Roger Clemens YouTube Denial is Folksy, Effective
I'm a few days behind on this one, but Krismuh got in the way. So:
Roger "The Rocket" Clemens, he of the bloody sock (ed: err, no) and seven Cy Young Awards, took his vociferous denials of steroid use to YouTube on Sunday. In the 1:48 vid, he reiterates his innocence, but it's a clumsy -- folksy? -- reaffirmation. Rather than explaining the background of his predicament, Clemens obliquely references an L.A. Times article from last year that connected him with steroid use, then thanks his supporters and fans. Then he just sorta mumbles until the screen goes black.
Not exactly a professional entree into public relations. Or is it? Consider the setting and timing of the piece. The background -- the Clemens 300 Wins logo, and what seems to be a painting of pitching practice. Very orchestrated, in the George W. Bush sense of set design. And the timing -- Clemens is scheduled to be interviewed by "60 Minutes" this week. Great way to garner fan support, many of whom will look for clues to his innocence in his on-camera appearance.
But despite the vids' popularity (about 300k views since Dec 23), I wonder how long these personal appeals on YouTube will continue to be effective. Will they become so de rigueur that they lose their folksy direct-to-the-masses charm? How many young public relations executives -- how many agents -- are already putting their arms around clients and urging them to listen, listen, forget the press circuit. There's this thing called YouTube.
