Archive for the ‘Client Relationship’ Category

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Risky Business

Friday, March 5th, 2010

It’s hard to ignore the Brendan Fevola / Lara Bingle saga. It’s been dominating the headlines this week. And with little wonder. News editors go to bed at night dreaming for stories like this one.

Some people are curious about the timing of this story, given celebrity publicist Max Markson only signed Lara Bingle a week ago. It’s ridiculous to think Markson had anything to do with this story. But the whole thing does tick a few boxes from his perspective.

Firstly it gets Bingle in the news, increasing her public profile and reinforcing her celebrity status (not that she does anything, but it doesn’t matter in this day in age, plenty of people earn a buck from simply being famous). Markson knows out of sight = out of mind.

Secondly, the story rightly portrays Bingle as the victim. The victim card is incredible powerful with the Australian public. Most people don’t have a lot of empathy for Bingle. Rightly or wrongly she is regarded as a home wrecker and a spoilt princess. This story rightly allows her the victim card and that can go a long way to repairing her image.

Thirdly, it opens up a bidding war for Bingle to tell her story, cha ching.

These are all good results for Bingle’s manager. If earning a buck is a manager’s sole goal (which often it can be) then Markson is winning, winning ugly.

Chasing the quick buck is easy. However, turning a client’s brand around to attract quality sponsors is a totally different ball game. It will be interesting to see which game manager and client decide to play moving forward.

Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media | 2 Comments »

Crossroads

Monday, February 15th, 2010
“A lot of people think I’m cocky, and I think cocky can be cute. Being arrogant is totally different. I’ve learned that now. If cocky is when, before someone throws you a pitch, you think you’re gonna hit it, then yeah, I’m cocky. Arrogance is talking about it in the dugout all day.” – John Mayer

Mayer should heed his own advice. Because “talking about it in the dugout” is exactly what has caused the singer his latest media crisis; an explosive tell all interview courtesy of Playboy magazine. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/1011527/myer-apologises-breaks-down-on-stage
Mayer’s interview is filled with explosive quotes for the tabloids but the real question is why on earth was Mayer in talks with Playboy in the first place?
Everyone knows Mayer has a history of kiss and tell. Sitting down with Playboy magazine was always going to lead to trouble.
Ok I get it. Mayer has an album to promote. His record agency appoint a PR firm (external or internal) to put the bait out – John is available to talk about his new album, who’s interested? Playboy put their hand up. The rest is history.
When a PR company go all out in the pursuit of publicity they go for quantity not necessarily quality. You see, PR agencies are judged by how many times a logo appears or a word is mentioned. It’s hard to knock back media requests when publicity alone is the goal.
This can lead to some dangerous traps for celebrities. It gives certain media access to your client, media you otherwise would never consider.
It’s difficult to avoid such PR plans by sponsors, so you’ve got to rely on solid media training for your client.
If was preparing John Mayer for an interview with Playboy I would have said “Now John, the magazine is likely to bring up A, B, C. Ideally they want you to talk about X, Y, Z. What I want you to do is stick with 1, 2, 3. If you can’t do that, then I’ll kick your ass. Got it?”
You can’t always hide from sections of the media, one day you’ll come face to face so it’s best to be prepared.

“A lot of people think I’m cocky, and I think cocky can be cute. Being arrogant is totally different. I’ve learned that now. If cocky is when, before someone throws you a pitch, you think you’re gonna hit it, then yeah, I’m cocky. Arrogance is talking about it in the dugout all day.” – John Mayer

Mayer should heed his own advice. Because “talking about it in the dugout” is exactly what has caused the singer his latest media crisis; an explosive tell all interview courtesy of Playboy magazine.

Mayer’s interview is filled with explosive quotes for the tabloids but the real question is why on earth was Mayer in talks with Playboy in the first place?

Everyone knows Mayer has a history of kiss and tell. Sitting down with Playboy magazine was always going to lead to trouble.

Ok I get it. Mayer has an album to promote. His record agency appoint a PR firm (external or internal) to put the bait out – John is available to talk about his new album, who’s interested? Playboy put their hand up. The rest is history.

When a PR company go all out in the pursuit of publicity they go for quantity not necessarily quality. You see, PR agencies are judged by how many times a logo appears or a word is mentioned. It’s hard to knock back media requests when publicity alone is the goal.

As a manager, this can lead to some dangerous traps for your celebrity clients. It gives certain people or publications access to your client, media you would otherwise never consider.

It’s difficult to avoid these situations, so you’ve got to rely on solid media training for your client.

If was preparing John Mayer for an interview with Playboy I would have said “Now John, the magazine is likely to bring up A, B, C. I don’t want you talking about A, B, C. I want you to stick with X, Y, Z. If you can’t do that, then I’ll kick your ass. Got it?”

You can’t always hide from sections of the media, one day you’ll come face to face so it’s best to be prepared.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Sponsorship, Strategy | No Comments »

Wiki-fied

Thursday, February 4th, 2010
I’m surprised with this week’s attack on celebrity agent Max Markson over his attempt to edit a client’s profile on Wikipedia.
“I changed and deleted a lot of things that I didn’t like, being the good spin doctor and manager that I am,” Markson said.
The attacks have come from people who don’t have wiki profiles, who don’t understand what it’s like to have an online profile edited and maintained by strangers. Imagine that for a second. I’m betting these people would be on wiki editing their profiles quicker than you can type QWERTY.
It’s easy to criticise Markson, but I’m pretty sure you’d want him to do the same if he was your manager.
I’ve long monitored the wiki profiles of my clients. As a manager, I can’t always control what the newspapers or magazines say, but I can control wiki so of course I’m going to use that to my client’s advantage.
C’mon you do the same.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/the-internets-in-a-spin-over-naomi-robson/story-e6frewz0-1225826502872

I’m surprised with this week’s attack on celebrity agent Max Markson over his attempt to edit a client’s profile on Wikipedia.

“I changed and deleted a lot of things that I didn’t like, being the good spin doctor and manager that I am,” Markson said.

The attacks have come from people who don’t have wiki profiles, who don’t understand what it’s like to have an online profile edited and maintained by strangers. Imagine that for a second. I’m betting these people would be on wiki editing their profiles quicker than you can type QWERTY.

It’s easy to criticise Markson, but I’m pretty sure you’d want him to do the same if he was your manager.

I’ve long monitored the wiki profiles of my clients. As a manager, I can’t always control what the newspapers or magazines say, but I can control Wiki so of course I’m going to use that to my client’s advantage.

That aside, Markson is laughing right now. All this free PR for his clients online web-based program, The Naomi Show – LoveLife, before it launches. Brilliant.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Strategy | 3 Comments »

Retrospect

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson has revealed that personal dramas led to his Ashes meltdown.

At the time, I knew this was the case. Having worked with elite athletes I know that personal issues affect performance more than the public can ever imagine. Especially when those personal issues are played out in the media.

Some athletes can block it out. Some simply cannot. For Johnson, this was the first time his personal life was put in the spotlight. Not only that, he was in the middle of an Ashes Series in England where the tabloids a ruthless and the crowds spiteful. He was always going to struggle.

As a sports manager the best thing you can do for an athlete in this situation, is minimise the longevity of the issue in the media. You need to put the issue to rest and avoid anything that may prolong debate. And I don’t mean hiding under the covers. You need to give the media something to chew. It can be as simple as saying “this is the situation or facts” and “this is my position” and “this is how I’m going to handle it” and “I don’t have anything else to say until I take the next step.”

The media will respect this and treat the athlete a lot better than if they were to hide in the corner.

Minimising the longevity of the issue helps but it’s an external solution to what is an internal issue for the athlete. That’s where mentors come in.

Having one’s personal life thrown into the spotlight is nothing new. There are millions of people who have gone through the same experience. People who have survived and come out the other side. Your job as a manager is to find these people and ask one to speak with your athlete. A simple phonecall can make the world of difference.

When faced with a personal problem, people get so focussed on themselves that they feel like nobody can relate to them and what they are going through. Wrong. There are people out who have gone through the exact same thing and they are only too happy to offer their advice.

If you look at another cricketer Michael Clarke, he has Shane Warne as a mentor. Warne has dealt with fame for a long time and can duly offer sound advice to a younger Clarke in that area. A manager can only wear so many hats, sometimes a manager must seek mentors for an athlete. People that can better relate to what an athlete is going through.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Cricket, Media, Strategy | No Comments »

Andre “The Punisher” Agassi

Monday, November 16th, 2009

A lot has been said about Andre Agassi’s book. Whether you like the guy, or you don’t, or you were a fan, but aren’t now, you’ve got to admit that being honest about your deepest darkest secrets is no easy caper.

Since the book’s launch, Andre has been battered from pillar to post. He’s had support too. But the majority of feedback has been scathing. And little wonder. Some of the revelations warrant a negative response from sports administrators and current tennis role models. That’s to be expected.

But dig a little deeper and I think you’ll find a very troubled soul who has finally found peace with himself.

For years Andre was worried about other people’s expectations. He was worried about what his father thought of him. He was worried about what the media thought of him. He was worried about what his fans thought of him. I’m betting a lot of people can relate to this approval seeking behaviour. Well Andre was king of it. But no longer.

The message from Andre’s book is this; “This is the real me. You either like it or you don’t. Either way I don’t care but I hope you learn something from my mistakes.”

There is no doubt Andre’s brand has been dealt a savage blow, and Andre himself knew that was coming. More importantly for Andre is the fact he no longer bows to other people’s opinions, something that contributed to his struggles in the first place. He is now a free man and that’s way more important to him personally, than what you or I think.

Living life according to other people’s expectations and approval is a dangerous game that will leave you exhausted and without a sense of purpose. Andre made that mistake for a long time but it seems he’s treading his own path now.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Personal Development, Tennis | No Comments »

Nike Air Jordan

Monday, October 19th, 2009

I’ll never forget the day I received my first pair of Nike Air Jordan shoes. Growing up in the basketball crazy era of the 1980’s and early 90’s Michael Jordan was my hero. And Nike was my favourite brand. Funny that.

shoes_nike_air_jordan_07c1

There is no doubting the influence Michael Jordan has had on the Nike brand. It’s a great story of an athlete and a sponsor coming together to create something special. But it nearly didn’t happen. Read this article about the history of Nike Air Jordan.

Nike believed in Michael.
So much so, they were willing to bet the company on him. But it took some convincing at the time.

This story provides us with a few lessons.

1. Athletes are sometimes better off aligning with a sponsor that is passionate about them, and not just the other way around.

2. Sponsors need to communicate and get their athletes involved when it comes to leveraging the name, image and likeness of the athlete.

3. Loyalty is important. Athletes should be prepared to stick with a sponsor that showed belief early in their career. Swapping to another sponsor in the same category can dilute an athlete’s own brand.

4. Get creative when selling sponsorship. Nike knew that had to convince Michael to sign with them and that wasn’t going to happen with boardroom drawl. They created a video to appeal to Jordan’s emotions – very creative for back then.

Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Personal Development, Uncategorized | No Comments »

No

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

If I had a dollar for every time I said “no” I would be a billionaire. I think any sports manager can relate to this.

Athletes receive a staggering number of requests and the reality is only 5-10% of those get actioned.

If you look at an athlete’s day to day priorities you would find that 80% of their time is dedicated to training and competition (that 80% also includes getting sufficient rest, massage, physio and maintaining a healthy diet). The remaining 20% is dedicated to off field duties with their club which includes sponsor and media commitments. It also includes keeping personal sponsors happy and finding time for family and other personal commitments.

So you can begin to understand why managers are reluctant to stack additional opportunities on an athlete. Our duty is to make life as seamless as possible. Our first priority is selling the client to the marketplace, servicing current sponsors, managing the media requests and looking after the athlete’s dedicated charity if they have one. Anything outside these areas is dealt with brutally.

Athletes don’t hear about three quarters of the requests they receive. That’s why they employ managers. To filter requests and only bring to the table opportunities that are commercially viable or that make sense with respect to their diary and other commitments.

So when an athlete manager turns down your request. It’s not personal. It’s just business.

yesornocartoon_200x220

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Don’t Believe the Hype

Friday, September 18th, 2009

“I will not rest until I have you holding a Coke, wearing your own shoe, playing a Sega game ‘featuring you’, while singing your own song in a new commercial, ‘starring you’, broadcast during the Superbowl, in a game that you are winning, and I will not ‘sleep’ until that happens.”

Warning for athletes: Be wary of managers who promise you the world.

You know I’m talking about, pie in the sky stuff. Watch out for the words ‘million dollars’, ‘own line of products’, ‘international success’ etc etc.

The dog eat dog world of sports management thrives on managers who over promise and under deliver. Managers do this to get the signature, plain and simple. And athletes fall for it every time.

Sit an athlete down in front of six managers and 9/10 will choose the forex-trader-with-dollar-eyes1manager who blows the most smoke up their butt. That manager knows they won’t achieve anywhere near what they promise but they know a signature means some income for themselves and this is usually enough to justify them lying their asses off.

It’s not uncommon for athletes to change managers, it happens a lot. What usually drives an athlete to make the switch is a myriad of riches in the form of false promises. When those riches don’t transpire, they move and so it goes.

Athletes, look for a manager with so much confidence and self belief that they don’t need to exaggerate your earning capacity. Measure them by their track record with similar athletes of your standing (sport, gender, personality, results etc). Don’t focus on what they say about results, instead listen to the processes of how they are going to get those results. Don’t believe the hype.

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How Not To Apologise

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Tennis star Serena Williams certainly learned a string of valuable lessons in serena_300x20055958the wake of her outburst at the 2009 US Open.

One such lesson (we hope she learnt) is that taking full responsibility for your actions and apologising is the only road to redemption.

I’ve blogged about this exact topic before.

The fact Williams and her PR agency released a statement the day after the incident with no apology is mind boggling. The backlash was so severe, that Williams was forced to release a second statement a day later, this time apologising.

When I saw the first statement, I thought William’s PR agency might be protecting her from legal action. Admitting guilt in a press release is dangerous territory in the sue me sue you world of the USA. However, if legal protection was the first priority then the statement would have read so much differently. So I know that wasn’t the case.

So the question then, is why didn’t the original statement include an apology? Did the PR agency think the issue would wash over? Did they believe Williams strong supporter base would overpower the negative criticism? Or was Williams just too stubborn to approve quotes apologising for her actions?

If Williams’ stubborn behaviour was to blame, then her PR agency should be harpooned for not having the backbone to override their star athlete. See my blog about The Yes Men.

We have seen the world over that a beloved athlete can commit blue murder but get away with it if handled correctly. To do this, the athlete must understand the process. And that is to take responsibility for their actions, genuinely apologise and demonstrate they are making themselves a better person from the experience.

There are no short cuts and no easy options but to face the mess you have created and clean it up. The media and public don’t care what you did, they care how you react, how you respond and how you’re going to fix it. Show them that and they are quick to move on.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Strategy, Tennis | No Comments »

Be The Eye Of The Storm

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

There are many qualities to leadership. But I want to talk about one crucial aspect and that is staying calm during a crisis.

The ability to keep your composure in a stressful situation is the benchmark for which others perceive you as a leader.

Read that line again.

Next time all hell breaks loose and everyone is running around frantically, try slowing your body movements down, breath deep and speak slowly. Changing up your body language like this will help you think logically rather than emotionally.

Doing this is a lot harder than you think. But doit well and you’ll notice something. People will naturally gravitate toward you for guidance. In their eyes you’ll be superior to those around you. Don’t believe me? Try it someday.

I’ve long admired NRL coach Wayne Bennett of having this trait. I’m sure there are times when he needs to apply the blowtorch, but watch him closely and you’ll notice he oozes a relaxed and calm presence amongst his players. Do you think this rubs off on his troops – you betcha!

It works the same for athlete managers. Most athletes get nervous before a sponsor appearance, photo shoot or press conference, let alone a crisis. It’s only natural. So it would make sense that they need someone around them who is composed and in control. That’s leadership.

mad-men21

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