The Ashes 2017/18: Four things a PR pro can learn from the Series

The Ashes came to a predictable and rather flat finish this week, bringing to an end a disastrous series for England.

Australia maximised home advantage and was befitting of a 4-0 win, against their underwhelming tourists.

This got me thinking, what can PR pros learn from the 2017/18 Ashes series – both in terms of its successes and failures?

1.Preparation is key in the pursuit of perfection

Preparation, preparation, preparation. From a PR point of view, it is essential to be pro-active in campaigns and ensure you’re ready for every eventuality.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as if England got this memo. The key to success Down Under has long been pace bowling - something England has never been blessed with.

However, as a frustrated Geoffrey Boycott rightfully pointed out to Jimmy Anderson after the final Test match in Sydney, why did England not prepare for this Ashes series Down Under, two years ago?

Instead, England opted for line-and-length bowlers, in the form of Jake Ball and Tom Curran. While they are competent County players, are hardly going to breathe fear into the opposition; slow and steady certainly wasn’t enough to win the race on this occasion! England needed raw pace to succeed – medium-quicks just won’t suffice in Australian conditions.

In contrast, Australia boasts a bevy of bowlers who can consistently deliver genuine pace. Couple this with the dry wickets Down Under and they’re onto a winner. There’s no questioning England’s effectiveness in home conditions. Leaders of the attack, Stuart Broad and James Anderson are both great exponents of swing bowling – with the latter arguably the best in the world, on current form. Nevertheless, with the Kookaburra ball-in-hand - as opposed to the favoured Duke - and with the conditions not favourable to swing, England’s struggles were evident, from the first ball until the last.

To bring through a natural pace-bowler isn’t as straightforward as it sounds – hence why they are in such huge demand. Nevertheless, England was not pro-active in this sense and opted to stick with what they had instead of developing new and exciting players.

Moving forward, England must look at raw talents; widen the scouting network in the schooling system and look at developing genuine pace bowlers long-term, in order to really compete away from home and specifically Down Under, in the next Ashes series.

Similarly, in a PR context, selling in standard stories, with no angle will simply not suffice. You can’t expect to get on the phone and blag your way to coverage – you need to implement a strategy, along with an engaging and passionate pitch. 

You also have to be prepared to do something different. Whilst Joe Root’s creative field settings displayed a willingness to try something new, perhaps it was a case of the team at his disposal simply not being good enough?

2.Discipline is decisive

From a disciplinary point-of-view, the Ashes tour has been an unmitigated disaster from start to finish.

Before a bowl was even bowled, England were the recipients of negative headlines - which ultimately made their tough task even tougher. Ben Stokes’ nightclub incident continues to rumble on, putting a dark cloud over the entire Tour and even leading into the imminent ODI series.

The controversy didn’t end there, however. The alleged head-butting incident involving Australian opening batsman, Cameron Norcroft, and England wicket-keeper, Johnny Bairstow, was music to the ears of notorious sledgers, Australia.

England wasn’t finished there, though. Even England Lions’ James Duckett was sent home for pouring a drink over England’s leader of the bowling attack, James Anderson.

While ultimately England wasn’t good enough in this series, they really didn’t help themselves. Ben Stokes set an unwelcome precedent which his countrymen weren’t able to overturn. England began the Tour on the back foot and the fact that Joe Root had to retire ill – despite his valiant efforts – acted as a metaphor for what was a very poor(ly!) tour from the tourist's point-of-view.

What England’s cricketers failed to protect was the very brand that they represent. Through such ill-discipline, they undermined English cricket as a whole and damaged the prestige, pride, and excellence of the baggy blue cap and all that it entails. 

From a PR standpoint, it is crucial that you understand that everything you do goes back to the brand that you’re representing – both the good and the bad. Whilst there were several errors of judgment on an individual basis, this still damaged the English cricket brand as a whole. As brand ambassadors, it is essential to remind key stakeholders and personnel of their responsibilities and as such, a level of professionalism should be maintained.

Whilst Andrew Strauss’ premature exit from the Tour, due to family reasons was a disruption, England’s media team would’ve been on-hand to advise players and staff alike – and attempt to stem the negativity in the press. Instead of publicising how England players had gone to Sydney early to celebrate the New Year, perhaps they should’ve done some community work with sick children in Sydney, for example? Giving something back would’ve given the players and local community a boost, whilst conveniently deflecting negative headlines.

Moving forward, English cricket has got lots of work to do in order to change their damaged image and should seek to build bridges, throw themselves into worthwhile community and charity PR activities, and ensure that the Barmy Army has something to sing about, once more!  

3.Mediocrity will not convert into coverage – a Plan B is needed

England’s Moeen Ali certainly had a Tour to forget. The off-spinner was decidedly out-of-sorts throughout and made little impact. This prompted the English spectators to opt for the 20-year-old debutant, Mason Crane – in what was a desperate attempt to 'make something happen'.

Moeen Ali is a competent batsman (despite not showing this on Tour!). Nevertheless, his contribution as a leading spinner is questionable. In dry pitches that don’t offer much spin, Ali has shown that he simply doesn’t have the variation and revs to be effective away from home.

This begs the question, did England leave themselves short by selecting just Moeen Ali as a spin option, for the first four tests? Did England pay the price of relying on part-time spin?

There are many parallels here to the PR industry. Sometimes a particular specialism is exactly what is needed to break the barrier and secure coverage and long-lasting results. Whilst a scatter-gun/jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none approach can be effective initially when helping to gauge your audience and see what gets pick-up, you need to really assess what the client is after and how you’re going to leverage your expertise to make a tangible impact.

In comparison, Australia took the route of enlisting specialists. At times when Australia’s pace-man were tiring or struggling to get a breakthrough, Lyon came on and more often than not, made a telling contribution. Whilst Lyon’s contributions were not plentiful, they were significant.

From a PR point-of-view, England demonstrated that you need a Plan B (or a contingency plan, as PR pros like to say!). As the old cliche goes, 'don't put all of your eggs in one basket'. Where were their alternatives, when things weren't going as hoped?In the media landscape, things happen at a great pace and are very much subject to change - something that every good PR pro should be aware of. England's downfall is every PR's worst nightmare - Mason Crane's introduction in the final Test was fire-fighting against an inferno!

Furthermore, sometimes it is more about the quality of coverage, as opposed to the quantity. As a publicist, you’ll arguably take 1 piece of national coverage that hits all of your deliverables, over 2 pieces of small editorial in the regional press. This is akin to Nathan Lyon prizing the wicket of England Captain Joe Root, over a couple of English tail-enders.  

4.Learn to dictate the narrative

Australia dictated the narrative masterfully this Series – in such a way that would make any PR pro proud.

Cameron Bancroft’s light-hearted dismissal of Johnny Bairstow’s head-butt greeting was done so with wit, personality, and engagement – three big ticks from a PR perspective!

Opening batsman David Warner was equally impressive. The Australian public enjoys a real affinity with the New South Wales native. Warner is able to relate to the Australian public – they see him very much as one of their own. Warner’s abrasive, colourful character and charm are a firm favourite and very much in-keeping with his positive, cavalier playing style. Not to mention his love for a Pommy putdown, which as predicted, goes down rather well, too.

Couple this with Nathan Lyon’s assertion that he was going to “End a few English cricketers’ careers” and the abrasive Australian spirit was very much brought to life.

Unlike England, Australia lived the brand and was true to the baggy green cap and all that it stands for. From start-to-finish, Australia dictated the narrative off the field, as much as they did on it.

Talismanic Captain, Steve Smith was breath-taking throughout. Smith led from the front and played the right innings at the right time. From a PR viewpoint, Smith’s efforts demonstrate that your PR strategy needs to be agile. Furthermore, Australia’s unrelenting competitive edge shows that unlike England, when presented with great opportunities for conversion, you need to take your chances and maximise results.

Moving forward...

?Let’s hope that England can learn these lessons in time for the next Ashes series in 2021/22 – from both a brand positioning and performance point-of-view!The only consolation is that things can only get better from here...