Diebolder, California Style
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Diebold Election Systems (DES) has hired Ogilvy PR to burnish the company's image and the benefits of electronic voting in California," reports PR Week.
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Public Relations
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
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America's Army Fights Back: The PR Plan for the Pentagon's "Demonstration Village"
Sometimes even the slickest public relations effort doesn't improve a person's or an institution's image. Think of the U.S. State Department's $15 million "Shared Values" ad campaign, which tried to assuage anti-American sentiment in Muslim countries.
ABA's School Vending Policy Fizzes On Obesity Prevention
The American Beverage Association scored PR points recently when they unveiled a new voluntary "school vending policy." The trade association for soft drink manufacturers says it is encouraging beverage producers and school districts to provide "lower-calorie and/or nutritious beverages" to schools and limit the availability of soft drinks in schools. ABA's announcement snagged positive news stories across the country, but public health advocates questioned the group's commitment to preventing childhood obesity.
Indian Givers
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Public relations "is coming of age" in India, writes Ramesh Narayan, the founder of an advertising agency in Mumbai. Its emergence has been accompanied by some shady practices, such as press confererences where reporters receive a "press kit which contained relevant material and a gift. ... Considerable time was spent in deciding what gift should be purchased.
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One-Stop Influence Shopping
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The Sacramento-based public relations firm run by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's chief fundraiser "is representing a local developer who, while working to block a bill at the Capitol, has agreed to help host a fundraising dinner on the governor's behalf." It's the fourth time that clients of fundraiser Marty Wilson's firm, Wilson-M
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Voluntary Soda Jerks as PR
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"The first salvo in a broader public-relations counterattack by beverage companies to help the industry reverse its tarnished image" is voluntary restrictions on drink sales in schools. The guidelines, which will be touted "in full-page ads in several national newspapers," suggest that new school contracts remove carbonated soft drinks from elementary schools and remove sugary drinks from middle schools during school hours. All beverages will continue to be sold in high schools.
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When Real News Dents The Fake News Business
There's good news for citizens and bad news for investors in the latest quarterly financial report of Medialink Worldwide, the biggest player in the fake news business.
Ethical Bump or Just a Pothole?
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"It was intended as a picturesque public relations triumph," writes Carla Marinucci: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger backed by a blaring soundtrack of 'Takin' It to the Streets,' striding alongside an army of neon-clad street workers to tackle a 'critical' transportation problem—a San Jose pothole. But the photo op took more than a little doing, government documents show—a flurry of anxious e-mails from city officials, dozens of hours of planning on city time and considerable angst over details like location, location, location. ...
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Making Ads to Promote Drug Companies that Make Ads
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Following the release of the industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America's (PhRMA's) suggested drug advertising guidelines, Pfizer pledged not to "directly promote any new product" for six months and "to target only adult audiences" with Viagra TV ads.
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