This is the Statt Mann Baby. It's time to Scatt a little bit.

Social media, these days, can define the success of failure of a promotion.

Things like Twitter and Facebook also let you control your message and, ultimately, the way the audience thinks about your promotion.

Given all that, there was a case study last weekend illustrating missed opportunities at the Global Rallycross round at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

During Sunday practice two leading names in the series crashed heavily. Twitter was full of dramatic pictures showing the crashes. But there were just as many questions asking if the drivers were OK and, from people who weren’t at the track, questions about what happened?

On the Global Rallycross website were pre-event news releases. There was nothing on Twitter or Facebook about driver conditions hours after the crashes. One team did email a release on Monday, about 24 hours AFTER their mishap.

Things like that diminish the brand in the public’s eye. Ten years ago such response to “news” from an event was inexcusable. Today, such delays in talking to your audience are indefensible.

When you can control your message, you must control it.  It’s the way you build audience and, in the larger picture, sponsor interest.

If you’re a fan, demand better.

Peace.