FPRA Gainesville Chapter welcomed Jacksonville Jaguars Senior Manager of Public Relations Tad Dickman who shared his experiences overseeing the team’s football communications, media relations and serving as the spokesman on football-related matters.
As public relations professionals, we have all had that moment where our clients or executives refused to do a needed interview. Former Jacksonville Jaguar Cecil Shorts III who had been open to doing interviews with the media was suddenly reluctant to do so after he had a particularly bad game. Because Cecil had built up a great deal of previous goodwill with the media, Tad stressed the importance of speaking with media when things hadn’t gone well. Cecil took the advice and thanked Tad later.
In a crisis, Tad offered this advice to his fellow communicators, “Stay true to who you really are.” Taking a page from Tad’s playbook, be that calming influence when the pressure is on, “analyze your options, review it, respond and then live it and learn from it.”
Tad also learns from the other NFL teams. He follows all of the other 31 teams on social media and observes how they respond to situations, how the media reacts to that response, and notes what those teams could have improved on. “It’s all about staying ahead of the game,” said Tad who looks at crisis situations as opportunities for his public relations team to demonstrate their skills set.
Always looking for ways to bring value to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tad described how he and his public relations staff also seek to serve other departments in the organization. “How can you add value to your company, both inside and outside of the building?” he challenged the audience. “How can you partner up with other businesses and community groups to create a positive moment for everyone?” Going outside the comfort zone paid off for the Jacksonville Jaguars when they encouraged Allen Robinson to participate in interviews about Fantasy Football which brought positive, national attention to the player and the team.
Tad’s primary responsibilities include preparing Head Coach Doug Marrone, General Manager Dave Caldwell and Quarterback Blake Bortles for all media engagements, as well as overseeing the day-to-day relations with local and national media. Tad says he is still “learning” Coach Doug Marrone and has adopted Marrone’s philosophy that “information is currency.” Tad encouraged his fellow public relations professionals to reach out and share their mission statements and philosophies with him because he always enjoys learning from others.
