How Do Penn State Corporate Partners Respond?

November 11, 2011 - 0 comments

We have all been shocked and disgusted by the horrible tragedy that is playing out at Penn State. Now, especially prior to the game on Saturday, all of the corporate supporters of the PSU football program have to ask themselves the following questions: What do we do? What is the appropriate response? How, or is it even possible, to separate our support of the football program from the reprehensible actions of one of its employees?

These are not easy questions and there are no easy answers. Some partners may elect to discontinue their relationship. Others, and it will probably be the majority, will maintain their support, while looking to put that support in perspective. But all corporate partners need to respond in some way. A good starting point might be to revisit the reasons for making such a commitment to Penn State in the first place. Such as aligning their brand with a football program that represented so many positive attributes; that succeeded in a big way by doing things the “right way”. It would also be a good time to listen to their customers: what are they saying through e-mail, website comments, social networks?

But after everything is considered, they have to act.

Each partner needs to acknowledge the recent events and clearly articulate why they have elected to continue or discontinue their support. Either way, they must explain their actions and the reasons behind them. Hopefully, at least some partners will also choose to announce support for groups that assist victims and their families in dealing with the terrible consequences of such unspeakable crimes.

In the end, all Penn State corporate partners need to demonstrate that they consulted their constituencies, carefully weighed all of their options, made a decision, were transparent about the decision-making process and, most importantly, did what they believed to be the right thing.

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