They used to construct the buildings that housed banks as if they were impenetrable stone fortresses.  The symbolism was obvious: your money is safe with us.  From kids with jars of pennies to young families and businesses of every shape and size, everyone put their hard-earned greenbacks into the hands of the banker, a person above reproach – someone you could trust to protect your money.  Today, that trust is at question.

Once-heralded banks are now seen as symbols of greed and deceit, and politics is equated to corruption.  It’s safe to say that the state of trust in 2008 is but a shadow of its former counterpart.

Who could have ever imagined that in the early stages of the 21st century the idea of a mattress being a safe place for money would be discussed, let alone acted on? So, who do you trust?  What factors foster trust?  And is the trust issue limited to the financial sector?  I think not.  Eaten any tomatoes with salmonella or E-coli in the last six months?

As a marketer of products, I think that today marketers must “over” prove their trustworthiness, because consumers today are “resistant to being sold to.”  This is true across the country, unbounded by belief or status: blue state, red state, urban, suburban and rural.

Welcome to the age of retrusting.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

For as long as I can remember, first thing every morning, I always looked forward to opening the door, grabbing the newspapers and reading  them.  On this fall Sunday, I have spent the early morning thoroughly enjoying the Sunday New York Times.  Every week there is nothing that beats the Sunday Times.  From a story analyzing former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s day-to-day life to a Russian oligarch challenging the Kremlin, nearly every aspect of the paper is special and amazing.

As I have often said, to be successful in PR one must read — and read often – but I can’t see being anywhere in life and not reading regularly.

Ronn Torossian
5W PR

I spent nearly all day today with my staff discussing various issues, and one thing that’s always requested is my must-read list. I’ve yet to meet any PR pros that don’t obsessively read, so here’s the hot list:

Every a.m. at my door: The New York Post, Daily News, Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

The first is always the Post. It’s a quick read, five minutes out of the day. Sometimes more if I have time to get back to it. Then, generally, the Marketplace section of WSJ, followed by the Times – a more detailed read for 15-20 minutes in the cab or subway, depending on what time I leave my house on the Upper West.

On Tuesdays, I obsessively read The Observer (just a great read) at my house.

When I get to work, I generally jump on a number of different blogs and rarely have the time to read long articles. Instead, I print and read them at home on the weekend.

A day doesn’t pass that I don’t take a few magazines home. And, frankly, by Friday night they are all sitting in my living room. I take the weekend to at least scan them, or I’ll try and spend an hour reading in the steam room. Like what? Religiously: Ad Age, PR Week, O’Dwyers (PR trade), AdWeek, Rolling Stone, BusinessWeek, Fortune Small Business, Complex Magazine, The Jerusalem Report, The Jewish Week, INC, ESPN, Sports Business Journal, King and XXL (which now features my client Snoop Dogg on the cover)… I read these all very regularly, although not cover to cover, as well as countless articles which I print and read daily.

I also genuinely try to read two books at a time: one business and one fiction.

“When do we find the time to read?” is often a question I get asked by staff and industry folks.

Answer:
1: Read while you travel (something I unfortunately do too much)
2: Cut out the TV (I rarely watch television)
3: Sleep when you are dead

Ronn Torossian
5WPR