Public Relations

Sweeting Corn Syrup's Public Image

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

The Corn Refiners Association launched an 18-month, $20 to $30 million public relations and advertising campaign "to convince consumers that HFCS [high-fructose corn syrup] isn't the evil it has been made out to be." The industry group is running ads in major newspapers -- under the banner "time for a little food for thought" -- that say HFCS has the "same natural sweeteners as table sugar and honey." The campaign, which was created by the

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Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal (sub req'd), June 23, 2008
Topics: 
Advertising
Internet
Obesity
Word-Of-Mouth Marketing
Children
Health
Public Relations
Women

Same Old Dog and No New Tricks: Update on Messaging on Iran

We know from Scott McClellan, the former White House Spokesman, in his recent book, What Happened, that President Bush insists on discipline in messaging. Although the publics on both sides of the Atlantic have gotten to the point of heavily discounting what he says, the President's desire for control can give us a sense of the thrust of policy. This is certainly true with respect to Iran.

Jeff Gannon, National Press Club member

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

Jeff Gannon"If you ever wondered what happened to Jeff Gannon, the former conservative reporter whose questionable White House credentialing and ties to several sex Web sites forced him out of a job," he's an active member of the National Press Club.

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Main Source: 
Editor and Publisher, June 19, 2008
Topics: 
Right Wing
Crisis Management
Internet
Journalism
Ethics
Media
Secrecy
U.S. Government

Pakistan Taps PR Lobby Firm for Help

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on

The government of Pakistan awarded a one year, $900,000 contract to Locke Lord Strategies (LLS), a division of Locke, Lord Bissell & Liddell. LLS's responsibilities under the contract are to publicize "the country’s recent political, social and economic developments." It will communicate these changes through both earned media (favorable, free publicity gained through promotional efforts) and paid advertising.

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Main Source: 
O'Dwyers PR Daily (sub req'd), June 19, 2008
Topics: 
International
Lobbying
Public Relations
U.S. Government

Gay Times for California's PR Industry

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

California is a hotbed for political messaging, as same-sex couples get married and conservative groups try to stop them with a November ballot initiative. Equality for All, a coalition supporting same-sex marriage, has hired Ogilvy PR Worldwide, the Democrat-leaning firm Dewey Square Group and the polling firm Lake Research Partners.

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Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), June 17, 2008
Topics: 
Activism
Democracy
Gay / Lesbian
Lobbying
Politics
Public Relations
Social Justice

"Bad Apple" Theory Rotting

Submitted by Anne Landman on

Dick CheneyThe Bush administration has long held that overly-aggressive interrogation methods used on detainees in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay were the work of a few "bad apples." Now, an investigation being conducted

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Main Source: 
Washington Post, June 17, 2008
Topics: 
Corporations
Democracy
Ethics
Human Rights
International
Politics
Right Wing
Propaganda
Crisis Management
Race / Ethnic Issues
Religion
Secrecy
U.S. Government
War / Peace
Iraq
Terrorism

China's Online Persuaders

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

China's webspace is infamous for censorship, but increasingly, public relations firms there are helping their clients "manage" online conversations. China-based firms such as Daqi, Chinese Web Union and CIC "charge $500 - $25,000 monthly to monitor postings and squelch negative information or to create positive buzz," reports BusinessWeek.

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Main Source: 
BusinessWeek, June 12, 2008
Topics: 
Internet
Corporations
International
Public Relations

French Flacks Want Their Information in First Place

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on

The largest PR and communications firm in France is asserting that "Wikipedia cannibalizes the image" of the biggest French corporations and their CEOs. Euro RSCG 's complaint is that Wikipedia articles score exceptionally high in search engine rankings -- often ahead of the corporations' own websites.

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Main Source: 
ZDNet.fr, June 11, 2008
Topics: 
Citizen Journalism
Internet
Corporations
International
Public Relations

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