The lessons of Hoagiegate

There’s nothing they like better in the City of Brotherly Love than a good old fashioned scrap. And they’ve got one right now over an NFL football fan’s right to bring his or her own piece of Philly tradition – a hoagie – into the team’s shiny new stadium.

Bringing said sandwich into the game is a tradition that – if you believe sports talk radio in Philadelphia – is about as old as the Liberty Bell, and as revered as Independence Hall. Sitting in the stands, downing a couple of cold ones, and munching on a hoagie from your favorite deli is as much a part of Eagles’ games as the brouhahas that became so frequent that the city actually installed a court room in the stadium to immediately fine and discharge miscreants.

But, with Lincoln Financial Field set to open this fall, the team president announced that no outside food would be allowed into the stadium. The reason? Security.

That’s right, the Eagles purport that hoagies represent a security risk because of the possibility that some fan with intentions other than stuffing his or her face might smuggle something in between the layers of salami and provolone. Last year’s tradition has become this year’s security threat.

You can only imagine the uproar among the Philly faithful. Not counting the letters to the editor, there have been no less than 12 local print stories in two weeks on the subject of Hoagiegate, all asking the same basic question: Are you kidding me?

News coverage has detailed the impact on local delis (who sell as many as 1,000 extra hoagies on game day), bemoaned the loss of tradition, and called the Eagles cheap for wanting to force feed fans more expensive stadium food. Recent coverage tracked hoagies that got within 50 feet of President Bush during a recent visit (he was unharmed), and detailed a local congressman’s efforts to pass a bill that would require the team to rescind its directive.

Whether or not you consider the practice of schlepping your own sandwich into a game a quaint custom or a bit curious, Hoagiegate has a lot of lessons to teach us about media strategy.

• Tell the truth. Always. Philly fans see more holes in this “security” story than in a slice of Swiss cheese. Even if it is the truth, it sounds too far-fetched to believe. If you ever find yourself faced with such a story to tell, subject your plan to the “reasonable person” test. If a reasonable person wouldn’t believe it, don’t say it.
• Secure third-party support ahead of time. If hoagies do represent a security threat (stop laughing), the team should have lined up the Department of Homeland Security, local police, league officials, an out-of-town stadium security guru – somebody – before making this announcement. They eventually did produce such people, but only after the backlash began. Learn from their mistake; find others who will support your claims before opening your corporate mouth.
• Prepare for the worst. This situation has gone from bad to worse because the Eagles’ media strategy was: 1. Announce plan. 2. Dig in heels. In doing so, they’ve directed the attention of their faithful away from where it should be – on the team itself. Simply anticipating questions and preparing logical responses would have been a better step two.

Whether or not the team eventually backs off, they have certainly set a new standard for laughingstocks everywhere, while giving communicators plenty to chew on.