It was an outpouring from his fans through social media channels that convinced Ryan Bradley to skate one more season. He ended up winning the U.S. title.
Social media, PR key to building image, awareness
by KAMA KORVELA
— online. Bradley started getting a lot of supportive mes-
sages on Facebook and Twitter encouraging him to do “one more year.” “It [the support] got the ball rolling, so to speak,”
t
Diamond City Figure Skating Publicity Chair Karel Zubris is featured in a cover story at
www.Happeningsmagazinepa.com.
he said. “It made me feel wanted and relevant.” Te decision proved to be a great one — he won the 2011 U.S. Championships. Te power of public relations and social media can’t be denied. Whether it is a skater who is creating a public persona or a club trying to build awareness of its programs, public relations and social media are essential to achieving those goals. Today’s society is quick to forget, so it’s more important than ever to keep figure skating and its athletes in the public eye. Lynn Plage, owner of LP Communications in Denver, understands the significant role public relations plays in the sports industry and beyond.
“New champions are here, and we will need to develop new stories to not only make them better known to the public, but to en- hance their image and create awareness for the sport,” she said. “It is important to build their image so that the general public wants to connect with them as athletes, role mod- els and people.”
Only a few short years ago, not
many people knew about social media. It has quickly developed into an essential tool for developing an online identity. “It’s the No. 1 way to reach fans
and consumers,” said Brittany Evans, a public relations assistant for LP Com- munications, who has also worked with the 2011 Smucker’s Stars on Ice tour and Disson Skating.
“Fans are looking for somewhere 14 JUNE/JULY 2012
wo years ago, Ryan Bradley was at a cross- roads. After narrowly missing making the 2010 Olympic team, he was unsure what his next step should be. As it turns out, he found encouragement in an unlikely place
PHOTO BY MIKE OKONIEWSKI
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