The Insider Q3 2009

On behalf of Maroon PR, I'd like to welcome you to the latest edition of our quarterly E-Newsletter, which provides different perspectives from professionals within our industry and all things Maroon PR.

Maroon PR has been fortunate enough to remain busy throughout the spring. We've continued coordinating events for clients and positioning them in the media, as well as undergone a structural change to the company itself. We are glad to share all of this news with you.

We hope you find The Insider entertaining and that you will continue to visit MaroonPR.com to stay informed with everything we are involved with in the future.

Sincerely,

John Maroon, President

1. Under Armour has become one of the biggest clothing, shoe and athletic apparel providers over the last decade. With this growth, how much of your position is pitching media outlets and how much of it is taking calls from the media and deciding which ones would be the best fit promoting Under Armour’s brand?

My job is not only to generate publicity around the Under Armour brand and key initiatives, but more importantly to make sure we appear in the right places that make sense for Under Armour and protect our brand image. We have turned down product placement opportunities because they are not a good fit for our brand. Oftentimes it is more important where you don’t show up than where you do! We develop specific media strategies around key initiatives targeting outlets that will reach our target audience and always stay true to our brand ethos.

2. Under Armour started in Baltimore and has a very loyal fan base in the city. How do you continue to help grow Under Armour on the national and international level, while still maintaining and cultivating your strong relationship in Baltimore?

Baltimore has a heritage of toughness and hard work similar to Under Armour and our corporate culture. Baltimore will always be part of our DNA and it is a great home! One of our core values that we carry through our building is to “Be Humble, Stay Hungry.” We apply that to everything we do. Even as we grow, we will always stay true to who we are and our core values. It is important to never lose sight of that.

3. You were named director of communications at Under Armour in 2008 after previously working for Reebok. What did you learn from your five-plus years at Reebok that has helped and prepared you for your current position at Under Armour?

Relationships with strategic partners and media are very important in this industry! If you don’t have the relationships it is extremely difficult to be successful. I learned that early on.

Throughout the years as a PR professional, I was able to cultivate a lot of relationships with key media and alliances that I have continued to work with at Under Armour. In PR, we are often on the front lines and it is our job to help shape the messaging and tell a great story. It is extremely important to have those relationships to be a successful and achieve overall goals. As I’ve become a more seasoned PR professional, I have learned how to navigate and deliver messages in a clear, concise manner.

4. Under Armour has provided apparel and become the official outfitter of organizations that include Ripken Baseball, USA Football, and even the television show “Friday Night Lights.” Why did the company decide to align itself with these organizations, and how have these partnerships helped the company?

At Under Armour, we seek partnerships that make sense for our brand. Under Armour was founded on the football field and we look to partner with brands that are a good fit for us and brands that share similar missions that we do.

The Ripken partnership was a great fit, because at Under Armour we have a mission to grow the sport of baseball globally. Ripken Baseball works to that goal as well, so aligning ourselves with Ripken made sense.

5. Social media has become a valuable tool for public relations professionals to promote their clients. In what ways has Under Armour used social media to promote its brand?

Our target consumer spends the majority of their time online, so it is extremely important to have a digital presence. No longer is it a one-way conversation. We like to engage with our consumer and have a dialogue. Social media is part of our overall media strategy and we utilize Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to communicate with our consumers.

This quarter, Maroon PR tracked down... Darren Rovell, CNBC's Sports Business Reporter. He is responsible for both analyzing and reporting on the sports business world on all of CNBC's programming. You can read his "Sports Biz with Darren Rovell" blog at www.darrenrovell.com.

There's a very fine line between good PR and bad PR. The only relevant number PR people should know about me is this: 1.

That's how many pitches out of 100 turn into a story.

The good PR people are aware of what I do, what type of stories I write or broadcast and know what it takes to be that one percent that breaks through.

The bad PR people get my name, email or phone number without reading or seeing a piece of mine on CNBC and therefore have no clue why what they are pitching is relevant to me.

When I see a crafted pitch, I ask two questions. Was this tailored for me? Is this exclusive?

If the answer is no to both of those we're done.

The problem with PR is that clients are often obsessed with quantity over quality. They want to see their name as many times as possible.

Good PR people tell their clients that this isn't a good practice. They inform them that getting value is the key. Bad PR people send mass general e-mail blasts, hoping to land a couple stories with as little effort as possible.

The best PR people are those who know what my gold is -- what would be good to give me on an exclusive basis for TV, for the blog or even as a tweet. The good ones are the people who have conversations with me when they have nothing to pitch and respond quickly when I pitch to them.

The journalist's role in the PR equation is often thought of as a reactive role. The pitch comes in and we either take it or leave it.

But most of my popular stories come out of a proactive pitch. It's amazing to me how many PR people can help you when they are pitching, but can't help you when you are looking for something that relates to their client.

(Type "Rovell" and "Billy Ripken" in Google and you'll figure out why I owe John Maroon for life and why I'm writing this column for his company.)

My advice to people in the PR business is simple. Take the time to dream up individual pitches for journalists you care about. Read them enough so that you can learn to think like them, because there's nothing better than a pitched story that doesn't seem like a pitched story.

Darren Rovell has been the sports business reporter for CNBC since 2006. Prior to that, he spent six years covering the beat for ESPN. He can be reached or pitched at sportsbiz@cnbc.com (good pitches only!). His Twitter handle is DarrenRovell1.

Not long ago I found myself trapped on a phone call with a chatty client. She wouldn’t stop talking. She had the lung capacity of the Loch Ness monster. She didn’t breathe. She just talked.

When I finally ended the call I felt exhausted. There lies a fundamental difference between talkers and communicators. Communicators energize and attract others. Talkers leave you feeling like they siphoned off your bone marrow.

Great leaders communicate. Poor leaders just talk. To literally see the difference, look in a mirror and notice your ratio of ears to mouth: Two to one. Communicators live by that ratio. They listen at least twice as much as they talk. Talkers, on the other hand, invert that ratio and talk at least twice as much as they listen.

Now the critical question: Are you a communicator or a talker?

Use this litmus test to find out: The next meeting you go into, try not to talk at all - unless called upon. If midway through the meeting you feel an overwhelming urge to talk and can no longer tolerate your own silence, then the people who work for you or with you probably know what you just discovered. You’re a talker. If you sail through the meeting dialed into what others have to say, then you have the core skill of a communicator.

Too many people mistakenly think of talking and communicating as synonymous. They aren’t. If they were, you could talk through your ears.

Gerry Sandusky is a communications consultant, TV & Radio sportscaster, and the Voice of the Baltimore Ravens. His company, The Sandusky Group, is on the web at www.SanduskyGroup.com.

After months of planning, Nick and Christina Markakis officially announced the establishment of The Right Side Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to improve the lives of distressed children throughout Maryland. Maroon PR has been working with the Markakises since the beginning of April and has assisted in all aspects of the formation of the Foundation, including choosing a name, logo development, website design and establishing programming and events. The firm also managed the press conference announcing the launch of the Foundation on May 26 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

At the press conference, the Foundation announced two of its initial programs. The “Fun for 21” initiative, named for Nick’s jersey number, will enable 21 children throughout the state to enjoy experiences ranging from exploring the outdoors to visiting Maryland’s museums and attractions. The Markakises will also host a 5K Run/One Mile Fun Walk on August 16 at Patterson Park in Baltimore. The race will follow the Orioles’ home game against the Los Angeles Angels.

The press conference and launch of the Foundation was well covered by regional and national media including: The Associated Press, The Baltimore Sun, MASN/MASNSports.com, MLB.com and each local affiliate television station in Baltimore. Maroon PR handled the media outreach for the launch and facilitated media interviews for the Markakises.

Editors Note: The Right Side Foundation is encouraging people that need to order flowers or plants to utilize their partner, Radebaugh Florist & Greenhouses. For each sale generated through RightSideFoundation.org, Radebaugh Florist & Greenhouses will donate $5 back to the Right Side Foundation. This can be done by clicking on the Radebaugh logo at the Right Side Foundation website. Orders can be made and delivered nationwide.

On May 19, Maroon PR worked with Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and the Washington Nationals to promote "RIF Day" in Washington D.C., where RIF distributed over 13,000 free books to students at 44 public schools throughout the District.

The “RIF Day” activities began with a book reading event at Kimball Elementary School, where RIF President and CEO Carol H. Rasco and Washington Nationals’ Manager Manny Acta hosted 45 second grade students. Acta read a children’s book to the students and discussed how reading is both fun and important. Rasco and Acta also assisted the children with a variety of other fun activities.

In addition to the event at Kimball Elementary School, the Nationals hosted “RIF Night” at their home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates later that night. As part of the festivities, nine students from Kimball Elementary School were honored in a pre-game ceremony on the field.

Maroon PR initiated the relationship between RIF and the Nationals and helped secure media coverage for the day's activities. Media outlets that covered the event were FOX 5, WUSA-TV, MASN and WJLA-TV, as well as The Washington Post, The Washington Post Express, The D.C. Examiner, The Washington Informer, The Sports Business Daily, WTOP Radio, MASN.com and The Scripps Howard Foundation Wire.

Last quarter, due to continued growth, Maroon PR created two separate divisions - one to handle its sports and entertainment clients and the other to focus on its growing list of non-sports business clients. Additionally, Maroon PR now works on behalf of nearly a dozen non-profit organizations.

Tim Richardson was elevated from Vice-President to Executive Vice-President and oversees the Sports & Entertainment division, while Mitchell Schmale was promoted from Senior Account Executive to Vice-President to manage the firm's Business division. In addition, Matt Saler was promoted to Account Executive from his position as Manager of New Business and Social Media and will continue to work with Schmale in the Business division.

Account Executive Chris Daley and Associate Account Executives Andrea Kunicky and Stefen Lovelace work under Richardson's direction on the Sports and Entertainment side of the agency.

In June, Maroon PR hired a new employee to the Business division. The full-service agency hired Abby Draper as an Associate Account Executive.

Abby graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in communication focusing on public relations. She brings a wealth of experience in event planning, execution and measurement, specifically with non-profit organizations.

After two decades with various sports teams and leagues John Maroon opened Maroon PR in April of 2006. We opened our doors with two clients, Ripken Baseball and the Babe Ruth Museum, and we are proud to say that they are still with us. We now manage over two dozen active clients that include sports properties, non-profit organizations and small businesses. Our Vision Statement is "We Drive Growth Through Relationships" and it is so much more than a statement, it is the way we do business each and every day to help our clients. Visit the Capabilities section of our site to learn more.

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