The Emotional Equity Model
This morning, I presented to the AFL - Australian Football League and club media teams as part of the league’s Digital Playbook series, hosted by Trishan Naidoo, on how digital can hold emotional ground when the wins stop coming.
Because when performances dip and Finals fade, the pressure doesn’t disappear, it shifts. Onto your content. Your tone. The voice fans hear when everything else feels uncertain. And when there’s silence? That’s not neutral, it’s a vacuum. Fans don’t sit quietly in that vacuum. They fill it with frustration, cynicism, and disconnection. And when you stay quiet? That becomes your brand voice for the next 48 hours. Not your values. Not your story. Just the mood of the comments section.
Often, the one left holding that emotional space is "the admin". But being “the admin” isn’t just about posting a final score. You’re the first voice after a loss. A tone-setter. A meaning-maker. You don’t speak for the team, but you’re trusted to speak about them, with care. And when it’s done well? That voice doesn’t just post through a loss, it shifts sentiment. It earns trust. Not through polish, but through emotional intelligence.
But let’s be real, that voice doesn’t exist in a vacuum either. The admin’s job is shaped by who has access, what gets approved, what tone is encouraged, and how much the club actually trusts its digital team to lead with empathy, not just polish.
➡️ The Emotional Equity Model
This is the model I shared today, a way to frame digital engagement not just as content delivery, but as emotional infrastructure. Because the real question isn’t “what do we post when we lose?"; it’s “have we built enough emotional equity to be heard when we do?" Every time you post, you're not just hitting send. You're making an emotional transaction.
Think of it like a bank account with your fans:
✨Deposits - moments that build trust and connection:
Shared wins. Familiar tone. Human stories. Community-first content.
✨Withdrawals - moments that erode that connection:
Silence after a loss. Detached tone. Templated content. Ignoring sentiment.
✨Interest - the emotional return you earn over time:
Vulnerability that lands. Humour that feels earned. A tone fans begin to recognise as their own.
And here’s the bottom line: If your emotional bank account is empty, your commercial one probably is too.
Emotional equity isn’t fluff, it’s strategy. Emotional connection isn’t just a “nice to have” when your team is losing. It’s a leading predictor of retention, renewals, and revenue. Research shows fans with strong emotional bonds are significantly more likely to renew tickets, stay engaged through poor seasons, and continue showing up, even when the ladder tells a different story.
If your team’s struggling on the field, now’s not the time to go quiet. It’s time to invest in the emotional account that keeps fans coming back. 🫶🏼