Charlie Sheen is a Marketing Genius, & What We Can Learn From Him by Allen Miller, HitmanPR

I have been in PR, marketing for 20 years and been teaching my clients how to celebritize themselves using social media. We can learn a lot from Charlie Sheen in the way of marketing, the new media and how to use it. There are several rules I have been teaching for years; Charlie Sheen is the best example to illustrate those points. This is marketing at its best.

The first most important rule in social media is respond to the conversation especially when someone disagrees with you. Case in point. I am marketing for a very famous artist, photographer/videographer Norman Seeff. Norman has just produced a movie backed by NASA called “The Triumph of a Dream!” This film is going to go world wide very shortly. To be linked with this film and of course NASA would be a marketers dream. So I linked one of my other clients that work with World Financial Group (WFG), as a sponsor for the film. When we goggled WFG, numerous links were encountered calling WFG a SCAM, FRAUD, etc. Upon seeing this Norman Seeff and his team, refused WFG as a sponsor. Not because they were a fraud or not, that was an unknown, it was because WFG didn’t defend itself. WFG did not counter the claims or even speak to the claims. In the case of Charlie Sheen, when the first comments came out about Charlie’s lifestyle from Loree, Sheen responded quickly and decisively with a response. Chuck Lorre then came out with a response to Sheen’s and then so on and so forth for the last few weeks. This argument went viral and now he has sold out one-man shows in New York.

Rule #1-- Answer your complaints faster than your compliments-most of all answer!

The second rule and probably the most important rule-People live vicariously through you. Everybody thinks that everybody’s life is more interesting than his or her own. Case in point, Charlie Sheen has given us a glimpse into his life the nice house, the two “Goddesses” the cars etc. Charlie Sheen has been fired from his job, is in a custody dispute, and is suing his employer. However, he turned this online argument into 2+million followers on twitter and companies are lined up to use him to represent their products. Now you that have products and services tell your followers or potential followers about the encounters you have, people want to read and know about you. They identify with the fantasy they see as you. I have a client Bonnie-Jill Laflin, she is the only female scout or the NBA, working with the Lakers. She gets to play hoops with the Lakers and Kobie several times a week. She takes this for granted, but most people I know would kill for the opportunity to play basketball with the Lakers. 

Rule #2 -Nothing in your life is insignificant people want to know as they idealize everybody other than themselves.

The third rule, don’t stop, once you start this do not stop! Charlie Sheen has staged wonderful examples of this rule. Charlie and one of his goddesses were planning a siege of CBS to get his motor home back. They were dressed in commando type uniforms with a map of all his video. They go to the studio, walk in and drive out no confrontation. Genius, everyone watches because will there be drama, fights no. That’s not the point they engaged everyone in the “OP” and people watched. Charlie has been on a number of media outlets continuously since this started and was only bumped by a Tsunami. But I guarantee after this levels out (bad pun) well be back watching Charlie’s life. Chuck Lorre CBS, everyone has stopped speaking about Charlie, except Charlie. We were taught as children when this type of argument started to “let it go” “turn the other cheek”, “it will blow over” and my favorite "don't stoop to their level". NO this is wrong, answer back, the one that is the longest winded WINS. Look what happed to WFG, they turned the other check, and lost an opportunity to take their business vertical with NASA. They lost an opportunity of a lifetime to market their business because they thought it would go away. REMEMBER what happens in Vegas, may stay in Vegas. But it stays on the Internet forever!!!

Rule #3: Keep the conversation going, only if it goes one way. People are watching and listening, even when they’re quiet.

I don’t know if Charlie Sheen, knows these concepts or has someone advising him. Regardless, what has transpired over the last few weeks is absolute GENIUS! 


In conclusion there has been a lot said about Charlie’s “Duh Winning” comment. Charlie Sheen has made approximately 7 million dollars from sold out shows he is going to perform, product placement and from sponsors. Update: There is speculation that Charlie will get his old job back at CBS. He did all this following the rules I have taught for years. So I ask you who is winning, and laughing all the way to the bank.

Allen S. Miller, of HitmanPR is a marketing strategist to actors, authors, athletes, and business professionals. Hitman Public Relations provides business and media strategies to its’ clients for marketing internationally on TV, in print and social media markets. Hitman PR owns channels on Kelsey Grammer’s online TV network where it’s developing, directing and broadcasting new content.  Hitman PR was originally created to publicize his longtime friend Farrah Fawcett's (Fawcett’s Farrahfawcett.us)  message of hope to the world.

How I met Uday Hussein and How I worked with The Iraq Soccer Team by Allen S Miller

In August of 1990, Allen S. Miller, of HitmanPR led a team of physicians to the World Games in Chiro Egypt and ultimately worked for the Iraq Soccer team and Uday Hussein. Egypt wanted to be considered a contender on the world stage for an Olympic bid and spared no expense at updating their sports facilities. I was accredited with Sierra Leone Olympic Track & Field Team and had been since our introduction at the All African Games in 1988 held Lagos, Nigeria. These were tense times; President Herbert Walker Bush and Saddam Hussein were locked in a moral debate over Saddam’s taking of Kuwait. The night before I was to depart, I got a phone call from the “state department” to be more accurate my stepbrothers’ father in the CIA, not to go.

Once on the ground we quickly organized the team and went to the accreditation center for our credentials. Once I checked in and received my credentials I needed to get the rest of the team accredited for the games. This became a problem, and for some unknown reason, everything was denied, until I met with the head of security. I was immediately escorted to the security center and was graciously asked if I wanted tea, while I waited for the General. I had brought pins from the US, FBI and State Agencies as presents. I had known the General since Lagos and had seen him on my several trips to Africa. I gave him an FBI pin as a gift, at which point he broke out the Scotch, and we talked for hours. Subsequently, the General facilitated the doctor’s credentials for entry. After checking in with my team, we entered the stadium area and setup on the practice field. This may seem strange that we didn’t got the medical center, however, this is where everybody setups up their equipment. There is an old rule in sports, you go where the athletes are, and they are usually at the practice field. Sports medicine is a cooperative, a family; we all know each other and help each other. It always amused me that journalists would write that there were political rivalries inside the center. To the contrary, we all worked, with each other, shared each other’s equipment and supplies. Now Africa is an amazing place, everyone is a variety of colors from black to white and everything in between. The badges did not have nationality on them, the badges only indicated the team you were credentialed with, I was credentialed with Sierra Leone, it was just accepted that I was from Sierra Leone.

As we were setting up and operational on the practice grounds the athletes started to arrive for a variety of services. I was approached by the team manager for the Iraq Soccer team. Their manager was a very charismatic and engaging gentleman. We talked for a long time, as he was very interested in our services. My team of doctors evaluated and treated the team as they would all the other teams at the games. The rhetoric between the USA and Iraq was escalating, during the time we were there.

There was a fear that violence would breakout as the games organizers decided to issue evacuation plans and the location shelters. To the dismay of the team, the organizers went so far as to overlap targets on the parts of the city that we were housed. We were watching the coverage of the Kuwait conflict on a fledgling news channel called CNN. As the games were wrapping up, the manager of the Iraq Soccer team invited some of us to dinner at his hotel (Hilton on the Nile) with his father. I picked the members of the team that had the most impact with the soccer team and off we went to dinner at the Hilton. We met up with the team manager, outside the Hilton, as directed. He apologized greatly that dinner had to be “postponed” as his father had to go back home as “Bush invaded Iraq”. I very naively asked “who is your father”, The team manager replied “my father is Saddam Hussein”. Now in amazement he said then you are? He replied Uday Hussein, he kings son. Uday Hussein apologized greatly for the embarrassment and asked if I would come to Iraq “following this unpleasantness” and work with his team and physicians. I had to laugh and stated “well I am honored and would be glad to come, but I think my government would disapprove”. Uday, asked “why would Sierra Leone disapprove”? I then stated that I was an American, we both just started laughing. Uday, then stated that “he would insure my safety” and to contact him once this conflict was over”. He then handed me a keychain with his likeness and the likeness of his father on them. He thanked me greatly for the service and kindness provided both him and his team. We parted and I was never to see him again. My dinner with Saddam Uday Hussein got cancelled by President Bush’s’ bombing of Kuwait.

So the moral of the story and one I have lived all my life; be nice you never know who you are talking too.

Kathy Ireland’s Recommendations To Allen Miller on MSNBC

Allen S. Miller, of HitmanPR appeared on MSNBC with Donny Deutsch about branding was an amazing experience. Kathy Ireland was on the panel and contacted me after the show offering to mentor me. She continues to be a mentor to him and give him business advice today. She is a wonderful friend…