Is social media helping or hurting A-League CEOs?

- January 26, 2014 - Opinions

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Let’s face it. Social media channels, be it Facebook, Twitter or any of the others, can be realms of mixed fortunes. While they allow for quick, easy and highly visible distribution of information to lots of people simultaneously, they can quickly turn into a hostile environment that’s notoriously difficult to moderate. This is especially true for businesses, who have embraced social media as way to connect with their customers in a way never before possible. This relationship is, of course, two-way, giving customers unprecedented access to those who make – or don’t make – the decisions which influence their experiences with the business.

Earlier this A-League season, Leopold Method wrote an excellent article about each A-League club’s utilisation of social media. While the official Twitter accounts of each club do their part to engage with their fan bases, some club CEOs have established a presence of their own: Jason Brewer of Perth Glory, Scott Munn of Melbourne Heart/City and Tony Pignata of Sydney FC.

CEOs on Twitter are obviously not limited to just sporting clubs. ‘Social CEOs’ are on the increase across all businesses, creating presences on Twitter and other platforms to remove the degrees of separation between themselves and others. Andy Polansky, CEO of global PR firm Weber Shandwick, was recently quoted saying:

“Our global study found that 76 percent of executives think that it is a good idea for their CEOs to be social. Among their reasons for favoring their CEO’s social participation is how it reflects internally – 52 percent feel inspired by their CEO’s sociability. Looking externally, 69 percent say that it enhances the company’s market credibility. And in general, social CEOs are much more likely to be seen as good communicators than unsocial CEOs  – 55 percent vs. 38 percent, respectively.”

On the surface, having club CEOs on social media is brilliant for everyone; how often does one have the ability talk directly to the CEO of a company, let alone the CEO of their beloved club? For CEOs, the ability to keep their fingers on the pulse of their club’s vocal lifeblood is invaluable. Journalists (real ones, not fake ones like me) must also enjoy having an additional way in which to engage with the people who help generate the headlines keeping the sports media world employed for another day.

But what about when everything goes wrong? As well as the aforementioned circling journalists, the two-way nature of social media also allows fans to direct their ire – filtered and unfiltered – at club CEOs within seconds of the thought popping into their heads. It also means when CEOs themselves comment – with varying levels of ‘filtering’ – their words are immediately swept up into the news cycle for all to see. With two of the CEOs mentioned above in charge of clubs who have had sub-par seasons – Pignata and Munn – and Brewer’s Perth Glory wracked by the Edwards/Burns controversy, these three have had their fair share of detractors to contend with.

Their Twitter ‘success’ levels have been mixed. While the majority of posts from these CEOs have been positive and respectful, it’s the negative ones that everyone remembers.

Scott Munn recently engaged in a spat with a well-known celebrity chef, drawing widespread criticism.

Although Munn’s comments could be taken as tongue-in-cheek, it is still surprising to see someone in Munn’s position take to social media to taunt celebrity fans of his club’s cross-town rivals.
FoxSports

This incident highlights one of the dangers CEOs, in my personal opinion, can face when trying to become ‘one of us’ on social media by indulging in a bit of #banter: you are still different. If it was me engaging in trash-talk with Calombaris, who cares? He wouldn’t, none of you would, hell I’d probably have forgotten all about it once I sobered up the next day. But CEOs are celebrities in their own right, complete with the elevated social ‘responsibilities’ that come with the territory. Those in the spotlight need filters which are better than everyone else’s, a lesson Sydney FC player Richard Garcia had to learn the hard way.

Jason Brewer is another who isn’t afraid of a little gentle ribbing, with a soft spot reserved for Brisbane Roar.

Sydney FC’s Tony Pignata has so far avoided controversy on Twitter, but he’s had to contend with multiple tongue-lashings from Sydney FC fans for the team’s sub-par performances; for the 2nd season in a row. Pignata has been lauded for his approachability, but at what cost to his own sanity?

 

 


Pignata highlights the problem most CEOs have: they’re generally pretty busy people. To engage in social media can often mean doing what we do: spend our evenings refreshing our screen. It also highlights another problem: the more approachable you are, the easier you are to smash. If he wants to remain approachable he cannot shirk engaging with fans of his club, even the angry ones, but why is he shouldering this burden alone? Most businesses hire customer service staff to handle their official Twitter accounts, including handling complaints, yet it’s generally Pignata handling it on his own. Is this sustainable? Is there a better way, or is this just the way it is in the sporting world?

All three CEOs should be commended for taking the time to engage with us fans on Twitter and elsewhere; like us, they are humans, as well as supporters, something which can be forgotten in the heat of the moment. The examples I’ve included above highlight how a CEO’s humanity, normally hidden behind office doors and armies of copywriters, becomes extremely public on social media, especially the media-friendly Twitter. Is this a good thing? Do fans think having ‘social CEOs’ on Twitter has helped or hurt the image of themselves or their clubs?

I just can’t see the typical corporate CEOs wearing her heart on her sleeve in the same way; moreover, I’m not sure we’d really want to see this – or that it’s reasonable for us to either expect or insist upon such a display.
David Shaywitz

A-League fans, what do you think of having A-League CEOs on social media and of the job they’ve done so far? Should the club Twitter account bear more of the brunt and your CEOs less? Do you wish your CEO was more ‘filtered’? Do you wish your CEO was on Twitter at all?

About the author

I love over-thinking the beautiful game any chance I get. Trying my hand at writing about football this year, as well being as an optimistic supporter of Sydney FC.