Rugby as a sport has continuously been on an upward trend in Kenya. The national sevens team has proved to be a force to reckon with by beating world champions in many tournaments. However, as a nation, Kenya has not optimised this growth for brand building. Can PR be leveraged to grow the sport in Kenya and beyond?

1. Leveraging PR for
Rugby in Kenya

2. About me
• Hitting a decade in the practice
• Worked in both PR and Media
• Worked both at agency as well as in the corporate sector
• Prior to joining RHG, I was the Media and Stakeholder Manager at
Telkom Kenya
• Believer in & avid user of digital media
• Active - Cycling
• Passive - Football & Rugby
• Membership – PRSK, BAKE & JAK
@barasapaul
Paul Barasa
http://youngprkenya.blogspot.
co.ke/
http://kecorporatenews.blogs
pot.co.ke/

3. o A deliberate, planned and sustained effort to institute and maintain
mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics
(Institute of Public Relations definition)
o Includes activities to ensure the company has a strong public image.
Public relations activities include helping the public to understand
the company and its products. Often, public relations work is
conducted through the media, that is, newspapers, television,
magazines, and more recently new media
o A promotion intended to create goodwill for a person or institution
o Public Relations (PR) is the practice of conveying messages to the
public through the media on behalf of a client, with the intention of
changing the public's actions by influencing their opinions
Definitions of PR

4. o The practice of PR in sports was occurring before the actual term
“public relations” was created
o This occurred because of the first form of PR: word of mouth. The
Olympic games were talked about throughout the Greek world
and beyond during the four years prior to the actual event
o From 776 BC to AD 395, “the Olympic festival attracted citizens from
all over the Greek world” (Swaddling, 1980, pg.10). People traveled
to Olympia “from colonies as far as Spain and Africa”.
o As the games continued every four years, people talked about
them to their friends who then spread the word to other people
History of PR & Sports

5. o Research: Discovering the attitudes and
behaviors of stakeholders
o Issues Management: Identifying and
addressing issues of public interest
o Multicultural Affairs: Relating with
individuals and groups in minorities
o Marketing Communications: Combination
of activities designed to sell a
product/service
o Creation and dissemination of messaging
What is PR?

6. What others say about Kenyan Rugby will be much
more important than the claims that you make!
Use of credibility and influence of third parties (mainly media) to deliver
information that will educate and inspire targeted Audiences to change
perceptions and behavior, shift mindset and
take action in relation to your brand
. . . in other words
What differentiates it?

7. “It represents success, pride,
determination & strong heritage”

8. o Generate Revenue - (Sponsorships, Tournaments, Leagues &
Membership
o Capability to develop and build a brand #Kenya Rugby #Shujaas
o Build credibility (Government, Sponsors, World Rugby, Fans,
Associations & Members)
o Abundant influence on the media - Athletics Kenya
o Exposure to even high-profile teams, athletes and sports
executives and events- world series
But why PR?

9. o Games results
o Leagues
o Tournaments
o Team performance
o Upward movement at the global
ranking
o Negative developments in the
teams
o KRU
o Growth and Expansion
o Leadership
o Partnerships
o Citizenship and sponsorship
o Team Activities
o Players
o Sponsors
o Universities & Schools
o Others
o Entertainment
o Fashion and art
News Drivers

10. County
Govt’s
Sponsors
Fan lobby groups
Kenya
XV
Kenya U19
Council of
Governors
Kenya 7
Kenya
Ladies
Competitions
Universities
Schools
Min of SPA
Media
KRU
Clubs
Parliamentary
CommitteesNational
Government
KENYA RUGBY: The Environment

11. Conduct a comprehensive
media relations and media
engagement program that
is highly visible year round.
Develop a
programme
targeting
Stakeholders
Conduct specific program
to reach the grassroots and
opinion leaders
Launch a
social
engagement
Program to
soften brand
Strategic Approach

12. Position Kenya Rugby
Union as playing a
pivotal role in the growth
of the country's Economy
Corporate profiling
Ensure sustained visibility
of KRU in media and
deepen media
understanding the
projects being
undertaken..
Media relations
Identify KR publics, their
needs, interests &
expectations while
proactively engaging
them in relevant
platforms.
Stakeholder relations
Anticipate potentially
disruptive events & ensure
KRU is in control of crisis
situations when they
occur
Crisis Management
Leverage Internal
communication to nurture
internal brand champions
who then own & drive the
Excellence in service
delivery agenda.
Internal Comms.
The key pillars

13. • Public Affairs/Community engagement
– Map key stakeholder clusters around various issues
– Direct engagement of stakeholders to drive KRU agenda
– Regular monitoring of sponsor concerns/evolving interests
– Work with key influencers to positively shape political/public perception of KRU and
its membership
– Revamping grassroots rugby initiatives that will enhance public understanding and
gaining public approval and acceptance leading to public support
• Media Relations and engagement
– Leverage media influence to articulate KRU agenda on any pertinent issues
– Forge close working partnership with media to profile KRU and its leadership
– Ensure strong visibility for KRU activities in public domain (both „hard‟ & „soft‟ stories)
– Leverage a mix of formal (e.g. regional media workshop) and informal media
engagement
• Thought Leadership and Executive Profiling
– Sustained profiling of KRU as industry thought leader on matters Industry issues
– Project KRU voice in pertinent discourse e.g. Performance Enhancement Drugs
– Optimise existing assets for community engagement and marketing initiatives
• Crisis Communication and Issue Management
– Mapping of potential crises, preparing and testing crisis communication plan
Key PR focus

14. Outputs: the scope of a campaign‟s reach
and influence, through the news media, the Internet, and other channels
Impact: the ways a PR campaign
has influenced awareness and attitude among the target audiences
Outcomes: changes in behavior…attitude - that deliver on key
objectives
and goals, such as increased levels of awareness and understanding
Which create…
Which drive…
3 levels of measuring the value of PR & Communication

15. MEASUREMENT TOOLS
• Media Monitoring Software
• PRV
• Media Contacts Feedback
• Consumer Feedback
Formal research:
• Brand audit and brand health
tracking
• Media Reputation Index
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Employee surveys
• PC reports
• Human resource reports
• PC performance
Measurement matrix

16. TIBIM