Hoke Push = Good Thing
This follows from another post, but my response simply got too long. I also have been struck by the resounding, perfectly-synchronized Hoke Hurrah from Michiganland. And I also think it is no accident. But I see it as a good thing. Here is my take on it.
- Brandon is a far more sophisticated marketer than most ADs.
- From OSU to the firing date, many asked: "What was/is he doing??" -- I think, in part, he was laying the groundwork for a well-oiled Hoke introduction
- Brandon has stressed the importance of everyone supporting the new coach. I don't see how you can say he's wrong. It does matter. It boosts team morale, lowers the coach's stress, builds fans' excitement and extends their patience, etc.
- I do not think it is a coincidence that Hoke praise and support has been cascading in from every direction in a unified chorus. I think it would have made sense for Brandon to contact a myriad of people associated with the program and (a) ask what they thought of Hoke and, (b) if they approved, perhaps mention how much it would help for the new coach to have public support.
- I think Brandon probably laid a lot of PR groundwork, I think it was a sound strategy, I think it was a good thing to do, and I think it has been very effective. Other programs are not laughing at us (not much anyway). Our players are not reacting like Florida players to Zook (Recall Rex Grossman's: "What the hell's a Zook?"). They're buying into the support/excitement. That's great.
- The only minor downside to the whole thing is it has been so effective we now have a small cadre of pro-Hoke e-foot soldiers, marauding the MGoBoard board in search of dissent. They are a little too Nazi youth for my taste thus far. But in all other respects, I see the orchestrated PR swoon as a very good thing for the program. It is weird to see the Detroit papers react to a Michigan coach like girls at a Beatles concert, but...it beats the alternative.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:36 AM ^
While it has a little bit of a "Stepford Wives" feel to it, I can't fault DB for making sure that this one goes right. He's a lot more media-proactive than his predecessor, and I am impressed with his use of new media as well.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:40 AM ^
I wouldn't have minded this reply...perfectly appropos to my original content.
I thought the same thing, that there's fingerprints of a PR firm all over the last week. A lot of T Minus 8 Days through T plus 4 Days to the past two weeks, with myriad applause from all corners, from all media.
Great input.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:47 AM ^
while this is good input & thought out very well, I fail to see why a "too long" reply can't just be a reply.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^
Brady Hoke to Michigan-"Oh Yes We Did!"
Buy into one Michigan Head Coach and get the OC Free!
January 14th, 2011 at 10:52 AM ^
Can we call the Hoke Push the Hokey Pokey? It's fun to give silly names to silly things.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:58 AM ^
Any word on who we are looking at hiring for our Defensive Coordinator spot?
January 14th, 2011 at 10:59 AM ^
It really all comes down to how the kids act and play, especially once we get beyond this honeymoon period.
If we win lots and are scandal free, Hoke will be anointed an awesome coach. Or it can go another way.........
January 14th, 2011 at 11:00 AM ^
There is no d coordinator , d line or corners coach currently
I say keep the RichRod assistants, which would help with keeping recruits and the players would be more solid knowing their postion coach
January 14th, 2011 at 11:18 AM ^
All of Rod's coaches have been hired.
January 14th, 2011 at 11:34 AM ^
Give him time to explore the oodles of information provided by the site.
EDIT: Also thebrute55 welcome to the site. Few tips since you're new. No jackass posts, not saying it to be mean, but these guys on this site have no time to sift through meaningless posts and will still sleep at night knowing they sent you to bolivia. Sarcasm is encouraged, as well as kittens and appropriate gifs. If you have photoshop skills that is definitely a plus.
January 23rd, 2011 at 7:47 PM ^
alright sorry.
January 14th, 2011 at 11:20 AM ^
GERG for continuity?
January 14th, 2011 at 11:54 AM ^
Keep GERG?
You kiss your mother with that mouth?
January 14th, 2011 at 11:34 AM ^
all the time; are you out of your freakin' mind? I think we need to exorcise anything and everything that might have come into contact with anyone that is, was, or might ever be connected with our defense.
January 14th, 2011 at 11:36 AM ^
Considering our defense was terrible, why would you want any of them back. Make the clean break and find a d coordinator who can restore some fire. I for one look forward to more stuff like this
And less of this
January 14th, 2011 at 11:14 AM ^
I go out for one night and miss the whole 'Hoke Push' meme. Shit, I thought he like, physically pushed someone.
January 14th, 2011 at 11:35 AM ^
Yeah, maybe Brandon is a savvy marketer. But he sucks and will always suck. Hoke is a rad dude and I'm happy to have him, but his boss is a pile of shit. epinion
January 14th, 2011 at 11:45 AM ^
I'm just bummed you didn't call him "smegma" again.
January 24th, 2011 at 10:15 AM ^
Is awesome. How'd you know way back when, that he'd be our guy?
January 14th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^
I agree with pretty much everything you said except for other programs not laughing at us much. Everyone I've talked to who isn't a Michigan fan has basically said "Is your AD completely retarded? He's resigned Michigan to being Notre Dame." A few OSU fans I know were thanking DB for picking a coach that they don't think will be competitive with them. ESPN people were saying that Michigan needed a homerun hire for a coach, but that this one was, at best, "underwhelming."
This pick definitely damaged the national view of the Michigan brand, at least in the short term. If it works out long term, then the reputation of the program will come back up, but this definitely hurt Michigan's reputation at least in the short term.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
Yeah - my OSU and MSU friends are breathing a huge sigh of relieve after sweating through a few days of Harbaugh and a few days of Les Miles.
January 14th, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^
However, too much can be counter-productive and make you look desperate, as if you don't have confidence in the hire. When you overdo it, it erodes the message and starts to look contrived and fake, so you do enough.
I would be upset if DB didn't have a strategy in place to support the hire, he would be crazy not to, no matter who he hired (or retained, for that matter if he had decided to keep RR). I think one of the biggest failings of the RR hire was that absolutely none of this occurred at the time he came on board, which is on Martin. It would have been easy to get quotes from his former players on what a good guy he is, to line up football experts to talk about how is innovations on offense are being used by teams winning national championships, set the message about where he came from as a 'cinderella story/blue-collar guy whocame from nothing and worked his way up' type, tout his line to Don Nehlen michigan man and make a much bigger deal about how much RR is honored to be at M and how he reveres the program and such....etc., etc. Had any of that occurred, RR's image could have been completely different from day 1, 180 degrees different, but instead, they did nothing and the message spun out of control and was actually instead set by the AD at WVU, and the Governor of WV (make no mistake about it, they had an active CYA campaign running because they had reneged on their promise to raise the salaries of RR's staff and lost RR and they did not want public opinion focused on them) and all the fans that felt spurned and RR was smeared up and down and we all know how that turned out.
So yes, without a doubt, support the hire, control the message and make sure it is positive, however don't go overboard because it then appears as if you are propping up BH and that can turn people off.
And please, Brandon, stop with the faux excitement, corporate-speak exclamation points, they come across as disingenuous and condescending!
January 14th, 2011 at 12:35 PM ^
... it is concerning, not only as a Michigan fan but as a sports media consumer, that I've found zero articles in the MSM questioning Hoke as a hire. Meanwhile, the only vetting he's received is in the blogosphere. Further, most of what I've read about Hoke in sports blogs is critical of his record as HC.
To be fair, I haven't read every MSM article or every blog (nor do I think it's possible), but I'd break down the Hoke-related articles I've read as such:
MSM - 100% positive
Blogs - 85% skeptical
If there was ever a doubt the mainstream media was out of touch, this phenomenon should underline it.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:12 PM ^
MSM = take what you're served up and regurgitate it. Add your spin if you feel like putting the effort in.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:13 PM ^
I like that. The MSN is "out of touch" with a bunch of dopes who post 90 million repetitive threads ranging from "What's a Michigan Man" to "Did Devin get his redshirt?"
Fanatics who admittedly stay up too late, have unprodictive days at work during coaching searches, and track every move of an 18 year old kid and want to see him without a shirt on.
Yup. The main stream media is out of touch. LOLZ
You should have said the main stream media is out of touch with message board guys.
Now THAT'S accurate.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:39 PM ^
Won't disagree with you that people on repetitive threads are "dopes" (myself included), but even more dopey are those who take MSM opinion (or even reported facts) as canon.
But let's take "out of touch" out of it... What's a professional reporter's job? Is it not to be skeptical in their questioning? If the reporter is writing an editorial, are they not to at least acknowledge varied points of view? I've seen virtually no skepticism or varied points of view in the case of Hoke's hire.
Meanwhile, the blogs are non-professional journos who've provided skewed but fact-based and varied points of view while the MSM provided ONE (on this topic, anyway).
And the fact you're here proves even you believe that.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
The whole reaction to this Hoke thing is telling. Very telling.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:34 PM ^
The criterion Brandon eluded to of finding a coach the truly wanted the job through the rest of his career..and how Hoke didn't even ask about pay - not the case with Harbaugh and Miles..
January 14th, 2011 at 10:34 PM ^
The criterion Brandon eluded to of finding a coach the truly wanted the job through the rest of his career..and how Hoke didn't even ask about pay - not the case with Harbaugh and Miles..