5wpr
Ronn [sic] Torossian, Web Spoofer Extraordinaire
Hamilton Nolan · 02/01/08 03:17PMIMPORTANT NEWS VIA E-MAIL: "There's a new owner of Hamiltonnolan.com. Guess who? Since you seem obsessed with me I will make sure to remind you daily. Hugs & Kisses, Ronn." AWESOME. I finally have something in common with all those famous PR people whose domain names he squatted on in '06. [UPDATE: A tipster points out that someone has played this same trick with www.ronntorossianpr.com. It wasn't us!]
"We are under the impression that the entire world is borderline A.D.D."
Hamilton Nolan · 01/31/08 04:24PMDumb in a cunning way, or just regular dumb? Ronn [sic] Torossian's PR firm, 5WPR, sent out a grammatically challenged press release about its client's plans to run a two-second Super Bowl commercial, consisting only of the word "Weatherproof." An hour later 5W sent out a retraction, because it became clear that two-second time slots in the Super Bowl are, surprisingly, unavailable. But then the stupid stunt got picked up all over the place. Brilliant? YOU decide. Full release, and retraction, after the jump.
The Meaning of Influencer Relations
Hamilton Nolan · 01/23/08 12:41PMThese days, of course, Sundance is less a film festival than a promotional platform for marketers such as Anheuser-Busch that burnish themselves by association with celebrities. Or, as 5WPR chief and Joe Francis supporter Ronn Torossian boasted this week on his blog: "All of our partner brands receiving tremendous influencer relations." So how does the self-important New York publicist work his PR magic? With Kim Kardashian in a condom-dispensing photo booth. Lifestyles is a client. Kim Kardassian is somebody. And Complex Magazine undoubtedly endeared itself to its cool kid readers by cosponsoring the 5W party where the Hilton sisters danced on tables while watching DJ AM spin, a scene Ronn describes as "like watching Michael Jordan play basketball I suppose." Classy!