In her first TCW article, Cat’s Whiskers Podcast presenter Tina Taylor says she has so far been very impressed with Panthers new Marketing & Communications manager…
You know when you get a good feeling about something and you so desperately want to be right about it? Well, don’t say it too loud but the Nottingham Panthers have a new media person in and it’s quite possible that we (as Panthers fans) have reason to be pleased about that.
I could apologise to those of you who get your kicks from laughing at the general state of the Panthers media but I’m not going to. Hopefully you’ve had your fun and whilst some of you have been devastatingly witty, it’s been pretty heart-breaking for some of us!
Last season we had Eddie Suikki who was doing interviews for the website, a section on the ‘Checking it Out’ programme (which I stopped watching after about the 5th show so I don’t know if that carried on), DVD commentary, press releases and such but I can’t recall any mention of him being brought into the role, no announcement, no ‘Welcome to the Panthers organisation’ press release or anything of that ilk. Perhaps it passed me by but it seemed that he simply appeared and no one really had any clue of his role or function.
I don’t think anything that he did was revolutionary, he kept things ticking over but then there just seemed to be a deathly silence on all Panthers social media channels at the end of last season and with as much fuss and fanfare with which he arrived (i.e. none) it appeared that he left.
Now we have Calum Chalmers who has only been in the job less than a week but is already making a difference in my eyes. He’s kick started the Panthers social media presence, seems to be fully invested in making our online presence matter, is engaging with the fan base on the official Twitter account as well as his own personal account and, horror of horrors, is actually getting involved in some light hearted twitter banter!
Also, as seems to be the fashion at the moment, it would appear that on day one the revered Twitter blue tick was already on his to-do list.
So far, I’m liking what Calum is doing, perhaps some bridges can be built with the dejected and jaded section of the fanbase? It’s early days but it’s amazing what a little bit of thought and effort can do and I really hope he is starting as he means to go on. The bar is low but the expectation of the Panthers fans remains high and we’re tired of being laughed at when the organisation touts us as the biggest hockey club in the country.
It’s not enough to do ‘just enough’, we have to keep up and if we REALLY want to be taken seriously as the biggest hockey club in the country, we have to exceed and excel and also do it with poise and professionalism with a touch of tasteful humour thrown in for good measure. Not too much to ask really is it?
Good luck Calum, you’re going to need it!
You can follow Tina on Twitter @Muppitz_
thecatswhiskersonline.com 