Lance climbing back
Posted by Liz Dill
In this year’s Tour de France, Lance Armstrong fought battles both on the course and in the public eye. After coming out of a three and a half year retirement to compete in the 2,174 mile long race, he faced criticism and questions about the motives for his return from the media and cycling fans. Doping allegations resurfaced. But a “new” Lance Armstrong emerged – a friendlier underdog who didn’t win the Tour but whose participation and third place finish stirred renewed global interest in the sport and praise for him individually.
Armstrong worked hard during the race and, more importantly, when off his bike in taking his rebranding and positive PR efforts to the streets. The New York Times coverage nailed it:
Armstrong, the brash Texan, appeared to win the hearts of the people of France, the country that once loved to hate him. No longer invincible, he is an underdog now. He also is oldest rider to finish in the Tour’s top three since the 40-year-old Frenchman Raymond Poulidor did so in 1976.
The picture of him chatting with other riders during the final stage — nearly every other rider, in fact — was far different from the ultra-focused and cold rider the French once knew.
NPR had praise as well:
You know, I was out there on the Tour and they’re saying, you know, the old Lance Armstrong who was arrogant and unapproachable, he’s gone. And the new Lance Armstrong, he talks to people. He signs autographs. He doesn’t walk around with a bunch of bodyguards. And even the announcers who are commenting the race, for the last three weeks, I think they’ve just been stunned by his performance.
How did he get there? He had a plan. From the beginning of his commitment to the race, Armstrong set clear expectations about his potential performance. In a New York Times article in September 2008, he said that his goal was to spread global awareness of cancer and to refute claims that he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs rather than to claim his 8th victory in the race. Throughout the Tour, Armstrong has been pro-active about getting his message out to the public. His foundation LIVESTRONG has been issuing regular press releases and Armstrong has effectively used various social media outlets to communicate with fans by providing live updates and real time chats. Armstrong used Twitter to provide regular updates, post pictures and video during the 21-stage races. He said Twitter was the most accurate way for fans to gain a good perspective about the demands of the race. Armstrong is a great example of an athlete who has embraced social media, technology and the media to win over the public and thus increase his brand value.
Tags: branding, media, news, positioning, PR, reputation, social media, Twitter