Streamed live 14 JULY 2016:
Welcome to IF I DID IT where we analyze and solve PR kerfuffles from the world of MMA and beyond. This week we look at the sale of the UFC, Jon Jones latest drug test failure, Pokemon GO, Boris Johnson and more. Today's puzzlers include:
At 1:42 - You're WME-IMG. As the new owners of the UFC you're inheriting a slew of PR landmines. Is it better for your brand to ease the transition or implement your culture as soon as possible? If the latter, WTF are you thinking letting Dana White speak at Trump's GOP convention next week in Cleveland?
At 13:45 - You fight for the UFC. Despite the sale to WME-IMG, Dana White is staying on as president and the Fertita Brothers will retain a minority interest in the UFC. How do you navigate this ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss' situation?
At 16:56 - You're Jon Jones. Tony Robbins told TMZ you're a client of his and he believes you can overcome your problems, "if somebody cleans up their act or aggressively use it, this guy's gonna be more hungry than ever." With so many PR missteps, how do you leverage your resources to show WME-IMG that you are a worthwhile investment instead of a junk bond?
At 28:04 - You're Nintendo. Pokemon Go is a hit...and a PR nightmare. With kerfuffles ranging from security leaks, anti-semitism, and dick pics, do you gotta catch ‘em all?
At 33:00 - You're new UK Prime Minister Theresa May. I saw Boris Johnson with a Chinese menu in his hand, walking through the streets of Soho in the rain. Like other pro-leave PM contenders, he ended up as a pretender, turning tail and leaving you with a mess that you fought against. But you just shocked the world by making him your foreign secretary. How do you survive amid these Werewolves of London?
At 39:14 - You're French Prime Minister Francois Hollande. Your spokesperson confirmed reports that your boring hairstyle costs French taxpayers 10,000 euros a month and that it's not a big deal. According to the BBC he said, "Everyone gets haircuts. This hairdresser had to abandon his salon and he's on tap 24 hours a day." Any need for PR to comb-over this controversy or is your stance ‘coiffed-hair, don't care'?
At 42:48 - You're Rupert Murdoch's Sons. Former Fox News Anchor Gretchen Carlson's sexual harassment and wrongful termination lawsuit against your Fox CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes is not only creating headlines, it's creating an opportunity: To get rid of Ailes, a man with whom you've allegedly engaged in what NY Magazine calls a "bitter power struggle". With many current and former employees taking sides in the case against Ailes, is it better to cut ties as soon as possible or allow justice to run its course?
At 48:10 - You're the Israel Defense Force. Your intended new chief Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim has "provoked controversy with previous misogynistic statements, such as opposing female conscription and implying that rape was permissible in times of war." Despite the outrage, you brushed off the controversy as ‘completely mistaken', calling Col. Karim's analysis "an answer to a theoretical question and not in any way whatsoever a question of practical Jewish law." Explain the PR behind standing your ground?
At 53:04 - TEACHABLE MOMENT: You're Earth's Scientist Supreme Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Before last week's insanity, you tweeted, "Earth needs a virtual country: #Rationalia, with a one-line Constitution: All policy shall be based on the weight of evidence." Some felt their inner dungeon master awakened after decades of dormancy. Others found your alignment tres lawful evil and were reminded of eugenics, fascism, and Walter White from "Breaking Bad". If folks want beef, should you serve it or admit there was no meat behind your tweet?
Enjoy!
