the NFL done differently to avoid this damage to their brand?  Did the league’s Leadership act appropriately?  The NFL also has a potential lockout on their hands.  As a fan, I hope that the league is not disrupted and it will be interesting to see future decisions that are made by their leadership as this ‘high powered, marketing engine’ zips along.  What do you think?  We would love to hear from you.

Have a great day!

Mathew Cey, Business Leader, Morris Interactive

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