Buzz Cut
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The logo for word of mouth marketing company BzzAgent.
No
Main Source:
Topics:
Ethics
How a Lobbyist Stacked the Deck
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal continues to unravel. In a page one story, the Washington Post shows how Abramoff helped eLottery, a company that sells lottery tickets online, defeat the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act of 2000 by paying a coalition of Christian and other conservative groups to oppose the bill on the grounds that it would promote gambling.
No
Main Source:
Topics:
Preventing Embarrassing Information Becoming Public
Submitted by Bob Burton on
Guidelines issued by the Australian government's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet advise public servants on how to avoid personal notebook comments being disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.
No
It's Miller Time
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
No
Main Source:
Fake Blogging and an Equally Fake Apology
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Fake blogs—a form of viral marketing in which PR or advertising agencies attempt to generate interest in their client's product by creating a fictional character on the internet—are drawing criticism from real bloggers.
No
Main Source:
Conflict of Special Interests
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The scandal around indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and PR executive Michael Scanlon now includes former Deputy Interior Secretary-turned-consultant J.
No
Main Source:
Topics:
Transparency Haunts PR Firms Selling Corporate Social Responsibility
Submitted by Bob Burton on
In a review of the role of PR firms in corporate social responsibility programs, Lisa Roner writes that "many early efforts to communicate on corporate responsibility have been high on production value and low on substance." Citing examples such as Hill & Knowlton's role
No
Main Source:
The Drug Industry's Attention to Profit Disorder
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"A few individuals in government expressing concern can't equal the marketing power of large companies," said a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency official, regarding stimulants prescribed for children with "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" (ADHD). Leading ADHD researcher Dr. William Pelham says McNeil Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures the stimulant Concerta, uses "misleading" marketing campaigns and has pressured Pelham to "water down" his writing.
No
Main Source:
Topics:
Stifled by the Menopause Industry
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"From oral contraceptives to estrogen therapy, Barbara Seaman has been exposing pharmaceutical industry cover-ups of drug health risks for 30 years," writes Linda Nathan. In response, pharmaceutical companies have exerted influence to get her fired from three different women's magazines -- Ladies Home Journal, Family Circle, and Hadassah -- where she wrote columns criticizing their products.
No
Topics:
Fleishman-Hillard Liquidates Public Assets
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Fleishman-Hillard treated the ratepayers of Los Angeles like a cash cow, milking them for millions," said city controller Laura Chick. Chick's audit of Fleishman-Hillard's work for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power concludes the PR firm overcharged the city $4.2 million over 5 years, through "unsubstantiated, unsupported and questionable" billings.
No
Main Source:
Topics:
Pages
