SLU Story about exceeding fundraising targets -- PR Strategy

[davidnark]

So this morning SLU released a feel-good article about record-breaking fundraising in the fiscal year. The timing of the news release allows other media outlets to pick up and cover the story during the business day and maximizes social media awareness. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/slu-blows-past-previous-fundraising-goals-raising-million-in-six/article_efb50f0e-84e2-52af-be23-792c485617eb.html

Maybe I am giving SLU's PR team too much credit, but they could have released this "news" any time. This has the appearance of a strategy to seed feel-good SLU news during the business day in order to minimize the impact of bad, controversial news that may be released at the day's end.

In other words, don't be surprised if the shoe drops later today. Then again, I remain personally confident that the Goodwin situation will be worked out with a favorable result. 

[615Billiken]

We are turning into crazed conspiracy theorists. Yes, your theory is plausible. But probable? I don’t believe so. 

While the basketball program is an important part of any university, I really don’t think it gets as much attention/energy from the university as we would like to think it does. 

I think if you look at any move made by the university through the lens of S2/basketball, you can come out with countless different scenarios and theories about the rationale behind it. I don’t think the university operates with S2 in mind to the extent that we think about it. To me it is just as probable that this story would have come out with or without S2 in the background. 

[davidnark]

8 minutes ago, 615Billiken said:

We are turning into crazed conspiracy theorists. Yes, your theory is plausible. But probable? I don’t believe so. 

While the basketball program is an important part of any university, I really don’t think it gets as much attention/energy from the university as we would like to think it does. 

I think if you look at any move made by the university through the lens of S2/basketball, you can come out with countless different scenarios and theories about the rationale behind it. I don’t think the university operates with S2 in mind to the extent that we think about it. To me it is just as probable that this story would have come out with or without S2 in the background. 

I don't know the inner-workings of SLU's administration and management, but from my first-hand knowledge most major businesses are calculated and intentionally as to how and when they release meaningful news. If SLU isn't putting thought into it, they are certainly behind the times.

I also know the S2 story is a major focus of attention at the university based upon the actions of influential donors and trustees. 

 

[brianstl]

8 minutes ago, davidnark said:

So this morning SLU released a feel-good article about record-breaking fundraising in the fiscal year. The timing of the news release allows other media outlets to pick up and cover the story during the business day and maximizes social media awareness. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/slu-blows-past-previous-fundraising-goals-raising-million-in-six/article_efb50f0e-84e2-52af-be23-792c485617eb.html

Maybe I am giving SLU's PR team too much credit, but they could have released this "news" any time. This has the appearance of a strategy to seed feel-good SLU news during the business day in order to minimize the impact of bad, controversial news that may be released at the day's end.

In other words, don't be surprised if the shoe drops later today. Then again, I remain personally confident that the Goodwin situation will be worked out with a favorable result. 

Something isn't right here.  You are less than 13% away from breaking the yearly record.  Why don't you wait until you "blow pass it" and then announce it.  Could be to pave the wave for a bad announcement.  Could be that fundraising has dried up over the last month and this is a way to try to regenerate enthusiasm and momentum.

 

[Quality Is Job 1]

10 minutes ago, 615Billiken said:

We are turning into crazed conspiracy theorists. Yes, your theory is plausible. But probable? I don’t believe so. 

While the basketball program is an important part of any university, I really don’t think it gets as much attention/energy from the university as we would like to think it does. 

I think if you look at any move made by the university through the lens of S2/basketball, you can come out with countless different scenarios and theories about the rationale behind it. I don’t think the university operates with S2 in mind to the extent that we think about it. To me it is just as probable that this story would have come out with or without S2 in the background. 

The accuser's statement last week certainly made a big deal about the accused being basketball players.

[JMM28]

1 minute ago, brianstl said:

Something isn't right here.  You are less than 13% away from breaking the yearly record.  Why don't you wait until you "blow pass it" and then announce it.  Could be to pave the wave for a bad announcement.  Could be that fundraising has dried up over the last month and this is a way to try to regenerate enthusiasm and momentum.

 

I'd believe the bad news coming soon angle if SLU was competent or had shown competency in the PR arena during this situation or ever. 

I would say the more likely story is that after the little bid of flutter from Graves and Henriquez yesterday, SLU was like "Damn we need some good news out there" probably for the fundraising drying up reason you state. 

[Box and Won]

6 minutes ago, davidnark said:

I don't know the inner-workings of SLU's administration and management, but from my first-hand knowledge most major businesses are calculated and intentionally as to how and when they release meaningful news. If SLU isn't putting thought into it, they are certainly behind the times.

You certainly could be right, but keep in mind this is also the organization that tweeted pictures of the suspended players on a road trip and sent out one of the most asinine surveys I've ever seen.

It's not like there's a bunch of masterminds running the show over there.

Like I said in another thread, I'm no longer attempting to read between the lines.  It's probably better to view everything our clown college does as a series of illogical and completely unrelated events.

[slufan13]

There's no reason for this story to come out right now other than to paint the school in a good light with what's happened/about to happen. Hell the school released a survey on sexual assault that they've been working on for 2 years all while the title IX coordinator was on maternity leave. That was also to try to paint a good light on the decisions that just came out

[brianstl]

7 minutes ago, JMM28 said:

I'd believe the bad news coming soon angle if SLU was competent or had shown competency in the PR arena during this situation or ever. 

I would say the more likely story is that after the little bid of flutter from Graves and Henriquez yesterday, SLU was like "Damn we need some good news out there" probably for the fundraising drying up reason you state. 

The numbers at the end of December had to be inflated by people moving up donations they planned to give this year for tax reasons.  It is probably a real hard time to find donations right now because of that.  They will beat the record, but it is going to be more of a struggle than the article implied.

[TRN]

34 minutes ago, davidnark said:

In other words, don't be surprised if the shoe drops later today. Then again, I remain personally confident that the Goodwin situation will be worked out with a favorable result. 

I would think they could straighten out the mess, but it is the SLU Keystone Cops.  Unless there are outside forces helping “guide” the Admin to a fair result, I remain skeptical at best.

[Billy Ken]

Thinking there is a strategy is giving that outfit way too much credit. 

[TheA_Bomb]

A common bias in intelligence analysis is "mirror imagining".  The belief that those being analyzed think the way the analyst thinks.

I'm with Box, do not assume they're acting logical or coordinated.

[slu72 fan]

23 minutes ago, brianstl said:

The numbers at the end of December had to be inflated by people moving up donations they planned to give this year for tax reasons.  It is probably a real hard time to find donations right now because of that.  They will beat the record, but it is going to be more of a struggle than the article implied.

This is a large part of it. Why wouldn’t you pay when you receive the largest deduction , assuming you have the cash.

[Cowboy]

-scool

[cheeseman]

1 hour ago, brianstl said:

The numbers at the end of December had to be inflated by people moving up donations they planned to give this year for tax reasons.  It is probably a real hard time to find donations right now because of that.  They will beat the record, but it is going to be more of a struggle than the article implied.

I think you are right in your assessment.