Haven’t blogged in quite a few days, so wanted to add a few random thoughts on this late Saturday night as I work from my office on West 45th Street:

1: Off this week to a 36 hour trip to Los Angeles for a major RFP pitch. Is there any business which is more archaic than the airline industry? Anytime I need to fly I dread the process (I know I mention this often)….

That said, I am looking forward to seeing our new office in Beverly Hills (My LA office moved last week)… and returning to a great restaurant – Katsuya (Great Japanese in LA)…I am obsessed with sushi lately (Although here at home in NYC I am obsessed with Philippe Chow, whom we represent)….. and I have to be there at least 2x a week or suffer withdrawal.

2: Wow does physical exercise make a difference. I was able to run the last 3 days (20 miles in the last 3 days)… and am definitely going again tomorrow. I had to miss 3 days this week as we had multiple events occurring every night this week and I feel so much more focused after sweating on the treadmill. I don’t think it’s possible for me to focus without an outlet – I’d advise all entrepreneurs and hard working folks to find an outlet – Whether physical activity, knitting or learning a second language. Take the time. I couldn’t function without it.

3: As I commented to a few media outlets yesterday, O.J. Simpson (A.K.A. America’s biggest fool) is the impossible PR brand to assist. O.J. Simpson is beyond all hope for any sort of rehab in the public’s eye. I don’t think there is a PR firm on earth that will take him on. The nail was already in the coffin. There’s simply no redeeming O.J. It’s impossible.

4: September 11th came and went…. And I remember just 6 years ago people saying the world will never be the same, etc…. and how quickly they forget. Life goes on… at the end of the day I believe people by their very nature are focused on that which is closest to them.

I am always amazed how many people I meet who tell me how much they love the world, want to save the environment, etc…. but haven’t spoken to their families in years… and curse everyone in sight.

In any case, it’s Saturday night… and I have a lot more to do in my office….(People always seem to ask me what there is to do in my business on a weekend…Paperwork, organizing files… no ringing phones distracting me… no employees walking in and out)…

Ronn Torossian

5W PR

Just returned from the INC Magazine conference, and a weekend in Chicago and wow did I found Chicago to be an amazing city.

A few observations:

1 — I found President Bill Clinton’s speech at the Inc Conference to be boring and very dry. I was expecting something amazing and awe inspiring (had read so much about what an amazing speaker he is so perhaps my expectations were too high… but I found him to be canned, and no different than what I can hear on CNN or Fox).

Also have to admit I was annoyed he showed up 1.5 hours or so late as I had a tightly scheduled day – A group of some of the most successful, busiest entrepreneurs in the U.S. (potential donors and supporters) and waiting 1.5 hours for me just didn’t jell right.

2 – Sat through some fascinating speeches (Including my favorite entitled “Customer Love”), which taught us that the customer isnt always right (I agree), the need to self monitor your organization, and never up-sell. Really a great speech by the CEO of Headsets.com. Kudos!

3 – I really enjoyed the city of Chicago and found it to be a beautiful, friendly all around great city. Had a wonderful time in Chicago and found it to be an amazing city and one I need to find an excuse to return to often.

Off to a busy Monday…

Ronn Torossian

5W PR

Brands should consider hip-hop culture

Op-Ed by Ronn Torossian in PR Week

Recently, Forbes fully brought hip-hop culture from the streets to Wall Street with the inaugural release of its “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list, highlighting the 20 highest-earning artists.

While the music industry as a whole suffers, hip-hop artists and the culture continue to expand into a multibillion-dollar business as the artists have become brands unto themselves. Whereas 10 years ago a brand buying into hip-hop was taboo, today Fortune 500 companies see the cultural power of the movement and are signing up in droves – Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs are viewed as corporate pitchmen, and corporations can no longer ignore them. Hip-hop has grown tremendously, but brands need to exercise caution when working with these artists.
Marketing to a youth-minded culture has never been easy (remember how controversial The Beatles and Elvis Presley once were?), and today, hip-hop artists are endorsing everything from CPGs to insurance and financial services providers.

We believe brands win when working with hip-hop artists by being authentic and not picking and choosing. For example, Boost Mobile works with artists on a regular basis, and its ability to not just say, “We support hip-hop,” but to fully embrace the culture by using a variety of pitchmen has made its brand’s hip-hop presence organic and relevant. It continues to grow with more than 4 million customers while others in the space ran (remember Verizon’s short-term partnership with Akon?).

Other brands have not even needed to buy into hip-hop to reap the financial benefits. Breitling went from being a prestigious Swiss watchmaker known mainly only to watch aficionados to being a hip-hop staple, and Range Rover thrives from this market… while by and large not marketing to it.

Conversely, look at Cristal, which alienated the entire hip-hop community in a single interview, as a brand executive implied that rappers embracing the brand could affect its marquee value (couldn’t he have just stayed silent as Breitling and Range Rover do?).

Those who are concerned about putting the face of their brand behind rappers need only to look at Nike and Michael Vick to see that buying into the culture, instead of the individual, minimizes risk. Will Nike’s sales suffer or face a PR crisis? No. Nike’s diversity of pitchmen allows it to simply drop Vick, move on, and continue to be the mega-brand that it is. Picking a random rapper (or athlete) out of a hat and saying, “We get hip-hop,” simply does not work. There is too much at stake in putting your entire brand behind an athlete or entertainer, and that’s why the Atlanta Falcons brand will suffer (in terms of ticket sales) long after the NFL and Nike have moved on.

Following the mistakes of the past, today’s brands understand that you can’t just dip your toe into the waters of hip-hop to reap the benefit. Brands need to fully immerse themselves in the culture, or it is not organic and ultimately turns off consumers. It would be better for a brand to ignore it entirely than do it incorrectly.

Forbes recognized these rappers on its list as businesses and brand builders unto themselves, and I applaud them for it, as well as the corporations that have been harnessing and reaping the benefits of associating with this culture over the past decade.

Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5W Public Relations.

Ronn Torossian

5W PR