Passing of One More Giant: George Steinbrenner

By Tom Mills, Track Record Enterprises LLC

I hope that our readers will forgive me for delaying the next installment of my previous spokesperson essay to pay tribute to one of the great owners of all time.

If you are wondering how I can portray this controversial individual in such glowing terms, I will simply state that our lives are complicated. Sometimes, a great person such as the one and only John Wooden comes along and lives a life that is universally applauded and recognized.

George Steinbrenner is close to my own heart because of his humanity and his imperfections. Although George made mistakes in his life and was twice actually banned from Major League Baseball, he never gave up.

Once he was asked how he would like to be remembered and he simply stated that “I would like to be remembered as someone who always kept trying.” In fact, he will be remembered for his relentless pursuit of excellence.

Just as great coaches remained focused on building great teams, George’s Yankees were his pride and joy.

Here are some things that many of us don’t know about this man.

First, he was a product of his own childhood experiences with his father. Evidently, nothing that George ever did was good enough to earn praise from his dad. Many of his friends have mentioned that he had first and foremost a desire for acceptance from this most important figure in his life.

George Steinbrenner was intensely loyal to those he called his friends. He was a long-time supporter of the United States Olympic Committee and he helped so many individuals who were down on their luck over the years and never mentioned it to others. He was an amazing benefactor to the Tampa Bay community and will always be remembered for his generosity.

George Steinbrenner was passionate about his Yankees. He never stopped thinking of ways to field the best ball club possible for his fans and his family pride. He was a master businessman and innovator and he created one of the most successful sports broadcasting networks in history.

Ultimately, how will he be remembered?

He will be recognized as a driven and complicated individual who built the premier sports brand in the world who never gave up on being the best that he could be.

How to Build a Platform for Greater Spokesperson Opportunities on a Regional, National and Global Basis

By Tom Mills of Track Record Enterprises LLC

As I have noted in previous articles, I like to focus on positive actions and results.

For this reason, I choose not to digress in this article to discuss the current spate of negative fallout from ill advised spokesperson actions and reactions to adverse circumstances.

Let’s deal for the moment with exceptional spokesperson who show exceptional judgment in dealing with life’s challenges. I will assume then that we have one or more spokespersons in place who exemplify the sponsors’ theme and core values.

First, let’s look at regional programs that involve spokespersons. Many of these programs will employ the efforts of an outstanding player or coach from professional sports such as Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association or the National Hockey League. In addition, now we are seeing new lacrosse teams and Major League Soccer fielding teams in addition to the many minor league teams in some or all of the above sports. Many opportunities also develop for the local college football and basketball coaches who deliver for the city and region. For example, for a longtime in Los Angeles, you could expect to hear USC Head Football Coach Pete Carroll in an advertising spot as opposed to any NFL representative simply because Los Angeles still has no NFL franchise.

For such a regional program, it really is about finding the best spokesperson up front who has the character and depth to deliver in a variety of circumstances for the city or region. Since cities and regions are home town fans, this is a pretty simple equation and the key is finding someone who will be both available and effective in dealing with their duties.

When you begin to think about the national and global audiences, then things change very quickly. City and regional team stars will not work for this equation simply because someone who is loved in Los Angeles will undoubtedly be the enemy in New York. So, in the athletic arena, the next question becomes “Who will relate to all Americans?” The obvious choice in this situation is a national racing star or a champion and/or inspirational Olympic hero.

When Olympians compete, they represent the United States and play for the United States Olympic Team. What could be better than this if you want to relate and reach all Americans? And when Jimmy Johnson is winning his NASCAR race and the championship at the end of the racing season, he is very attractive for all racing fans in the U.S.

My next article will deal with additional considerations for maximizing the national and global platforms for product spokespersons

Nice Head Koichi!

Before my wife came to the US she took some classes to strengthen her English skills.  One of the students in the class was a young man named Koichi.  He, too, was headed to the US.  He was going on behalf of his company to learn how to work on Toyota cars.  One day after Koichi and my wife had moved to the US they got together and I had the opportunity to meet Koichi.  He told me a wonderful story about his experience at the Toyota dealership.

Koichi really liked America and Americans.  You see, he was prematurely balding and that made it difficult because having a bald head at a young age was unusual in Japan.  He was a little self conscious about his appearance.  However, he said Americans are fun loving and liked to joke around.  One day his co-workers were talking and joking around when one of the workers called him NHK, like the government TV channel in Japan.  When Koichi asked the co-worker why he called him NHK the co-worker replied, “NHK, Nice Head Koichi!”  They all laughed and that became his permanent nickname while he lived and worked in the States.

After a few years working in the States Koichi gained a lot of confidence in his appearance and his ability.  He went from being a mechanic to being a salesman.  He learned from his experience to treat everyone with respect and to rely more on what is inside and not appearances.  He is a successful salesman with many clients looking to him for purchasing advice and support.

Meet and Greet

There is a significant difference between the importance people in Japan put on personal relationships and the significance Americans put on relationships.  It is well documented that Japanese people tend to stick together and take care of one another.  On the other hand Americans are known for being individualistic and self reliant.  I witnessed this first hand when I moved to Japan and started to work within their culture.

One of the most interesting things that I experienced was the meet and greet concept in Japan.  For example, I once received a call from a friend asking if I would be willing to give a talk to a company in Tokyo.  At the time I lived in Toyota City about 3 hours from Tokyo.  I said I would be interested in doing it for the amount offered.  After the basics were discussed I thought we were completed and I would show up for the speech in a month, do my speech, get paid, and then return home.  Little did I know that this was not the proper form for a business transaction in Japan.

A couple of days after the phone call I received another call from the actual client saying that they would be visiting me next week and wanted to arrange a time.  I gave them a day when I was not busy.  A couple days later two men showed up at my office.  We had a little green tea and chatted for about 15 minutes.  Then, they got up, shook my hand and returned to Tokyo.

Now, my American mind went nuts, “what in the world was that?” I asked myself.  What a big waste of money and time.  However, I approached my sensei (boss or mentor) Mr. Yasuda about this and he corrected me.  He said that making a deal without meeting me and personally verifying my suitability for the speech would be irresponsible.  The executives in charge must guarantee that I will not embarrass them or their company, or cause them problems that might result in them losing face.  Had they hired me to do the job and I screwed up, it could result in a financial disaster and possibly they could lose their jobs.  It makes more financial sense to spend a few hundred dollars to ensure that what they are negotiating for is what they will get.  And the best way to do that is a personal visit.  I became a convert.

The Passing of a Giant: Part Two

By Tom Mills of Track Record Enterprises LLC

Last time, I shared my appreciation for my surprise visit with the legendary “Wizard of Westwood.” Although for the most part, I was a mere spectator, it still was a wonderful experience for me.

As I mentioned, I was so impressed by the fact that “Coach” had his own heroes: Abraham Lincoln and Mother Teresa.

My second involvement with John Wooden occurred eight years later. I was contacted by a major Southern California sports radio station that had planned a one day event about winning. They were inviting sports icons such as Joe Montana, Magic Johnson and Pete Rose (to name just a few) and business authors such as Donald Trump to appear but the speaker who truly appealed to me was “Coach.”

The other thing that strongly appealed to me was the opportunity to work once more on behalf of one of the great charities of today, the Special Olympics.

The plan was to combine fifty actual Olympians from Southern California with 50 Special Olympians and produce a “Heroes Introduction” that would provide the name and sport of each Olympian as well as the name and sport of each Special Olympian.

For nearly 20 years, my firm has been involved in these types of projects so it was relatively easy for us to coordinate this from the Olympian standpoint.

Somewhere in the midst of working on this production, an idea popped into my head that would provide a special acknowledgement for “Coach” and also provide the participating Olympians with a special keepsake that all of them would cherish.

I suggested to the producer of the event that we present “Coach” with an original portrait that commemorated his involvement in this event. In addition, we would also produce a limited edition series that could be provided to event participants (including the Olympians) as a special keepsake.

I got a portrait artist involved and when this work was finished, the artist and I presented it in person to Coach. John Wooden also autographed the limited edition sheets and I presented the Olympians with these special keepsake gifts at a special celebration party that I hosted on October 14^th (Coach’s 94^th birthday).

One of the Olympians in attendance was John Wooden’s first All American basketball player, George Stanich and his lovely wife Valerie. George also won the bronze medal in the high jump at the 1948 London Olympic Games.

George was tremendously influenced by John Wooden and became an outstanding college basketball coach in his own right at El Camino College in the South Bay of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Immediately following John Wooden’s passing, I received a call from George and we had a lovely discussion about how this man had shaped our lives. One of the testimonials that I heard over the weekend mentioned that we would never have someone this special in our presence again.

I agree but for Coach’s sake, I hope that there will be hundreds of thousands and even millions of disciples of his principles following his example and the example of individuals such as Abraham Lincoln and Mother Teresa as we all move through our lives.

All that George and I could say is “Thank you, Coach.”

What Makes a Great Spokesperson Campaign?

By Tom Mills of Track Record Enterprises LLC

Part Three:

Here are a couple of current campaigns that I believe are exceptional because of the longevity that both have achieved. The first campaign is the “Got Milk?” print campaign. Again, I have been fortunate to work with the agency that produces these ads and it was a thrill for me because these print ads have become “golden” after all of these years. For a while, it almost seemed that you really had not arrived as a sports or entertainment celebrity if you had not done a “Got Milk?” print ad.

Another fabulous and classic recent campaign comes from the folks at MasterCard.

Their “priceless” campaign touched us with wonderful moments from real life and were very similar to the long-form commercials that Hallmark has used for its spots advertising its greeting cards during its Hallmark television presentations. Each of these sponsors gets beyond the surface and provides something for us to think about.

With Hallmark, MasterCard and the “Got Milk?” campaigns, an element that has increased the impact of these spots dramatically is the longevity of the campaigns.

The concept of longevity works like this. When a television commercial debuts, some of the consumers may notice it but many just tune it out because after all, it is just a television commercial. However, when a great campaign debuts, more viewers “get it” immediately and they begin to tell their friends about the cool commercial they just saw. Gradually, if a campaign is executed really well, viewers will actually look forward to seeing the latest edition of the campaign and the number of impressions and actions (product awareness and sales) will go up proportionally.

When a campaign and spokesperson really jell, it is something like seeing a hit record really take off in the consciousness of the American public. More people are noticing it and humming it and telling their friends about it. If you apply this to a long-term such as five or ten years of continued success, you can then imagine how wonderful it is for the advertiser, the agency and the beneficiaries (employees, distributors, vendors and clients) of this marketing phenomenon.

So what all of us really are hoping for when the creatives begin to do their thing is for a campaign that truly takes off and develops a life of its own in our culture.

Now, here are a couple of campaigns that I would like to see in the future:

First, when will we see another classic tribute to a great Native American warrior again on national television? Do you remember the public service campaign for Keep America Beautiful that showed all of the trash floating in the river and Iron Eyes Cody rowing down the river? Then, he reaches the other side of the river and gets out of the boat and the camera moves in for a close up of him to show the tears streaming down his face? That spot was also a classic. I would love to see a Native American such as Billy Mills, the great Olympic gold medalist and humanitarian utilized in this type of PSA.

Next, I would love to see a reunion spot featuring Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. It would really be cool if the subject was hi-tech and they were arguing about something like where to put your social media websites and Magic was insisting upon Myweboo and Larry has his own ideas…

Finally, I would love to see an artistic spot that focused on the beauty, style and grace of a great female dancer or figure skater so that the viewer would become lost in the artistry of the performer. This spot would be one that viewers would eagerly anticipate and share with others so that they would be able to appreciate the artistic experience. There would be a number of ways that this spot could be presented from the audio and visual standpoints. The audio could either be a suitable and appropriate minimalist composition or just the actual sounds of the dancer or skater and the video could include close ups to the eyes of the performer and distant shots that capture the sole image on the stage or on the ice and (if a skater) the pattern that is being skated. This could make for a nice surprise at the end of the spot.

Next time: “How to Build a Platform for Greater Spokesperson Opportunities on a Regional, National and Global Basis”

If any of you have any questions about these posts or wish to contact me, either send me an email at Millscreek@Hotmail.com or please call me at (310) 839-1996.

The Passing of a Giant

Coach: A Giant of a Man

By Tom Mills of Track Record Enterprises LLC

I spend a lot of time focusing on television commercial campaigns in this blog so it seems perfectly natural to use the classic MasterCard “Priceless” campaign to make an important point about my own experiences with “Coach.” the legendary John Wooden.

If you have watched much television for the last ten years, you will recall numerous examples of gifts or treats with a dollar figure attached to them as to the cost and then the payoff line. It goes something like this:

“Three hot dogs, two programs and parking: $32

An authentic autographed baseball bat and bobblehead: $57

The chance to share my two kids first Major League Baseball game: Priceless”

As I have mentioned in a previous article, I regard this campaign as one of the all time great ones.

This is the way that I feel about my two experiences with “Coach.” I regard my two encounters with John Wooden as “priceless” moments in my life when I was able to spend time in the presence of a truly wise individual.

In 1996, I was involved in a nationally syndicated Olympic radio project as the “Olympic Expert.” It was my job to make the preliminary arrangements with some of the greatest Olympians of all time so that the series’ producer could tape a segment with them to be aired as part of the official countdown to the Opening Ceremonies of the Centennial Olympic Games.

One day we finished a little early and my friend Doug who was one of the series’ producers invited me to accompany him on an “errand” he had to do in the San Fernando Valley. All he would tell me is “You won’t be disappointed.”

Since I had already blocked out the entire afternoon for the series, I agreed and we drove out to the cities of Encino or Tarzana (I really wasn’t paying that much attention as to our exact location).

We parked and we rang the doorbell and are buzzed up and we take the elevator to one of the units in the condo building. You can imagine my surprise when John Wooden answers the door. Doug says “Hi Coach, thanks for agreeing to spend some time with me for this interview.”

In addition to his production role on this Olympic project, Doug was an on-air personality back in the South for a relatively small radio station. But as I would discover, “Coach” was not about status. Doug had made the request and John Wooden graciously agreed to spend an hour with him imparting his wisdom to the next generation.

Before Doug and Coach sat down to record the radio interview. We took a little tour (I believe that Doug had been there before and wanted me to get a true sense of what was important to Coach).

One of his bedrooms could be called his trophy room but the most surprising thing about it is that among the many personal honors and awards were large images of Coach’s heroes, Abraham Lincoln and Mother Teresa.

Coincidentally, both are also my heroes. I am originally from the State of Illinois, “The Land of Lincoln” and one of my highlights as a child was visiting a small home that had significance because of its association with President Lincoln. I admired him because of his unbelievable perseverance and his overall vision for America.

Imagine the strength of this man. At a time when our nation was being ripped apart by greed, hatred and defiance, he mounted the intestinal fortitude to go to war to keep the union together. Somehow, he found the courage day after day to inspire the North to continue to carry the fight to the South. And when it was all over and the South’s great commander, General Robert E. Lee had surrendered, Lincoln embraced his enemy and treated the South with compassion and healing actions.

I knew from my own studies of Abraham Lincoln that he also suffered bouts of depression at various times (when he and the First Lady lost their son) and often his tasks were made even more difficult by the incompetence of some of his military and political operatives.

I had always admired Mother Teresa for her love of the “poorest of the poor” and the dignity that she provided so many of the dying outcasts in Indian society. She did not see rank or riches but only a soul to love in each and every person who she came into contact with during her mission.

That someone as accomplished as John Wooden would strongly identify with two great individuals speaks volumes as to his priorities and values. Many of his admirers who are now speaking about him are sharing the side of him that they refer to as the “mentor.”

This special mentor often reached out to those who had requests and he provided his wisdom and counsel to them. He often spoke of things far removed from the basketball court. In the brief hour that he spent with Doug and me, I realized that he absolutely loved teaching and that he was just as much of a teacher as he was a coach. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of his players, not just win games.

Next Time: In Part Two, I will discuss my second encounter with Coach