Tuesday 24 July 2012

Mike Tyson: Crisis Public Relations Success Story

Watching Mike Tyson on The Today Show this morning was an “interesting” experience.   Can anyone believe that Mike Tyson will soon have his one-man show “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” on Broadway? Yes, you read it right – Mike Tyson will appear on Broadway.  What a brand turnaround success story.


Talk about a long strange journey – One of the greatest heavyweight fighters ever, the self-proclaimed “baddest man on the planet”, a former juvenile delinquent, convicted rapist, ear-biter, drug addict who has eight children by multiple women; did I leave out that he has a face tattoo?


Despite it all, and given that he is undoubtedly crazy and controversial, there seems to be something likeable about him.  What an image turnaround and great crisis PR success story Mike Tyson is. He’s had hilarious cameos in the blockbuster movie The Hangover, and the sequel, he speaks of veganism, being a better parent and often talks of being a “wimp.”


His 2008 Tyson Documentary starts to tell the story, and the man really seems to be one that has a life worthy of the big screen.  Tyson remains one of the most recognized sports personalities in the world.  One wonders can this man actually score some brand endorsements or are there any brands that will associate with him?


Jumping on the bandwagon was a quick announcement today – “THQ announced that former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will be made available on WWE 13 as an exclusive pre-order bonus.”. Let’s see what kind of audience he draws.


Ronn Torossian

5WPR

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