MAYWEATHER VS MCGREGOR – WHY THESE TWO SPORTING SUPERSTARS ARE KINGS OF PR

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LET OUR EDINBURGH PR AGENCY EXPLAIN WHY MAYWEATHER VS MCGREGOR HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST MOST-TALKED ABOUT AND LUCRATIVE EVENTS IN SPORTING HISTORY

Edinburgh PR agency take on McGregor Mayweather
Credit: Andrius Petrucenia

PUBLIC RELATIONS – “The professional maintenance of a favourable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person.”

 

This is the definition offered by one online dictionary of PR and if there’s one man on the planet who has perfected his ability to maintain a high profile public image for his own personal gain it’s Floyd Mayweather.

 

Although not always a “favourable” image, the 40-year-old has combined his immense boxing talent with media nous to amass an estimated net worth of $340 million.

 

From “Pretty Boy” Floyd to today’s “Money Mayweather”, the champion boxer has consistently moved with the times and understood his audience to maximise his own wealth and fame – in the same way our Edinburgh PR agency understands a business’s needs and customers and tailors a campaign to reach as many people as possible.

 

And this weekend, the 49-0 undefeated boxer will face his biggest and most unusual challenge yet, in the shape of Irish UFC superstar, Conor McGregor in a $300 million mega fight.

 

THE PRETENDER

The bold and brash Irishman is no stranger to the power held by effective PR, using his brutal MMA combat skills and coupling them with his high-profile interviews and ‘Notorious’ nickname to make attention-grabbing statements both visually and verbally, building a wide fan base in the process.

 

Mayweather has accused the younger man of stealing his “whole blueprint” by speaking his mind, dressing elaborately and spending his new found wealth on extravagant cars and suits.

 

The 29-year-old Dubliner has never fought a professional boxing match with some bookies offering odds as long as 40/1 on him winning the fight. To put this into perspective, the same betting company is offering similar odds on Donald Trump “surgically enhancing his penis” and feeling comfortable enough to share this news. Betting giant Paddy Power has already paid out on a Mayweather victory.

 

GLOBAL INTEREST

So why then, is the world captivated by the upcoming fight between the self proclaimed best boxer ever and a man who just four years ago was still collecting benefits every week?

 

The answer? Both men have used exquisite public relations to make this one of the most lucrative events in sports history.


Public relations agency Holyrood PR in Edinburgh explains why businesses need PRThe key to a successful PR relationship is the client having a clear set of goals to reflect exactly what they’re looking for from any campaign. To find out why this is so important, take a look at our handy guide.


 

In this case the goal was very clear; the campaign must raise as much hype and awareness about their August 26 bout as possible so that both men can earn as much money as possible.

 

And if figures are to be believed, both men are set to enjoy massive paydays, with McGregor talking about how he will “quadruple” his net worth with “half a fight” – referring to the limitations of boxing compared with his more natural MMA style.

 

Take a look at how our award-winning Edinburgh PR agency can help create a buzz of excitement to help launch your product or service.

 

Reports suggest that Mayweather could pocket $230 million with the remaining $70million lining McGregor’s back pocket, with pay-per-view television sales set to enhance these figures even more.

 

Their four stop tour of verbal sparring and face-offs in London, Los Angeles, Toronto and Brooklyn created headlines around the world, before McGregor had a high profile fallout with sparring partner and former world champion boxer Paulie Malignaggi.

 

Then Mayweather made a point of showing he was visiting his strip club and eating burgers rather than training whilst McGregor’s Instagram is updated daily with shots of his brutal training regime.

 

That’s before the rafts of interviews and behind-the-scenes ‘All Access’ shows watched by millions.

 

THE FINAL ROUND

 

All of it creates a sense of intrigue whilst Mayweather’s unusual approach of talking up McGregor rather than slating him as he tends to do with opponents gives the fight just enough credibility in the minds of some experts to make even the purist boxing fans sit down and watch.

 

I, along with many others who have been sucked in by the mesmerising PR will be setting an alarm and getting up to see what happens when the pair step into the ring in the early hours of Sunday morning.

 

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR AN EDINBURGH PR AGENCY?

If you fancy taking a leaf out of the Mayweather/McGregor play book and boosting awareness for your product or service, give the expert team at our Edinburgh PR agency a call on 0131 561 2244 or fill in the contact form below:

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