Thierry Henry: a brand in ruin?

The French footballer Thierry Henry has this week had to face a barrage of criticism as a result of his handball during a World Cup deciding match against the Republic of Ireland. What this blog hopes to address is whether this incident will be a PR disaster for Henry or whether he will be able to maintain the popularity and success he has enjoyed. How will this media and public backlash affect the Henry brand?

The press coverage for this sporting incident has been huge and is still of great media interest a number of days after the event gaining widespread discussion on TV, radio, in newspapers and online. The majority of this coverage has not been in favour of Henry and has painted him in a rather poor light with many regarding his actions as the height of poor sportsmanship. The Guardian newspaper for example ran the headline “Hands-on Henry becomes public enemy numero un.” What can Henry do to make this PR nightmare disappear?

In the online edition of PRweek they have highlighted that numerous sports PR experts believe the brand and the man are in no danger despite this current feeling of resentment that has developed towards the player. Since the incident Henry has spoken publicly and said that he would like to see the game replayed as he would like to allow Ireland a fair chance of making it to the World Cup in South Africa. This move of speaking out has certainly been engineered by his media team to show that Henry is taking responsibility and to maintain the positive image he has created over the years. Threepipe co-founder Eddie May has stated that “Thierry Henry has had a reputation of being one of the most sporting players. He has a good reputation in England as a fair player and a nice guy.” May further states that “His image and brand will not be affected in the long run.”

A number of big name football stars have shown support for Henry ranging from David Beckham to Ally McCoist including, notably, the ex-Ireland player Roy Keane who thinks everyone should “Get over it!” With such a variety of people speaking out in support of Henry this can only be of benefit to his brand in such a difficult time. The media backlash Henry is facing is reminiscent of the media attacks against David Beckham after he was sent off during the England v Argentina game in the 1998 World Cup. Beckham has now gone on to become a global superstar and is more successful than ever. This is something that Henry should focus on during this media invasion.

A main cause of concern for Henry is the reaction of the French. Instead of being joyous that their team has made it to the World Cup they are a nation embarrassed by the actions of their team captain and have even branded Henry a cheat. Despite the negativity that Henry may be faced with now he still remains a marketable figure. As Stephanie Branston of Synergy Sponsorship has stated that “His value to sponsors will not suffer in the long-term, although I would not envisage too many Irish companies beating down the door of Henry’s agent this week offering brand endorsements.” Whether this will be a PR disaster for the Thierry Henry brand, it is fair to say, only time will tell. What is a certainty is that Henry will always be remembered, but unfortunately he may now have a tarnished image as the 21st Century’s version of the “Hand of God.”