Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Ronn Torossian, 5WPR CEO: 5 Tips On Positive Thinking & Public Relations

While positive thinking is immediately associated with self-help, its also something that can help with all aspects of marketing and public relations.

The legendary Sir. David Ogilvy used to walk into his start-up agency every single morning and ask “Did Coca-Cola call yet?”.  Until they eventually did – and while not everyone can be a legend, positive thinking does help.

Some suggestions we have used at 5WPR, as we have grown our PR Agency:

·       Use the power of imagination:  Imagining can be the first achievement to get you where you want to go.  Whether you can visualize success, a feature story or that corner office, make it happen, don’t watch it happen.

·       Act as if you already possess what you want. As it has been said, dress for where you want to be. A simple tip: Pretend you are there and you’ll find yourself happier, and more fulfilled with what you are currently doing.

·       Communicate positively.  Passion and communications matter.

·       What you give out is what comes back. Pay it forward and try your hardest.

·       Communicate. Yes, it’s a funny tip to offer communicators and public relations practitioners but it’s easily forgotten. Pitching the media? Connect over the phone.! When we express ourselves verbally (and positively) we attract better results.

Look forward to hearing from you via twitter @rtorossian5wpr on your tips for success.

Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, a top 25 US Public Relations agency. Named to the “40 Under 40″ by PR Week & Advertising Age, Ronn Torossian was a semi-finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

SOURCE http://www.jewocity.com/blog/author/ronn_torossian

Monday, October 29, 2012

PR and advertising: What’s the difference?

If you work in PR, what’s the best way to answer this question?

As CEO of PR agency 5WPR, I still have to explain to friends and family what I do for a living—and the differences between public relations and advertising. Yes, they are very different, and no, I really don’t work in advertising.

What do you tell people outside of the industry? Here are some of my favorite quotes related to the topic:

    “PR is about creating content and managing communications—in whatever format it is.” - Lord Chadlington (Peter Gummer), Huntsworth

    “PR builds credibility, Advertising builds visibility.” - Elena Verlee

    “Both PR and advertising are important in the marketing of your business, depending on what stage your business is at.” - Elena Verlee

    “PR is great for building a connection with your audience and promoting your key messages, consumers are more likely to believe and take note of something written in an article, rather than an advertisement that has been paid for.” - Catriona Pollard, CP Communications

    “There's a saying people use to explain the difference between advertising and PR: "Advertising you pay for, PR you pray for." - old quote, pulled from Vault.com

    “By creating product awareness, PR often lays the foundation for advertising.” - Unknown author, Vault.com

    “Advertising and PR are all about selling products.” - WetFeet.com

Are there any I missed?
Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, and author of “For Immediate Release.”Contact him on Twitter at @rtorossian5wpr.


SOURCE http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/45733.aspx

Friday, October 26, 2012

Reading For American Jews Pre-Election Day

Some random reading and stories from around the Internet of interest:

  • Op-ed by Ronn Torossian in Arutz 7 – Call All American Jews in Swing States – http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/123
  • When American Jews go to vote, remember that Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader of the United States House of Representatives said Jews vote Republican because they are rich and want a tax cut.  Pelosi said in an interview “…Republicans are using Israel as an excuse, what they really want are tax cuts for the wealthy. So Israel that can be one reason they put forth.”  She then said Jews vote Republican because “they’re being exploited.” http://thejewishreporter.com/2012/07/29/pelosis-stereotypical-comment-about-jews/
  • As this oped by Rafael Medoff states, Jews did not Vote Democrat for Truman in 1948. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/12342 – I highly recommend “The Deafening Silence” by Medoff about American Jews during the Holocaust.
  • What is the Jewish vote, and who will get it ? http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/what-is-the-jewish-vote-and-whos-earned-it-to-win-the-white-house/2012/10/25/c58f932c-1ecf-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_blog.html

Ronn Torossian is an entrepreneur and author of “For Immediate Release.”


SOURCE http://www.jewocity.com/blog/reading-for-american-jews-pre-election-day/5525

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Integrated Marketing at PR Firms: Torossian Talks About 5W's Rebranding

After nearly ten years in business, the PR agency I founded, 5WPR recently went through a re-brand. We created a new tagline: "REAL. RESOURCEFUL. RESULTS." To better reflect who we are today, and a large part of it is about integrating many different elements of communications.

We have grown for many reasons — but first and foremost because we are client-centric and creative. Success today is about understanding what a client wants and needs — and many different initiatives beyond simple media relations today encompass public relations.

Some exciting quotes about integrated marketing which came into our decision-making process as we rebranded:

"A good idea uncoordinated is still better than a lousy idea that is well-coordinated." Martin Sorrell

"The point of integration is not simply to use the same image and ignore the strengths of a particular medium. We call this re-purposing without purpose. The point of integration is to have a consistent voice while maximizing the strengths of each medium. True integration delivers the brand statement from mass to grass, from mass marketing to grass roots activities, with the Internet residing firmly in the middle as both a mass and one to one marketing weapon." Unknown "It is no longer enough to satisfy your customers. You must delight them."

"I'm a strong advocate of social media. But I also know that this marketing medium alone will not deliver the results you expect, want, and need. Nor will email marketing, which has a huge ROI, fill the bill on its own. Components like social media, email, direct mail, Internet marketing, public relations, and others each have individual strengths and weaknesses. To gain the best results, use them together and use them wisely." Michelle Kabele

"A marketing organization that excels at integrated marketing puts the customer at the center of its strategy and executes extremely well across channels and lines of business." Elana Anderson

"CMOs must define and lead a customer-focused marketing strategy that crosses product, channel, geographic, even functional boundaries. Otherwise, they risk losing the customer." Elana Anderson

I am very excited about the future — as all forward thinking communications companies should be.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a top 25 PR firm.


SOURCE
http://www.bulldogreporter.com/dailydog/article/integrated-marketing-pr-firms-torossian-talks-about-5ws-rebranding

Sunday, October 21, 2012

5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian Releases Best-Selling Book On Public Relations

Very rare that someone from inside liberal New York media circles releases a hard-hitting book which urges people and companies to protect their brands. The Founder of 5WPR, a top 25 US Public Relations agency recently released his first book, “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations” which has been named an Amazon best seller.

Torossian is an accomplished entrepreneur, having been named a semi-finalist for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and been named to numerous “40 under 40” lists, including PR Week & Advertising Age.

Within conservative circles, the book has received stupendous reviews: Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), and named one of the “25 Most Influential Evangelicals” in America by Time magazine said “My friend Ronn Torossian has written a great book. He speaks from firsthand experience as one of the most gifted PR professionals in the world.For Immediate Release is a must-read book.”

The publisher of the New York Post, Paul Carlucci said: “I enjoyed reading this book so much. The foundation of so many of Ronn’s game-changing observations and direction is something we all get: LOGIC. One only needs to read, evaluate, and conclude, ‘I couldn’t have thought of that…’ or ‘That makes sense!’”

Fox News contributor Keith Ablow, M.D., said: “Ronn Torossian is a PR magician.  It’s impossible to believe some of the results he achieves, and he has never revealed just how he does it–until now.”

Among the topics he discusses in the book is how to combat anti-religious media outlets, how people can protect their brand (and personal) names online,the power of public relations in today’s 24/7 media driven society, and why public relations is needed by any business – “or anyone with a pulse for that matter.”

The book is a must read for anyone interested in media and may be purchased in bookstores nationwide, or at: http://www.amazon.com/Immediate-Release-Deliver-Game-Changing-Relations/dp/1936661160 or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-immediate-release-ronn-torossian/1102500083

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a leading PR firm and Author of “For Immediate Release”, a leading PR book.


SOURCE http://www.rightwingnews.com/column-2/5wpr-ceo-ronn-torossian-releases-best-selling-book-on-public-relations/

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Decision 2012 PR stunts

Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY

There's a brand new spin whirring around the elections, but this time it's not coming from the candidates. It's coming from PR-hungry marketers.

Several top consumer brands - including Pizza Hut, JetBlue and Cabbage Patch Kids - are dangling PR stunts that are election-themed and consumer-engaging. To attract eyeballs, they're also wacky.

"The media loves stunts," says PR guru Ronn Torossian. "If you want to clear the clutter, well-timed, creative stunts can make headlines."

Or, they can implode - particularly around elections. "Emotions run very high," warns brand consultant Tracey Riese. "Being identified with one side or another will alienate half your audience."

Here's the PR lineup:

-- Free pizza for life. Pizza Hut on Tuesday will announce plans to give free pizza "for life" to any consumer who asks President Obama and Mitt Romney if they prefer sausage or pepperoni pizza during the Town Hall debate on Oct. 16. (That means a $520 gift card every year for up to 30 years.)

Yes, debate questions are pre-screened, but Pizza Hut hopes someone will ask it, anyway.

The choice of sausage or pepperoni is irrelevant, notes marketing chief Kurt Kane, since with Pizza Hut's Dinner Box promo, you can get both and breadsticks and one side dish for $19.99.

"Neither candidate has clarified their message," explains Kane. "For a brand like us that knows what we're about, it's an opportunity to get the message out."

-- Free trip out of the country. JetBlue is promising "Election Protection" to about 1,000 disappointed voters whose candidates lose - with a chance to win a free flight out of the country (and back) the day after the election. "We decided to give people a chance to follow through on their claim to skip town if their candidate comes up short," says Marty St. George, senior VP of marketing.

-- Cabbage Patch candidates. Cabbage Patch Kids maker JAKKS Pacific will be auctioning on eBay, via a fundraiser for Rock the Vote, a line of dolls that look like the two candidates - and their VPs. (There's also a Michelle Obama doll.)

"We're part of pop culture," explains Jennifer Caveza, senior VP of marketing. "Attaching the brand to the election is a way to reinforce its relevance."

But value is in the eye of the beholder. In a similar fundraiser in 2008, the Obama doll went for $8,400, but the Sarah Palin doll pulled in a cool $19,000.

USA TODAY


SOURCE http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/342739/71/Pizza-Hut-JetBlue-etc-try-election-PR-stunts-