On June 2, a split-second decision by umpire Jim Joyce resulted in a blown call costing Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. Media outlets across the country swarmed to the story, dissecting the call and praising Galarraga for demonstrating a level of sportsmanship so rarely seen in today’s professional athletes.
The blown call was covered by almost every media outlet in the country that evening, and the next morning it was announced that Galarraga and Joyce would meet on the field prior to the next game. This guaranteed most media outlets that covered the story the night before would do a follow-up on the exchange.
As one of the most recognizable companies in Detroit and a key sponsor of the Tigers, General Motors executives very quickly decided to recognize their hometown star for his outstanding performance both on and off the field by presenting him with a new 2010 Chevrolet Corvette. The car was presented during the lineup exchange on the field prior to the game.
GM appeared to hit a grand slam with this split-second decision. Every sports network, evening news broadcast and major newspaper across the country covered not only the exchange between Galarraga and Joyce, but also the generous “consolation” prize from GM. In terms of paid advertising, you can’t buy that kind of exposure, let alone the value of being viewed as a compassionate company that recognized the heroics of its hometown sports hero.
PR opportunities like this are very few and far between, especially for a company that has been scrutinized during the last 18 months for its $300 million loan from the U.S. government. GM’s public relations efforts were able to take a blown call and turn it into an opportunity for its company to make a sincere gesture of gratitude in front of a national audience.
Despite all of the positive PR General Motors received from this event, there were still some detractors. Executives at GM likely considered the negative public perception its gift to Galarraga, valued at $53,000, would receive following the loan they received from the government last year.
Regardless, what GM did was make a split-second decision to positively associate itself with one of the most talked about news stories at that moment with a good old fashioned PR tactic. For a $53,000 investment, GM received – at minimum – 20 times its investment in national media coverage. Even with the negative stories out there about the gift, it appears that the decision was a huge success. Consider the fact that we all saw and talked about that beautiful new Chevy Corvette. And, just in case you forgot, we were reminded that GM will always support the city and people of Detroit.
