Ronn Torossian with Bruce Beck on NBC-NY Sports

• Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/12/jeremy-lin-knicks-endorsement-deals_n_1271536.html
• “We’ve had clients where you just let them be them,” said Ronn Torossian, whose 5WPR agency has represented ex-Knicks Allan Houston and Jalen Rose, and former boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. “I don’t think you need to do a ton with Lin. He’s authentic. He’s clearly hard working.”

• Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/breaking/139331133.html
• Ronn Torossian, CEO of the public-relations firm 5WPR, said the fact that Lin is an Ivy League graduate starring in New York and an Asian American to boot makes him “a marketer’s dream.”

• REUTERS: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/15/csports-us-nba-knicks-lin-idCATRE81E03W20120215
• “He is Tiger Woods before the scandal, I think he has everything going for him,” Ronn Torossian, chief executive of 5W Public Relations, told Reuters. “If he can continue to deliver on the court, his possibilities off the court are limitless. “I don’t think he needs to put up MVP numbers but I do think when you look at marketing greatness over the last few years, whether it is David Beckham, Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, let’s not forget they were all winners. “Before anything else he has to be a winner. If he is, I can’t tell you if we have ever seen anything like this.”

• Columbus Dispatch: http://www.bluejacketsxtra.com/content/stories/2012/2/14/jackets-could-use-a-version-of-linsanity.html

• Op-Ed by Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR:  http://www.gambling911.com/basketball-odds/lin-sanity-jeremy-lin-marketing-dream-come-true-021112.html

Many more interviews have been scheduled and are expected in days to come.

If NY Knick rookie phenomenon Jeremy Lin is the real deal on the court, expect him to be the most popular athlete marketer off-the court for many years to come.  This young man will be the face of the NBA – and surely the face of many mainstream, major brands. “Lin-sanity” has just begun – and this 2010 Harvard graduate is destined for marketing greatness if he can deliver on the court.

Jeremy Lin is a marketers dream – and to top it all off he is playing in the biggest media market in the world. He can be bigger than David Beckham, bigger than Michael Jordan – he’s Tiger Woods pre-scandal. Jeremy Lin is the American dream – for people, marketers and the world.

Only 6’3, he’s approachable, relatable and looks like the boy next door. A Harvard graduate – the very definition of brains and brawn, Lin is a hard working underdog who was an undrafted free agent and cut by 2 teams.  He’s International – the 1st American-born NBA player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent & 4th Asian-American ever in NBA he has the potential to further open China to the NBA. Asian TV partners of the NBA have already added Knicks games to their broadcast schedules – “Lin-sanity”.

This humble young man has been living with his brother and sister-in-law and already has a foundation in his name whose aim is to “provide “financial, educational and spiritual assistance and to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.” Lin speaks of his religion and family – and seemingly less polarizing than Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin epitomizes the American dream.

Lin is a real role model – a dream face for brands who are authentic, passionate and hard working. If NY Knick rookie phenomenon Jeremy Lin is the real deal on the court, expect him to be the most popular athlete marketer off-the court for many years to come.  This young man will be the face of the NBA – and surely the face of many, many mainstream, major brands.

“Lin-sanity” will be bigger than Air Jordan if Lin can deliver on the court. Watch out world, we are all hoping Jeremy Lin and “Lin-Sanity” is here to stay.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a top 25 PR agency, and author of PR Book “For Immediate Release.”

Owning a Public Relations firm, a fundamental concept often ignored in our industry is the old concept of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

Reading the papers this morning, we learn that for the first time ever, in anticipation of the Super Bowl, the National Football League (NFL) opened up media day to fans.  For only $25 fans could attend media day, sit in seats close to the field, eavesdrop via headsets they were provided and observe the interaction between players, coaches and media on a 1^st hand basis.

Big kudos to the NFL for this easy and great idea – It allows fans to feel more connected to the players (at an affordable price rather than the staggering ticket prices for the big game), and there’s very little downside for the NFL.  It’s a great simple idea, and in a world so open because of all the media outlets which exist, this is a great sports PR move by the NFL. It’s a win for all involved.

As an attendee, Mike Galford was quoted in countless newswires saying: “We’re the social media generation. We’re not going to wait for the media to tell us what happened on media day. We’re going to see it for ourselves. This is awesome.”

I agree – Kudos to the NFL.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Wanted to share with loyal blog readers some recent comments published in other media:

1:  From the Ronn Torossian PR blog at Business Insider, an op-ed on the NFL & NBA:

http://www.businessinsider.com/public-relations-tips-for-the-nfl-and-nba-on-strike-remember-kids-mickey-mantle-wont-pay-your-rent-2011-7

2:  A Reuters article in which I was quoted worldwide entitled “Bad Time For NBA lock-out, says marketing expert”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/01/us-nba-labour-idUSTRE7606M220110701

As always I welcome your thoughts and feedback.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

In past years, institutions ranging from Wall Street to politics, and clergy to sports have seemingly become soiled. We see this as legends like Mickey Mantle and Joe Dimaggio, who were both seen as legends, give way to Tiger Woods, Mike Tyson, corrupt referees and the DWI or arrest of the weekend.  It has been a never-ending saga of poor conduct, greediness, sky-high ticket pricing and all around bad behavior.

One of the very few people who kept themselves above the terrible conduct was Derek Jeter, who sacrificed his body diving into the stands to win games, stands as a positive influence to fans and players, and – even off the field – upholds a great image, despite being considered a “playboy.” Now, however, both the Yankees and Jeter seem determined to ruin that story, with the Yankees urging their team captain who has played his entire career for the team to “test the market” and Jeter retorting with a $23-$24 million ask.  Neither action scores many points. Many of us in fairytale land were hoping that they’d make a deal; but, of course, that would be just too good to be true and before this is settled they will both do a tremendous amount of Public Relations damage to one another.

If you ask me, more people should follow the sports views portrayed in one of the greatest movies ever, A Bronx Tale, where the character Sonny explained to Cologero that his baseball hero, Mickey Mantle, didn’t care about him or anyone else. So, why should the boy care about him? Sonny explained, “Mickey Mantle would never pay your rent or do anything for you,”, and the boy went home and tried to throw away his baseball cards because Mickey Mantle would never pay his rent.

My view on sports was never the same after seeing that movie, and I’d venture the longer this Jeter story continues the more likely it is to destory one of the few positive images which exists still in professional sports today. And, I’ll bet many boys will throw away their baseball cards if this behavior continues.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR