In Episode 10 of the Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast, we’re tackling PR with the LA Chargers’ Assistant Director of PR, Scott Yoffe. Scott shares his experience working in the sports industry and his story about how he first started working for the then-San Diego Chargers. He dives into how he joined a fraternity and, through their connections, got his foot in the door with the NFL team. He also discusses his experience working as a member of a large PR team and the various ways in which they represent the team and their brand. Scott moves on to explain that they are in the relationship business; they buy personalities and sell relationships. Therefore their success is measured differently than in other industries. Their measuring stick is their relationships and their ability to go out and earn opportunities for the team to garner increased media coverage on platforms relevant to their target audience. They measure brand awareness through the minutes they are featured on TV, time they are on the radio, inches they are given in print and their overall social media and digital media coverage. Scott explains that these measurements are important because they help the PR team determine what they can improve upon and where there are opportunities for growth and increased brand awareness. Scott comments on the challenges and opportunities that the Chargers have encountered as they attempt to expand into the Hispanic market. The NFL’s efforts have ranged from bringing regular season football games to Mexico City to broadcasting the games on Hispanic radio networks. Scott mentions that the reaction from the Hispanic market has given his team reason for optimism and that they will continue efforts to further penetrate this promising market. Scott concludes the conversation by mentioning that media in LA has been very positive and supportive throughout the team’s relocation process. He further comments that the PR team is working to strengthen their relationships with media outlets that previously covered the team to a lesser extent during its time in San Diego. He also talks about the importance of training the players and coaches how to conduct themselves with the media. Scott points out that NFL players and coaches are taught to treat every person with a camera phone as a reporter. Join us in this conversation about public relations in pro sports. Listen in to learn more about Scott’s experience with the LA Chargers PR team and get some tips on how to be successful in a PR industry by focusing on building relationships. Time Stamps 00:00 – Joke 00:24 – Podcast Introduction 00:36 – Co-hosts Introduction 01:20 – What’s in the News Today | “What New Grads Can Do to Avoid Falling Into the Ad Industry’s Burnout Rut” 07:08 – Featured Guest Introduction 07:49 – Scott’s PR Journey 09:07 – Being part of a large PR team 10:05 – Balancing business interests with competitive sports interests 11:08 – KPIs and Measurements in PR 11:48 – How to manage “too much” coverage 13:30 – NFL’s 24/7 Media Coverage 15:23 – Challenges & Opportunities in Reaching Hispanic Market 16:25 – LA’s Media Reaction to Relocation 17:34 – Working in the second largest media market in the nation 19:37 – Function of PR Department in Maneuvering Moves & Leveraging Media Coverage 22:40 – Advice for marketing pros that are interested in the sports industry 26:08 – Episode Key Takeaway 27:26 – Closing Comments 28:03 – Episode Outro Featured Guest Scott Yoffe – Assistant Director of PR for the LA Chargers Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/scott-yoffe-4769b38 Twitter: twitter.com/yoffe_chargers Resources Adweek – “What New Grads Can Do to Avoid Falling Into the Ad Industry’s Burnout Rut” Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast Learn More About Tyler & Kyle Music Intro Music – Colony House – Buy “2:20” on iTunes Outro Music – Skillet – Buy “Lions” on iTunes
