"Michael Phelps – The Road to Re-Emergence"
Michael Phelps is not having a great week. Since the now infamous picture surfaced this weekend, there have been countless articles about the photograph, reports of exchanges between his handlers and the News of The World and references to a 2004 DUI. Bottom line, lots of coverage, the vast majority of which has been negative.
That being said, I disagree with the commentary that his future as an endorser of products is in jeopardy, that he is “damaged goods”, and that he can not rehabilitate his image. I believe he can rehabilitate his image through messaging, and do so successfully.
Michael has not helped himself since the story broke – giving a written statement wasn’t the best avenue for him to address the situation; and it failed to address a number of questions people were asking, causing this story to continue on, and do more damage.
Here is an immediate 7 point plan for Michael to message his way back on track, and potentially emerge more popular than before:
1.Disappear from the public eye for a few months, stay at home in Baltimore where you are adored, and don’t be seen out in bars and clubs at night for a while.
2.Volunteer at the Baltimore Y, or City pool on a consistent basis. Don’t invite press along or give interviews there. Really get down to it and volunteer to help teach kids how to swim, be an assistant swimming coach for one of the City schools, etc. Show up consistently and just work hands on with the kids.
3.When you are out publicly, be seen with friends you’ve grown up with, your girlfriend, your mom, your coaches, etc. Really pour yourself into the Baltimore County community and again, just be there, consistently.
4.Train with your coaches in and around the City. Your teammates and friends from the swimming world are all supporting you, according to press accounts today – have them come in to train with you at locally.
5. Get a handler. You are obviously immensely talented, and can be disciplined – no matter how athletically blessed you are, it takes a certain level of discipline to achieve what you have achieved in the pool – use that same discipline in regular life. Someone has been able to instill that discipline in you and keep you motivated throughout your career – be around that person, or group of people, as often as possible.
6. Work on your public speaking – don’t just rely on charisma. The reality is that this last story would have been much less damaging had you appeared in person and spoken rather than releasing a written statement. After time has passed you are going to need to ramp up and give interviews galore – be ready
7. Very important – when the 4-6 months have ended keep giving back locally. Keep volunteering – obviously as you are training for competition and doing appearances you will have less time to do it, but make sure you still do it on a regular basis. Consistency is king here for you
This plan takes a lot of discipline and is not easy; however it sends a very powerful and compelling message, not just to the public but to future endorsers as well. It is not just what you say and how you say it, it is what people see and hear. In this instance, for now, actions will speak louder than words.
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