# Are you getting press for your company?



## ElevenOTwelve (Sep 9, 2008)

Just wondering if anyone else's top priority is filling up the press section of your website.


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## adam.smsg (Oct 22, 2009)

I just started out so I dont consider that a priority but somewhere down the line it will be. Definitely want people to know about my brand. Dont wanna push for press in the beginning and end up getting the bad version.


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## ElevenOTwelve (Sep 9, 2008)

adam.smsg said:


> I just started out so I dont consider that a priority but somewhere down the line it will be. Definitely want people to know about my brand. Dont wanna push for press in the beginning and end up getting the bad version.


Yeah make sure you have product you're proud of, and it's ready to sell


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## lburton3 (Aug 14, 2008)

Press will come when my direction is solidified. Workin on it!


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## Kapedano (Apr 2, 2008)

Was that really Mark Cuban that replied to your blog Loren?


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## lburton3 (Aug 14, 2008)

Kapedano said:


> Was that really Mark Cuban that replied to your blog Loren?


I think so! It seemed to be in Mark Cuban style, with proper website/email etc.. I was ecstatic when I read it!

I sure hope nobody is playing a big joke on me.


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## ElevenOTwelve (Sep 9, 2008)

lburton3 said:


> I think so! It seemed to be in Mark Cuban style, with proper website/email etc.. I was ecstatic when I read it!
> 
> I sure hope nobody is playing a big joke on me.


Send him a shirt


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## lburton3 (Aug 14, 2008)

ElevenOTwelve said:


> Send him a shirt


Good idea! I noticed you had some celebs repping for you.. Did they buy the shirts or did you just give them for free?


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## ElevenOTwelve (Sep 9, 2008)

lburton3 said:


> Good idea! I noticed you had some celebs repping for you.. Did they buy the shirts or did you just give them for free?


some have been sent for free, and some (which pics have yet to be taken) have been bought. Send a shirt to the Mavericks and put ATTN: Mark Cuban. Hit me up on PM if you want any more info


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## Kapedano (Apr 2, 2008)

He probably has Google Alerts. 

I have a friend who posted something about Steve Jobs on his blog and than Steve Jobs emailed him from this Apple email. At least that's what my friend told me.

Never the less; like Jon said, send him a shirt. You never know.


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## Bcool (Jul 20, 2009)

Press is great, but I am just happy to see people wearing the stuff--- that's the best advertisement in my opinion. Having an online look book is first priority to me. Press will follow.


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## ElevenOTwelve (Sep 9, 2008)

Bcool said:


> Press is great, but I am just happy to see people wearing the stuff--- that's the best advertisement in my opinion. Having an online look book is first priority to me. Press will follow.


the only thing that beats press is celebrity endorsement.


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## Bcool (Jul 20, 2009)

> the only thing that beats press is celebrity endorsement.


My point exactly. When somebody famous (and well liked, rather than some celebrity a-hole) wears your designs, it's the best exposure.


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## Reckless Tees (Feb 24, 2007)

We've found that press doesn't lead to many sales, at least not in the custom T-shirt game. We've been on TV and newspapers for our many contests and have seen very little traffic/business increase. I think exposure through a celebrity is much better, BUT close to impossible in my opinion unless you have an "in".


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## Kapedano (Apr 2, 2008)

ElevenOTwelve said:


> the only thing that beats press is celebrity endorsement.


Maybe in a short term basis. Celeberties tend to be one dimensional and can never build a brand. They should be used as a means to give you a helping hand after you have communicated your main messages to the press. 

If press is done right, than it will have an overall better effect on your company. The beauty of it is that you can communicate it through various channels and reach far more people.


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## ElevenOTwelve (Sep 9, 2008)

Kapedano said:


> Maybe in a short term basis. *Celeberties tend to be one dimensional and can never build a brand*. They should be used as a means to give you a helping hand after you have communicated your main messages to the press.
> 
> If press is done right, than it will have an overall better effect on your company. The beauty of it is that you can communicate it through various channels and reach far more people.


LL Cool J for FUBU (billion dollar company). 
Gym Class Heroes for Johnny Cupcakes (million dollar company).
Celebs helped build Ed Hardy's and Von Dutch's sales into multi millions
Michael Jordan for Nike 
50 Cent for Vitamin Water


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## IconoJett (Aug 12, 2009)

ElevenOTwelve said:


> LL Cool J for FUBU (billion dollar company).
> Gym Class Heroes for Johnny Cupcakes (million dollar company).
> Celebs helped build Ed Hardy's and Von Dutch's sales into multi millions
> Michael Jordan for Nike
> 50 Cent for Vitamin Water


Kapedano: Just wanted to say that your website is one of the cleanest and most professional that I've seen on these forums thusfar. Thanks for the ideas.

ElevenOTwelve: I don't understand the purpose of trying to cite celebrities. Are you trying to prove Kapedano wrong but using some examples of people that have helped a brand? If so, I'd retort Tiger Woods. Celebrities are a risky proposition as they are not only one dimensional but they are also fads and often can drag your name through a sticky situation. Yeah, a celebrity wearing your gear looks good as long as they are on top or in a positive light. What happens when your celebrity is arrested for rape? As far as I see it, celebrities are only good in that they give your brand street credit in an industry of nobodies. How you choose to play those cards is a whole different ball game.


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

IconoJett said:


> Are you trying to prove Kapedano wrong but using some examples of people that have helped a brand? If so, I'd retort Tiger Woods. Celebrities are a risky proposition as they are not only one dimensional but they are also fads and often can drag your name through a sticky situation. Yeah, a celebrity wearing your gear looks good as long as they are on top or in a positive light. What happens when your celebrity is arrested for rape? As far as I see it, celebrities are only good in that they give your brand street credit in an industry of nobodies. How you choose to play those cards is a whole different ball game.


I'm not sure I understand the Tiger Woods analogy. Tiger has made millions upon millions for a whole bunch of companies. Sure, this fallout will cost them, but the money they made over the years will be far greater.

And it's not like companies will stop using celebrity endorsements for fear of a negative impact. If one celebrity screws up, they will just find another. There is plenty of evidence of this... Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson, Michael Vick... All of them had multi million dollar effects on brands and screwed up, yet those brands and celebrity endorsements still go on.

People and personalities are very powerful tools. Granted, brands need to understand how to use them properly. If done right, one brand's failure can be another brand's success. Look at Kimbo Slice. EliteXC tried to build him as the "Tiger Woods of MMA" (real quote by CBS announcer Gus Johnson) and went out of business after he lost. The UFC put him on the reality show, and by the end of the first episode, made him into a humble, likable underdog that people can root for. They made a success out of what was probably the weakest group of talent in 10 seasons of The Ultimate Fighter. All because of Kimbo. And not even because Kimbo is good, he fought once and lost, but because the UFC portrayed him the way they did. They made fans want to watch him and listen to him on the show.

So I do agree that celebrities are a risky proposition and that brands need to know what they are doing when using celebrity endorsements. But I also think celebrity endorsements are worth a whole lot more than one dimensional fads that are only good for street cred.


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## Kapedano (Apr 2, 2008)

IconoJett said:


> Kapedano: Just wanted to say that your website is one of the cleanest and most professional that I've seen on these forums thusfar. Thanks for the ideas.


Thank you. I appreciate your kind words.


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## Kapedano (Apr 2, 2008)

Don't get me wrong. I am not against celebrity endorsements. They can help a brand. I am just saying that for a long term plan, press is far better because you can do so much with it. Even for a short term plan, you can do so much with it. 

Paying someone to say something and getting a non-biased person to say it are two different things; and the second one always has more credibility.


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## IconoJett (Aug 12, 2009)

I think what I was trying to get at was that its a dicey game and if you aren't skilled at how you position a celebrity, it could end up hurting you. As I see it, you should be VERY careful when putting your brand's image in jeopardy. Placing that imagery on another person immediately places you in the same light as your client. True, Tiger made a lot of sponsors a lot of money, but now that golfing has lost their poster boy, do you think the sport is going to bring in the same revenue as previous years? What if you sponsor a fighter only to discover that he is caught using steroids, what then? It is a gamble and while contracts protect you, public perception is irreversible once the concrete dries.

Celebrity endorsements are important, but it's a small sliver of your advertising campaign (unfortunately, its usually the brunt of the budget because TV cameras instantly add $$$$s). Just because you have decent imagery and land a celebrity doesn't mean you've found the path to Eldorado. You're going to be far more visible to the public with a lot less effort, but I believe that the quality of attention that you are getting isn't nearly as valuable as other categories. Not to mention it isn't cheap. I spoke with one fighter who got $16,000 to wear a particular company's shirt. Strategically, it wouldn't be wise to invest that type of money. The celebrity isn't going to build the brand alone. They might be a spokesperson but the brand needs to be strong without them. I'd be very interested to know what the going rate of a company paying a fighter for a simple modeling of a tee shirt on a website.


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

IconoJett said:


> I'd be very interested to know what the going rate of a company paying a fighter for a simple modeling of a tee shirt on a website.


Depends on the fighter, but an appearance fee is anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand. The problem with having them model t-shirts for a website is that it violates their other t-shirt sponsorships.


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## IconoJett (Aug 12, 2009)

kimura-mma said:


> Depends on the fighter, but an appearance fee is anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand. The problem with having them model t-shirts for a website is that it violates their other t-shirt sponsorships.


There's another hurdle. Of course, there are ways around that and we'll see if I haven't figured it out. Believe me, I'm using this medium to its full extent. Before I release any of my ideas of information, the ball is already going to be rolling (ie: copyrights, trademarks, contracts, etc). I'm very much interested in hearing the success stories of current business owners on here. I'm not looking for specific dollar amounts, just a general "I've broken even with minimal effort" or "I lost everything even with tons of hardwork". Determining market conditions and size are extremely difficult but I think I've done an okay job.


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## jayarrsteiner (Aug 8, 2009)

ElevenOTwelve: I don't understand the purpose of trying to cite celebrities. Are you trying to prove Kapedano wrong but using some examples of people that have helped a brand? If so, I'd retort Tiger Woods. Celebrities are a risky proposition as they are not only one dimensional but they are also fads and often can drag your name through a sticky situation. Yeah, a celebrity wearing your gear looks good as long as they are on top or in a positive light. What happens when your celebrity is arrested for rape? As far as I see it, celebrities are only good in that they give your brand street credit in an industry of nobodies. How you choose to play those cards is a whole different ball game.[/quote]

ironic, eh?


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## dynaweb (Oct 15, 2009)

Not really, I focus more on web exposure and usability. I figure if I were more of a "local shop" kind of deal then I would focus more on press though.


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## starz1 (Jan 17, 2010)

word of advise
DONT give any ANYTHING to celebs
they just give it to their friends

DO... lend stuff to their stylists
sound advise.


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## RMC (Mar 31, 2009)

Starz1,
How would you go about lending something to a celebs stylist?


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## bmassing (Jun 28, 2009)

of course its the top priority..


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## SHIROINEKO (Mar 31, 2010)

Never. But nice to have one.


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