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Benchmark 5: The Return of Derrick Rose

Andy Shore Andy Shore found his way to Benchmark when he replied to a job listing promising a job of half blogging, half social media. His parents still don’t believe that people get paid to do that. Since then, he’s spun his addiction to pop culture and passion for music into business and marketing posts that are the spoonful of sugar that helps the lessons go down. As the result of his boss not knowing whether or not to take him seriously, he also created the web series Ask Andy, which stars a cartoon version of himself. Despite being a cartoon, he somehow manages to be taken seriously by many of his readers ... and few of his coworkers.

August 23, 2012 2 min read

I am a diehard Bulls fan. They won so many championships during my formative years, that I was literally confused and angered when I found out the result at the end of every season was not the Bulls winning. The Bulls collapse in the playoffs this past season coincided with our star player, Derrick Rose, blowing out his knee. He is one of the biggest endorsers of Adidas. They saw an opportunity and launched a video series called The Return. Here is the Benchmark 5: Things you can learn about making a comeback from The Return of D Rose.

Humanize yourself. For your company, a torn ACL is akin to making a mistake or incurring a PR gaffe. For The Return, it was showing him down and out and working hard to get back. For you, it can be some self deprecating humor and a public plan to fix your errors.
Don’t like the conversation? Change what they’re talking about. This is also a lesson from the Mad Men episode when Don writes The Letter. Rather than hearing about how D Rose was going to miss a major portion of the season or how he might never be the same, Adidas came out with the campaign to talk about how he will be great again. That’s all I’ve heard my friends mention lately. Do something great to get your naysayers viewing you in a more positive light.
Inspire hope. The Return is all about hope. These videos show how hard he is working in his rehabilitation. It’s made me look forward to basketball again. If you’re attempting a comeback, give your customers, readers, etc. something to look forward to or be hopeful about. Show why you’re changing for the better.
Show, don’t tell. Show how hard you’re working. Let everyone see the steps you are taking to change for the better. It’s a far more effective message.
Excite your audience. You’re not just trying to brush the dirt off and get back up. You need to reenergize and re-enthuse anyone who may have soured on you or your company. Give them something to look forward to. A positive to latch on to.

Author Bio:

by Andy Shore

Andy Shore found his way to Benchmark when he replied to a job listing promising a job of half blogging, half social media. His parents still don’t believe that people get paid to do that. Since then, he’s spun his addiction to pop culture and passion for music into business and marketing posts that are the spoonful of sugar that helps the lessons go down. As the result of his boss not knowing whether or not to take him seriously, he also created the web series Ask Andy, which stars a cartoon version of himself. Despite being a cartoon, he somehow manages to be taken seriously by many of his readers ... and few of his coworkers.