by Sébastien Théberge

To truly understand the NDP’s filibuster, you have to look beyond the predictable outcome of the special back-to-work legislation targeting Canada Post’s 48,000 employees.   

Jack Layton had no choice: this situation was a direct challenge of the fundamental position and thinking of the NDP and its members.  If the NDP had opted to lie down and roll over at the first opportunity, it would have found it quite difficult to explain its decision throughout the summer.   

The Canada Post dispute was the first real power struggle between the Conservatives and New Democrats because, when you have a majority government, the opposition has few means and tools for making its position heard in Chamber and in the media.   

The Layton team probably decided to use the debate as an intensive training camp for its recruits!   

In fact, it provided an ideal platform for teaching new MPs about parliamentary debate on an issue of importance to them and a subject which they easily mastered.   

While they knew that the vote would ultimately be lost, the New Democrats did succeed in keeping the Conservatives from heading off on vacation. Jack Layton put his team to work, and their efforts did not go unnoticed.   

In the process, he also got to see who were his most effective and talented left-wingers!

Sébastien Théberge

About the author here

On Twitter:  @SebTheberge

by Sébastien Théberge

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) caused quite a stir when it announced a controversial new rule stipulating that, as of June 2011, female players taking part in high-level international competitions will be required to wear skirts. I examine the stakes, the controversy, but mainly, the commercial strategy that gave rise to this decision.

Sexist?

At first glance, this decision is obviously sexist. It reintroduces the debate surrounding the marketing of the female body and elicited strong reactions from the national badminton federations of Iran, Pakistan, and India as well as thousands of enthusiasts resistant to change.

Badminton: did you know that…

With more than 200 million enthusiasts, badminton is one of the five most widely practiced sports in the world! Enjoying almost national-sport status in several Asian countries, particularly in China, Japan, Korea and Southern Asia, it is also highly popular in Europe. Finally, the BWF’s membership includes some 165 national federations. It is obviously a closely followed Olympic sport though unfortunately, too often in the Americas, badminton is viewed as a school sport or recreational activity whose practice is relegated to weekday evenings.

Dress-code reality

A large number of female players already opt for the skirt, while others favour shorts. What is surprising is that there will no longer be a choice at competitions such as World Championships. With the introduction of the new dress code, wearing a skirt will be compulsory.

The BWF is unequivocal about its objective: it wants to attract sponsors. Let’s be clear: increasing the sexiness of female players is not likely to attract major international television networks for several years yet.

On the other hand, after analyzing its own marketing efforts, the BWF realized that such a move could potentially generate commercial income for the sport. Badminton – a spectator sport — offers possibilities that could be exploited by standardizing the look of its female athletes. That being said, couldn’t the same be achieved with shorts?

Giant sponsor potential

Ultimately, there will be a tendency among female players to stand out from each other, and the standard will attract equipment manufacturers like Adidas, Yonex, Nike, Victor Sport, Proton-EON and many others. Lucrative exclusivity contracts will allow the sport to shape a new sports fashion, starting with markets where badminton is particularly popular, especially in Asia.

Sports fashion

Sports fashion is a fast-growing niche. The last time you went shopping, did you notice the sports boutiques and departments dedicated to individual sports? A golf section, swimming section, ski section, jogging section, etc.? Capitalizing on the attraction of high-performing athletes, a new sports fashion tailored to badminton will be created by negotiating lucrative sponsorship agreements with the best players on the planet, most of whom will be from China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Scandinavia and Europe.  Eventually, the North American market will be exploited as well.

The potential of London 2012

In many ways, London is a marketing, fashion, and advertising hub and, in 2012, it will be a sports hub. The Summer Olympics to be held there next year are generating considerable enthusiasm among the major brands, eager to capitalize on the occasion. While the athletes cannot wear sponsors’ colours during the Games, national sports committees and federations negotiate agreements that do not conflict with the partners of the International Olympic Committee.

Who to blame?

Whether we like it or not, high-performing female athletes are models of success who exercise a strong influence on our young people. The commercial connection between sports fashion and the athletes is amplified by the need for these athletes to generate income in order to pursue their sports dreams.

Sébastien Théberge

About the author here

On Twitter:  @SebTheberge

References:

The Telegraph article on the topic:   http://bit.ly/mu49qZ

The list of international BWF competitions is available here: http://bit.ly/mKrqFd

When an issue becomes a crisis for an organization, managers must respond in a cool, measured, rational manner. Here are some common crisis management errors to avoid.

1.The siege syndrome

«Believe me, nobody wants this thing over more than I do; I want my life back »

Tony Hayward, CEO, BP (2010)

2. Trivialization

This reflex is the most difficult to change: admitting there’s a crisis or problem makes it possible to quickly move to the next steps, i.e., intervention and recovery.

3. Too many communication managers

You need a single conductor, one who is not necessarily the big boss and, preferably, is not the spokesperson, as he is the one who will be trained to perform.

4. The use of confrontation, threats and lawsuits

They do nothing but feed into the crisis rather than demonstrate action.

5. Too many strategic objectives

When you want to put out a fire, you have to adopt a methodical approach and not attempt to settle every issue on Day One. You have to build on the success of interventions.

6. Hierarchical rigidity interfering with the spontaneous identification of talent.

Management must display understanding, flexibility and skill in the implementation of its crisis cell. It must foster open communication both within the organization and outside, and must always keep its eye squarely on the goal: a return to normal.

Sébastien Théberge

About the author here

On Twitter:  @SebTheberge

Frank Lutz is an American pollster with Republican leanings, and the author of Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear.

Recently, he came out with the 11 most convincing lines used by politicians in 2011:

• Imagine: Still the most powerful word since it is inspiring and motivating and because it has a meaning that is personal to each of us.
• No excuses: In the sense of “I assume responsibility”.
• I get it: In addition to “I understand”, it also means that the person using this expression intends to work at resolving the situation.
• If you only remember one thing: this, according to him, is the best way of ensuring that people remember your key message.
• Uncompromising integrity: Integrity is important. But it’s not enough. You’d have to add the notion of inflexibility.
• The simple truth: One of the pet expressions of casino magnate Steve Wynn, it is useful for establishing the boundaries of the upcoming discussion.
• Believe in better: Such is the corporate mission of the British satellite firm of BSkyB (owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp) as well as the second most popular mission of all Fortune 100 companies.
• Real-time: This refers to the speed with which politicians should commit to providing all information of public interest.
• You decide: Too many decisions are beyond our control; to be told that we are responsible would give us the impression that we are reclaiming control of our destiny.
• You deserve: Such was the signature line of Tim Kaine (now President of the Democratic National Council) in his speech responding to George W. Bush’s 2006 State of the Union address.
• Let’s get to work: This is how Florida governor Rick Scott wrapped up his speeches during the election campaign. A great way to motivate the troops!

Pierre Guillot-Hurtubise will be presenting an improvement workshop on the theme of social acceptability at the next 2011 Union of municipalities of Quebec‘s annual conference.

The keystone of a municipality’s successful development involves the social acceptability of its major structural projects.Constant evolution makes creating the required commonality of interests all the more difficult, and opens up an ever-widening field for tools designed to mobilize citizens.

Mobilizing communication of the type that triggers change consists of much more than a dialogue among stakeholders.  A project’s success demands a sustained commitment to perfecting and transforming it, to meet everyone’s needs as closely as possible.

An effective communications approach requires vision, strategy and reflection.  It presupposes an openness to the views of others and calls for thinking outside the box. In short, seriously communicating with your environment not only involves presenting your project in a better light, but also agreeing to enhance it — the real condition for success.