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Aaron Rodgers vs. Dennis Dodd

Posted on by Brian Lee

I’ve worked in sports PR for several years, and I’ve seen firsthand how petty, incompetent and lazy sports writers can be, not to mention their sense of entitlement and their ability to raid the media buffet as if they’ve never eaten in their lives.

That’s why I found it extra amusing that CBS’ Dennis Dodd got put in his place by Aaron Rodgers this past weekend. Dodd went on a Twitter rant about how Rodgers wouldn’t do interviews following the Badgers’ win over Arizona, plus Dodd was mad about Rodgers being on the court after the game.

Turns out Rodgers had a pass to be on the court. He declined doing the interviews because he didn’t want to take away from the Badgers’ victory.

The comments on the Bleacher Report story are nearly 100 percent against Dodd. My favorites:

  • Rodgers was a guest of UW BB. He had locker room access as well. This self absorbed reporter was angry because he didn’t have access to the court during net cutting and at Rodgers because he didn’t want to draw attention away from the players and what had just done. Sometimes the press needs to realize that it’s not at about them and their story.
  • This is so typical of the media. He didn’t have a problem with Rodgers being there until he refused his interview. Now he wants to act like a grade school kid.
  • Nice job, Dennis Dodd – in just one evening, aided by your two thumbs and a smart phone, you systematically unraveled your entire career and let the world know what a colossal crybaby you are. You might want to occasionally remind yourself that the industry you are in will sometimes result in a celebrity not wanting to talk to you – particularly during a sporting event that has absolutely nothing to do with him (it isn’t even the same sport for cryin’ out loud!). But because you are the poster child for the “Participation Trophy” generation, you couldn’t resist the temptation to “call him out” which – as evidenced by the 9 million comments on this issue – has severely backfired. I honestly won’t be surprised when I learn of your employment termination later this week.
  • Hey Dennis Dodd. Least you can do is get some world class Wisconsin cheddar cheese to go with that whine. Good Lord man, grow some and accept no for an answer occasionally.

Other media also made fun of Dodd. Here’s a tweet from Rich Eisen:

Facebook May Host News Content

Posted on by Gabrielle Moehrke

This week, the New York Times released an article stating that Facebook has been in contact with half a dozen media companies to begin testing a new format to host news content inside Facebook rather than linking back to the publisher’s website. Facebook believes that the time it takes to open up the link on the website (typically 8 seconds) is too long, and this would be a way to make content appear more seamless and quickly.

This proposal would eliminate the ability of news organizations to collect consumer data, which may make them more cautious about entering the deal. However, Facebook discussed ways for publishers to make money off of advertising to make the proposal more appealing.

I think that the relationship with Facebook and the media is so important today, because people are resorting to different social media platforms to receive the news rather than to traditional news websites or newspapers. I often learn about stories on the news based on what is trending on Facebook. Thus, it seems like a good idea to embed the stories right into Facebook, especially when people are using their smartphones—it would eliminate the process of opening up a new browser and make news consumption more efficient.

Twitter and Rhapsody to work together

Posted on by Brian Lee

Music legality and streaming have been hot topics, especially at the annual SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas. This week it was announced that Twitter and Rhapsody have joined forces so users can now stream full-length tracks on the app even if they don’t have a subscription.

This feature can be made possible due to Twitter’s audio card, which allows users to stream audio directly from their tweets.

Any Rhapsody user–the service has more than 2 million of them–can share any song from the site’s repertoire to Twitter. However, it only works through the app. If you’re opening the audio card from the web, it will only give a 10-second preview of the song.

This is a good marketing move by Rhapsody, as they’re looking to increase its membership. Currently, the music service has fewer paid users than its competitor Spotify. Rhapsody is also promoting itself on each card with a “learn more about Rhapsody” button.

We like to call this co-marketing, or an opportunity for two brands to work together on promotional efforts with a co-branded offer. Both companies promote content/product and share the results.