By Andrea Kunicky
The NBA season tips off tonight, but the buzz among hoops fans is about LeBron James' new Nike commerical, which addresses the off-season controversy over his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. "What should I do?" the NBA star asks rhetorically.
The commerical - titled “Rise” - consists of James pitching the audience various scenarios of what James could have done and how he might satisfy critics who think he made the wrong decision last summer in deciding to leave the Cavs and sign with the star-studded Heat.
"We're celebrating his courage to forge his own journey even when others may have disagreed with his decisions," Nike's vice president of global brand marketing Davide Grasso, said in news stories.
The reaction from the release on YouTube has been overwhelming. Well, that ad "is pretty much perfect," says Royce Young of CBS Sports. It's "candid" and allows us "to see the human side to LeBron" that had all but disappeared lately. If James' goal here was to restore his brand, then "put it this way: Mission Accomplished."
While you can argue over James' image, CNBC's Darren Rovell noted that Nike shoes are "barely mentioned in the spot."
In my opinion, this was another great marketing tool for James. If people agree or disagree with his decision, James and his popularity is so great that we can’t turn our heads away from him. People might still be upset with where he decided to play but it seems this is his way of showing that he really doesn’t care what people think of him. It’s honest and rebellious. It’s a reflection of James.
TNT will show the video tonight during its coverage of the NBA season opener between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, so it will be interesting to see how the reaction is to this now controversial ad.
Andrea Kunicky is an Account Executive. Contact her at andrea@maroonpr.com.
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Enjoying the Positive News of Professional Athletes
By Matt Saler
Enough is enough.
Too many times these days we are discussing the same old issues in sports: a player holding out for more money… a league turning a blind eye to its retired players, who can barely walk despite that league generating billion dollar profits… criminal allegations against athletes… steroids… whatever the case may be, negative news will always jump to the forefront of the headlines.
And I hate it. Bring the topic of religion into the picture, and in most cases, things get crazier and go in a thousand different directions in the court of public opinion. The other day, however, I came across a very interesting piece on NBA basketball player Amar’e Stoudemire in the The New York Times. It discussed Amar’e’s recent visit to Israel to learn more about his Jewish heritage and the history and culture of the Jewish religion. Some fans have mocked this in online forums, and others have questioned why Amar’e was converting. Religion is a very personal issue and some of these “fans” need to get a grip on their own reality before questioning someone elses.
What most probably do not know about Amar’e is that he is a very articulate guy who gives back through his Amar’e Stoudemire Each One Teach One Foundation. He has demonstrated in other ways that he is a class act off the court through his actions: After leaving the Phoenix Suns for the New York Knicks this past summer, he took out an ad in his local paper, The Arizona Republic, thanking his fans for their support while with the Suns.
Being a resident of New York, the epicenter of culture in the United States, has clearly helped Amar’e look within himself to learn more about his history, and I commend him for that.
I enjoyed the NY Times piece and also Amar’e’s take on his Jewish heritage, as shown in a recent interview with Israeli TV (video below). Hopefully our society can get to a point where we stop caring so much about the scandalous details of an athlete’s life and look at a lot of the good that they are doing in society. Many have a very cultured life outside of their sport that fans do not know about.
It’s time to stop always dwelling on the negative and start stressing the positive.
Mazel Tov, Amar’e.
Matt Saler is a Senior Account Executive. Contact him at matt@maroonpr.com.
Enough is enough.
Too many times these days we are discussing the same old issues in sports: a player holding out for more money… a league turning a blind eye to its retired players, who can barely walk despite that league generating billion dollar profits… criminal allegations against athletes… steroids… whatever the case may be, negative news will always jump to the forefront of the headlines.
And I hate it. Bring the topic of religion into the picture, and in most cases, things get crazier and go in a thousand different directions in the court of public opinion. The other day, however, I came across a very interesting piece on NBA basketball player Amar’e Stoudemire in the The New York Times. It discussed Amar’e’s recent visit to Israel to learn more about his Jewish heritage and the history and culture of the Jewish religion. Some fans have mocked this in online forums, and others have questioned why Amar’e was converting. Religion is a very personal issue and some of these “fans” need to get a grip on their own reality before questioning someone elses.
What most probably do not know about Amar’e is that he is a very articulate guy who gives back through his Amar’e Stoudemire Each One Teach One Foundation. He has demonstrated in other ways that he is a class act off the court through his actions: After leaving the Phoenix Suns for the New York Knicks this past summer, he took out an ad in his local paper, The Arizona Republic, thanking his fans for their support while with the Suns.
Being a resident of New York, the epicenter of culture in the United States, has clearly helped Amar’e look within himself to learn more about his history, and I commend him for that.
I enjoyed the NY Times piece and also Amar’e’s take on his Jewish heritage, as shown in a recent interview with Israeli TV (video below). Hopefully our society can get to a point where we stop caring so much about the scandalous details of an athlete’s life and look at a lot of the good that they are doing in society. Many have a very cultured life outside of their sport that fans do not know about.
It’s time to stop always dwelling on the negative and start stressing the positive.
Mazel Tov, Amar’e.
Matt Saler is a Senior Account Executive. Contact him at matt@maroonpr.com.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
King of Public Relations
By Chris Daley
I just searched “LeBron James” on Google and the top hit under “News for LeBron James” is a headline from FOXNews.com, "LeBron James – Public Relations Genius." There are 4,473 “related articles” to this one headline with thousands of other related articles to follow. In a sense, I would agree that King James is a public relations genius. For this week anyway.
Here are a few reasons why:
• Timing is everything: This could be considered one of the slowest weeks in sports on the calendar year. I can’t think of a better time of year for this type of announcement to take place.
• Controlling his message well: I’m surprised that his decision has not leaked out yet. The people surrounding him that may know his final decision are doing a great job of keeping this thing under wraps for the big unveiling. Although we still have a few hours before 9 p.m. EDT.
• Charitable Component: Adding a charitable component when you have this much influence over the public is always nice. Having all the proceeds from tonight’s program on ESPN donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America is a nice touch.
• Taking advantage of the situation: King James and his camp are doing a great job to launch other marketing tools around this announcement which include a revamped LeBronJames.com and creating the twitter handle @kingjames that has over 310,000 followers in two days. I’d be curious to know how many people signed-up for his newsletter the past few days and what that database would be worth to potential advertisers.
Although I’m not an NBA fan, I am a fan of public relations and I would agree that someone in his position is taking full advantage of his situation. LeBron deserves this type of attention. He’s worked very hard to get to this point.
That said, I’m now curious to see how he handles his next public relations situation which could be making an impact in a brand new city, and leaving one that will have a lot of people angry.
Chris Daley is an Account Executive. Contact him at chris@maroonpr.com.
I just searched “LeBron James” on Google and the top hit under “News for LeBron James” is a headline from FOXNews.com, "LeBron James – Public Relations Genius." There are 4,473 “related articles” to this one headline with thousands of other related articles to follow. In a sense, I would agree that King James is a public relations genius. For this week anyway.
Here are a few reasons why:
• Timing is everything: This could be considered one of the slowest weeks in sports on the calendar year. I can’t think of a better time of year for this type of announcement to take place.
• Controlling his message well: I’m surprised that his decision has not leaked out yet. The people surrounding him that may know his final decision are doing a great job of keeping this thing under wraps for the big unveiling. Although we still have a few hours before 9 p.m. EDT.
• Charitable Component: Adding a charitable component when you have this much influence over the public is always nice. Having all the proceeds from tonight’s program on ESPN donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America is a nice touch.
• Taking advantage of the situation: King James and his camp are doing a great job to launch other marketing tools around this announcement which include a revamped LeBronJames.com and creating the twitter handle @kingjames that has over 310,000 followers in two days. I’d be curious to know how many people signed-up for his newsletter the past few days and what that database would be worth to potential advertisers.
Although I’m not an NBA fan, I am a fan of public relations and I would agree that someone in his position is taking full advantage of his situation. LeBron deserves this type of attention. He’s worked very hard to get to this point.
That said, I’m now curious to see how he handles his next public relations situation which could be making an impact in a brand new city, and leaving one that will have a lot of people angry.
Chris Daley is an Account Executive. Contact him at chris@maroonpr.com.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
John Wall Shows Humility off the Floor
By Abby Draper
Recently, Eric Prisbell of The Washington Post wrote a very detailed article about John Wall’s past that garnered a lot of national attention, specifically in regard to his relationship with his father.
In this article, Prisbell discusses Wall’s troubled childhood dealing first with his father’s incarceration and secondly with his father’s death. Despite the fact that Wall’s father was in jail throughout his childhood, he was still able to visit during the weekends with his mother and step-sister. In 1998, Wall’s father was diagnosed with cancer and was removed from prison as his condition worsened. A year later, John Wall’s father passed away. Prisbell describes the graphic death in the article and continues by explaining that Wall turned into an aggressive and rebellious teenager.
The article goes on to explain how Wall found basketball as a release, and learned to use the game to control his temper. It follows him through basketball camp, to Word of God Academy, to the 2007 Reebok All-American Camp and ultimately to the University of Kentucky.
The most controversial part of the article comes with its conclusion as Prisbell joins John Wall after an 80-minute practice in his former high school gym. While sitting together on the bleachers, Prisbell informs Wall the reasons his father had been incarcerated. Prior to this meeting, Wall had no idea.
After hearing this, Wall impresses his audience in his reaction by saying:
“I was not curious, I was just happy to see my dad and talk to him… That’s my dad. He brought me onto this earth and like everybody, he makes mistakes. Everyone is not going to be perfect.”
After the article was printed and became a popular topic of discussion, John Wall was asked how he felt about the story. Once again, he impressed his audience.
“You can’t really be upset or mad. I really didn’t think of it too much. They’ve got to do their job, they’ve got to ask questions. You can say no in a mean way, or a nice way. It was a story, so I felt like people should know what it was. I wasn’t too upset about it, but it seemed like a lot of fans were kind of upset. It was alright with me.”
We all know that John Wall is an incredible athlete; it’s nice to see that he is also an incredible guy. It will be fun to see him develop as a player in Washington.
Abby Draper is the Manager of Social Media. Contact her at abby@maroonpr.com
Recently, Eric Prisbell of The Washington Post wrote a very detailed article about John Wall’s past that garnered a lot of national attention, specifically in regard to his relationship with his father.
In this article, Prisbell discusses Wall’s troubled childhood dealing first with his father’s incarceration and secondly with his father’s death. Despite the fact that Wall’s father was in jail throughout his childhood, he was still able to visit during the weekends with his mother and step-sister. In 1998, Wall’s father was diagnosed with cancer and was removed from prison as his condition worsened. A year later, John Wall’s father passed away. Prisbell describes the graphic death in the article and continues by explaining that Wall turned into an aggressive and rebellious teenager.
The article goes on to explain how Wall found basketball as a release, and learned to use the game to control his temper. It follows him through basketball camp, to Word of God Academy, to the 2007 Reebok All-American Camp and ultimately to the University of Kentucky.
The most controversial part of the article comes with its conclusion as Prisbell joins John Wall after an 80-minute practice in his former high school gym. While sitting together on the bleachers, Prisbell informs Wall the reasons his father had been incarcerated. Prior to this meeting, Wall had no idea.
After hearing this, Wall impresses his audience in his reaction by saying:
“I was not curious, I was just happy to see my dad and talk to him… That’s my dad. He brought me onto this earth and like everybody, he makes mistakes. Everyone is not going to be perfect.”
After the article was printed and became a popular topic of discussion, John Wall was asked how he felt about the story. Once again, he impressed his audience.
“You can’t really be upset or mad. I really didn’t think of it too much. They’ve got to do their job, they’ve got to ask questions. You can say no in a mean way, or a nice way. It was a story, so I felt like people should know what it was. I wasn’t too upset about it, but it seemed like a lot of fans were kind of upset. It was alright with me.”
We all know that John Wall is an incredible athlete; it’s nice to see that he is also an incredible guy. It will be fun to see him develop as a player in Washington.
Abby Draper is the Manager of Social Media. Contact her at abby@maroonpr.com
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Manute Bol Remembered as Humanitarian, Hero
By Pete Deluca
This weekend marked the passing of one of basketball’s most iconic and definitely tallest figures to ever play the game - Manute Bol.
Before Michael Jordan’s championship run, I remember the only reason I was interested in the NBA was because of Bol. Standing 7-foot-7-inches tall, he was like nothing the sports world had ever seen. He looked like a monster, and in a league full of giants everyone was looking up at him. As one of the most recognizable players of his era, he drew a crowd everywhere he went and packed stadiums throughout his career.
His defensive stats were unreal – more so considering that he did not even touch a basketball until he was 16 years old. After being drafted in 1985, Bol went on to set the record for most blocks in a rookie season, which included league records for shots blocked in a half (11) and in a quarter (8). He finished his 10-year NBA career second in career blocks-per-game (a mark that still stands today) and is the only player in league history with more blocked shots (2,086) than points (1,599).
Fans flocked to arenas to see Bol and marveled at his height and shot blocking ability. However, he was much more than a sideshow – he was the embodiment of the “American Dream.” Bol rose from a small tribe in a primitive section of Sudan to a mainstream figure of American pop culture. He was thrown right into the lime-light and emerged as an NBA legend.
But it was his actions off the court that made him a true superstar. Bol always kept his war-ravaged home country in mind and worked tirelessly with nonprofit organizations to improve Sudan throughout his career. He started the Ring True Foundation, which raised over $3 million for the Sudanese refugee camps he frequently visited. In retirement, he assembled schools across Sudan to educate Muslim and Christian students under one roof and worked with local politicians to promote fair and safe elections.
Bol passed away in Virginia on Saturday, June 19 from kidney problems and a rare skin condition. He proved himself as force both on and off the court. He was a hero, a humanitarian, and a giant – in both height and heart.
Pete Deluca is an Associate Account Executive. Contact him at pete@maroonpr.com.
This weekend marked the passing of one of basketball’s most iconic and definitely tallest figures to ever play the game - Manute Bol.
Before Michael Jordan’s championship run, I remember the only reason I was interested in the NBA was because of Bol. Standing 7-foot-7-inches tall, he was like nothing the sports world had ever seen. He looked like a monster, and in a league full of giants everyone was looking up at him. As one of the most recognizable players of his era, he drew a crowd everywhere he went and packed stadiums throughout his career.
His defensive stats were unreal – more so considering that he did not even touch a basketball until he was 16 years old. After being drafted in 1985, Bol went on to set the record for most blocks in a rookie season, which included league records for shots blocked in a half (11) and in a quarter (8). He finished his 10-year NBA career second in career blocks-per-game (a mark that still stands today) and is the only player in league history with more blocked shots (2,086) than points (1,599).
Fans flocked to arenas to see Bol and marveled at his height and shot blocking ability. However, he was much more than a sideshow – he was the embodiment of the “American Dream.” Bol rose from a small tribe in a primitive section of Sudan to a mainstream figure of American pop culture. He was thrown right into the lime-light and emerged as an NBA legend.
But it was his actions off the court that made him a true superstar. Bol always kept his war-ravaged home country in mind and worked tirelessly with nonprofit organizations to improve Sudan throughout his career. He started the Ring True Foundation, which raised over $3 million for the Sudanese refugee camps he frequently visited. In retirement, he assembled schools across Sudan to educate Muslim and Christian students under one roof and worked with local politicians to promote fair and safe elections.
Bol passed away in Virginia on Saturday, June 19 from kidney problems and a rare skin condition. He proved himself as force both on and off the court. He was a hero, a humanitarian, and a giant – in both height and heart.
Pete Deluca is an Associate Account Executive. Contact him at pete@maroonpr.com.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Harlem Globetrotters - a Wonderful Lasting Brand
By John Maroon
The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to Baltimore next week and the thought of the Globetrotters brings back memories of childhood and a wonderful time in so many of our lives.
The Globetrotters have been a part of American pop culture for 84 years and they stand for all of the right things … fun, family and giving back. They have also done great things in terms of bringing together people of all ages, races and economic standing in such a subtle way. If you have ever been to a Globetrotters game you’ve probably noticed a great deal of diversity in the crowd, with everyone having a wonderful time.
In the world we live in today with video games dominating kid’s interest, it is so refreshing to see that the Globetrotters have not only endured but have grown in popularity internationally. They have 6,500 fans on Facebook and 2,500 followers on Twitter. They travel the world and draw full houses wherever they go.
The Globetrotters represent the game of basketball with honor and class. In the community, they run programs that teach character development to children and they help educate kids about the importance of exercise with their Some Playtime Is Necessary (SPIN) initiative.
Thanks to the Harlem Globetrotters for still providing the world with good, old-fashioned, wholesome fun in a time when we need it most.
John Maroon is the President of Maroon PR. Contact him at john@maroonpr.com.
Photo courtesy of Flickr's Bob n Renee
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)