180 Communications - Top NFL Picks Branded by Former Sports Illustrated Editor

Top NFL Picks Branded by Former
Sports Illustrated Editor

Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:48am EDT

First-round draftees are products of Don Yaeger's media training program,
which emphasizes branding

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Four of the first eight picks
in last weekend's National Football League draft -- headlined by top pick Jake
Long of Michigan and number three selection Matt Ryan of Boston College -- and 26 of the 99 players chosen in the first three rounds headed to their new
teams after completing intensive Media Training sessions led by former Sports
Illustrated associate editor and established media coach Don Yaeger and his
Tallahassee-based team.

Jake Long, selected first overall by the Miami Dolphins, said the session
with Yaeger helped him feel more confident in interview settings. "Every time
I do an interview or am in the public eye, I will be able to use what you
taught here," Long said of his session with Yaeger.

It was the second year in a row that Yaeger (www.donyaeger.com) has served
as media coach to the draft's Number 1 pick -- and the second year in a row
that a full one-third of the top picks had been through his program. In the
last year, Yaeger and his team also have worked with numerous major university
athletic programs -- including Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State
and Kansas State.

"Twenty years ago, players were drafted solely on their athletic ability,"
Yaeger said. "Now the most desirable draftees also portray a positive image
and are able to communicate effectively. Our work with those players is
intended to teach each player that he is a unique brand and that everyone --
including NFL teams -- want to align themselves with the best brands on the
market. Teams know their players' brands reflect directly on their own, so
they are choosing much more carefully."

Yaeger's 180 Communications (www.team180pr.com) team partners with
Athletes' Performance Institute (www.athletesperformance.com) to produce a
winning combination. API is a combine-prep center with facilities in Tempe,
Ariz., Los Angeles and Gulf Breeze, Fla., that focuses on enhancing
performance on the field and recognizes the value of Media Training off of it.
Yaeger and his 180 team have taken a modern and original spin on Media
Training by connecting with players on a personal level and encouraging them
to develop "Brand You." Yaeger also stresses the benefits of treating media
interviews as business opportunities to help define a player's brand and
connect them with their desired audience.

The list of players Yaeger trained in this year's draft included top-15
selections Vernon Gholston of Ohio State, Ryan Clady of Boise State and
Jonathan Stewart of Oregon.

"When you're doing interviews, you want to be able to focus on one thing,"
Gholston, selected sixth overall by the New York Jets, said when asked what he
learned during the training. "It's nice to be able to come back to your brand
words or concepts to keep your mind focused."

Although branding is the main objective of Yaeger's Media Training, he
also helps players expand their communication and life skills through
established and new methods.

"API imported Yaeger to help with an underrated part of the combine
process -- the 15 minute individual interview players do with teams," Peter
King of Sports Illustrated wrote last year. "Yaeger dug up dirt from these
kids' MySpace pages, Googled their names and found out anything else he might find to try to trip up these kids."

For more information on the training of these players, please contact
Don Yaeger or Jim Henry at (850) 412-0300.
SOURCE 180 Communications

Don Yaeger, or Jim Henry, +1-850-412-0300, both of 180 Communications

News Archive

8.25.2008 Notre Dame

The Brand You team recently completed their training at Notre Dame. Visit our media training page

8.23.2008 Ball State

The Brand You team recently completed their training at Ball State. Visit our media training page

7.01.2008 Mike Flynt Website

Team 180 launches MikeFlynt.com to promote "The Senior" written by Don Yaeger. Visit our visual communications portfolio

4.30.2008 Top NFL Picks Branded by Former Sports Illustrated Editor

First-Round Draftees are products of Don Yaeger's media training program,
which emphasizes branding.
Read the full article