By Nikki Girvan, Junior Account Manager at Tangerine PR
This morning, while listening to a news report about Muhammad Ali reaching his 70th birthday on my way to work at Tangerine PR, I realised that, for someone who isn’t into boxing, I know a heck of a lot about him - but nothing at all about his sporting career.
Convert to Islam, conscientious objector, social activist and an excellent wordsmith – everything I know about Ali has little to do with his success as a professional boxer, and everything to do with his incredible skill as a self-publicist.
From the outset, Ali seemed to know exactly what to say to excite, engage and at times anger the media – ensuring column inches every step of the way. From his first interview with his local paper, the Louisville Courier, at the age of 12, where he made a cocky pre-fight prediction: “This guy is done. I’ll stop him in one” to his immortal pre-fight rally that he would “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” – he knew the value of a well-crafted sound bite.
As his fame grew , so too did his media ambitions, dreaming up elaborate PR stunts, such as the iconic photos taken of him shadow-boxing at the bottom of a swimming pool, which he used to support the proclamation: “Do you know why I’m the fastest heavyweight in the world? I’m the only heavyweight that trains under water.”
He didn’t, of course, but the public and the media alike ate the story right up – just as he had planned.
The beauty of Ali’s PR skills lay in the fact, at that time, it just wasn’t the business it is now. Of course there were publicists and press releases, but not companies like Tangerine PR and our peers, where teams of professionals work hard to create stunts and campaigns for our clients.
He was just one man, set on the goal of being “The Greatest” and knowing exactly how to achieve that, both in and out of ring.
Happy Birthday Mohammad Ali – from a PR professional to a great PR – I salute you!
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Ali seemed to know exactly what to say to excite, engage and at times anger the media – ensuring column inches every step of the way. From his first interview with his local paper, the Louisville Courier, at the age of 12, where he made a cocky pre-fight prediction: “This guy is done. I’ll stop him in one” to his immortal pre-fight rally that he would “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” – he knew the value of a well-crafted sound bite.
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