CN&CO talks social media to SA’s top rowers

CN&CO’s Colin Ford and Rikus Kok spent the morning of 16 January 2017 at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria speaking to a group of elite athletes about social media. The group forms part of the national rowing squad under coach Roger Barrow – the number one rowing coach in the world.

CN&CO’s involvement in rowing stretches way back to a time before our company was even formed. And while our rowers have bagged lots of silverware over the years, they have tended to hold back when it comes to sharing their stories on social media.

“There’s no need to give away your strategy, but it’s important to build a public profile,” said Colin (from behind a very formal podium). “There are literally millions of South Africans who look up to our national sportswomen and men. They would love some insight into the people behind the achievements, to share in your passion and understand all the hard work that goes into participating in the global sports arena.”

Colin stressed the importance of sponsorship in all sports, specifically the role played by RMB CIB in its support of the national rowing squad.

Colin talks social media to SA’s top rowers at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria

“RMB CIB has really come to the party in terms of supporting not only the national rowing squad, but also by promoting rowing at schools level,” said Colin. “Sponsorship is a two-way street. The athletes and support teams also have an obligation, which is to raise the sponsors’ profile on social media by initiating conversations and promoting sponsors’ brands wherever they can.”

Coach Roger Barrow said it’s important for rowers to be seen as “more than just athletes”.

“In the past we have tended to play things very close to our chests,” he said. “We put in all the hard work ‘offline’ and then deliver the results on the day. What we’ve learnt today is that we can talk about our personal achievements, how we’re feeling and what we’ve been up to – both in training and in other spheres of our lives – without giving away the game plan.

“The training gave us the tools we need to build stronger relationships with all our key stakeholders, from sponsors and the media to our fellow rowers at all levels around the world, as well as our friends and family. I’m certainly excited to start sharing more!”

CN&CO works closely with RMB CIB and the national rowing squad to ensure maximum exposure for both brands on social media and on other marketing platforms. The Thinking.Pulling.Together TV ad is one example of the leverage that RMB CIB has gained from the rowing relationship.

Follow #RowingRSA and #ThinkingPullingTogether on social media platforms to engage with the key players and find out who’s doing what in the rowing world in South Africa.

You can also book a motivational talk at your company or school with the rowing team – who will bring along their Olympic medals for you to check out! Contact blake@cnandco.com for more info.