Chelsea Love Rat John Terry Needs a Social Media Strategy

John Terry, the Chelsea and England captain, has no doubt had something of a PR nightmare this weekend after it emerged in the UK that he had an affair with a teammate’s girlfriend, got her pregnant and then arranged for her to have an abortion.

Terry, arguably one of the best footballers of his generation, has attracted stacks of sponsorship in recent years after leading Chelsea to the Premier League title twice but his stock his likely to suffer after this weeks’ revelations. Here in Sweden, for example, Terry has been the face of CanalPlus’s Premier League advertising campaign last season.

Social Media Crisis Management

If I was one of Terry’s advisors, this would be the moment I’d suggest we put together a special message to his Facebook Fans or Email subscription list. Now’s the time to get a message out to them admitting frankly that, well, yes John’s human and is sorry for any pain and upset he’s caused. It’s definitely time for some social media crisis management.

I’d want John to take the line that, well, he’s human; sometimes romantic sexual attraction gets us into trouble. History is littered with examples of misdemeanors of the heart.

I’d want him to own up to being utterly responsible for his actions and not play the victim card at all.

My strategy here would be that the email subscription list and Facebook Fans we’ve collected are important. Not just now, but also for when John’s career is over.

Maybe he won’t go into management or TV, and a tribe of followers who grew up supporting Terry’s success on the field might still be interested in hearing what he’s up to in the future in later life. In fact, a database of supporters email addresses could be a valuable tool for direct marketing later in John’s career.

Use Social Media to Build for the Future

So, John. If you’re reading. Get that email or Facebook Fan message out to your real fans as quickly as possible. Work on a bit of crisis management. They’ll understand. They’re human, after all. We’ve all made mistakes in our lives. You, unfortunately, just have to live them in the glare of the public.

Don’t wait to sell your story for a stack of cash sometime later down the line. Maintaining a relationship with your supporters now is the main thing.

Of course, I am assuming, John, that you’ve built an opt-in list of people that subscribe to your official email newsletter? Or an official Facebook Fan Page?

After all, social media is vital to brand management. Even the personal brand’s of premier league footballers.

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3. The Reality of Social Media Marketing
4. Social Media Fails to Inspire Norwegian Managers
5. Social Media Takes Commitment