the elevator pitch

The number of NBA stars utilizing the likes of YouTube and other social media networks is constantly on the rise. This summer, more than a few perennial All-Stars stepped in front of the camera for reasons beyond basketball. With the NBA regular season well into its first month, The Elevator Pitch decided to let you in on how the likes of Steve Nash, Baron Davis and Chris Bosh spent their time away from the court.

Nash - a two-time NBA MVP, leader of the Phoenix Suns, pride of Victoria, British Columbia and now . . . Vitamin Water Poster Boy? According the following three clips, Kid Canada spent this summer grooming himself, signing Shaq’s shoes and sliding through grocery stores.

Steve Nash at the Vitamin Water photo shoot.

Nash visits Vitamin Water HQ.

Nash shares his off-season training regimen.

Davis, the newest face of the LA Clippers, was actually a film major during his brief tenure at UCLA so stepping behind and in front of the camera is nothing new. Baron’s summer saw him move from California to, well, a different part of California in hopes of bringing a new kind of love to Clipperland.

Baron Davis goes to dinner.

Bosh, the most talented basketball player not residing in the U.S., apparently trained for his gold-medal Olympic performance by using martial arts.

Chris Bosh shows off his Iron Claw.

By bringing their own personalities to the forefront, NBA stars like Nash, BD and CB4 are humanizing themselves, rather than promoting the lavish lifestyle associated with being a pro jock. From a marketing perspective, these tactics work brilliantly in not only promoting a product, but promoting a person. Not everyone can be a multi-talented cross-genre media monster (think Shaq - more specifically think Kazaam the Rapping Genie). So using them as Vitamin Water did, as humble, Everyman characters, is effective in creating a connection with the audience. Nice work, guys - now it’s back to business on the court.

George W. Bush’s presidency will not be remembered for its accomplishments in public relations. If anything, gaffes such as the “Mission Accomplished” banner and the Valerie Plaime scandal will mark a Reign of Error. But it appears Bush and his advisers made a smart decision in attending the Beijing Olympics. The president is receiving quality air time from NBC and international broadcasters, plus he’s turning up in the right places at the right times.

On Sunday night, he stood with flag in hand inside the Water Cube swimming stadium and watched the U.S. men’s relay team pull off an improbable come-from-behind victory. In seizing the 4×100 gold medal from France, the Americans snared the headlines in Beijing and ensured that their star will continue his pursuit of history. Michael Phelps is chasing Mark Spitz’s record of seven Olympic gold medals in one Games, a feat set in Munich in 1972. As the fortnight of competition continues, all eyes will be on him, including those of the leader of his country.

“I looked up and saw President Bush giving me the thumbs up and holding the American flag. That was pretty cool,” Phelps said after teammate Jason Lezak swam the leg of his life to barely out touch France’s Alain Bernard at the finish.

Having the man who appears certain to emerge from these Olympics as the brightest star in American athletics assert that you are “cool” is a coup for Bush. With an approval rating languishing and the economy sputtering and Osama Bin Laden still hiding, Bush is in need of any positive affirmations he can get.

He had to go all the way to China to receive them but in this one instance few critics can deny he made the right call for his public image.

Horse racing still calls itself the sport of kings even though it’s mostly society’s minions who choose it as their activity of choice. Addled by the rep that it’s for senior citizens and wannabe mobsters, the sport has been shedding followers for generations and has failed to replace the majority of them.

The one exception always occurs on the first Saturday in May, when celebs and those who yearn to be in their vicinity descend upon Churchill Downs in tiny Lexington, Kentucky for the Run for the Roses. The Kentucky Derby is horse racing’s glamour race because it has managed to transcend the sport, landing on the list of hot places to be seen. It’s also done so without much effort. Tradition markets itself.

The top ticket at this year’s edition of the Derby will cost $8,000 and NBC is adding an additional 30 minutes of coverage because of the high ratings last year’s race garnered. After Saturday’s race, though, the drop off in buzz is significant. The Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, takes place annually at a financially troubled track in Baltimore and without A-list names in attendance.

The failure of horse racing to capitalize on the Derby’s popularity is peculiar because America loves sports, especially ones tied to the mythology of the country. In 1998, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association started running ad campaigns around the slogan “Go Baby Go”, which featured small-time celebrities such as Lori Petty and Rip Torn. Aimed at casual fans, the ad blitz helped boost attendance at racetracks and drew higher ratings for the Triple Crown races.

That’s far from enough. What the sport needs is to sell itself with the bombastic enthusiasm baseball used with its postseason commercials that starred Dane Cook or the intensity of the NFL’s ads that feature the likes of Don Cheadle and Morgan Freeman. Horse racing has to enlist relevant celebrities and turn the attention away from the 3-year-old horses, who are mostly in the spotlight only for a few short weeks before retiring, and toward the people in the stands. By focusing more on the human electricity at the track, the Derby will be only a prelude to a season of excitement not the annual pinnacle for horse racing.

Kentucky Derby Picks by Elevation PR

Here are our staff selections for the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2008 (5 p.m. ET, NBC):

Cowboy Cal – Our fearless and somewhat self-absorbed leader likes the name. Beyond that, trainer Todd Pletcher (0-for-19 in the Derby) deserves a victory, don’t you think? Plus, this colt’s good some talent. Cowboy Cal’s had three wins and two second-place finishes in his six career starts. He’s starting way outside in the 17th hole, which could allow him to stay out of traffic. And with Kentucky Derby odds of 40-1, he would make you some serious coin were he to win.

Colonel John – The best 3-year-old horse on the West Coast enters as a 4-1 second choice and with a lot of momentum on his side. Even Barack Obama picks him to win. The Santa Anita Derby champion is a late closer and figures to be well positioned to make a run with jockey Corey Nakatani aboard.

Big Brown – The 3-1 odds-on favorite may end up in the money but it’s more than likely he’ll prove he’s no Big Red. He starts from the far outside in the 20th hole, a position that has produced only one winner in Derby history (Clyde van Dusen in 1929). If Big Brown does win, however, talk of Secretariat and other Triple Crown winners will quickly be tied to his name.