A Not-So-Candid CAMERA
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
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International
Extinguishing Media Coverage of Olympic Torch Protests
Submitted by Bob Burton on
Pro-Tibet groups plan protests when the Olympic Torch procession gets to Canberra, the Australian capital, but the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has taken pre-emptive steps to minimize unfavourable media coverage.
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Audit Reveals the PR Machine Behind Canadian Global Warming Skeptics
Submitted by Bob Burton on
An audit review (pdf) of over $507,000 (Canadian) contributed to two University of Calgary "research accounts" has revealed that C$123,427 was routed to Friends of Science (FoS) -- a group lobbying the Canadian government against taking action on global warming.
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Colombia's Three Amigos Rustle Up Support for Free Trade Deal
Clumsy maneuvering by Burson-Marsteller CEO Mark Penn -- who met with Colombian officials about the U.S. - Colombia Free Trade Agreement while serving as the chief campaign strategist for trade deal opponent Hillary Clinton -- drew unwanted publicity to the controversial pact.
Colombia's $300,000 a year contract (pdf) with Burson-Marsteller stated the PR firm would "provide ongoing strategic communications counsel to the Ambassador and key Embassy officials"; develop "key messages, talking points and briefing materials"; give "advice and communications counsel to the Ambassador and Embassy staff"; and "co-ordinate media interviews and public events with relevant news media in Washington D.C. on behalf of the Embassy."
Colombia ended the contract after Penn described his meeting as "an error in judgment." But the country isn't hurting for lobbying power in Washington, D.C. -- especially among Democrats.
Spinners Queue Up to Help China
Submitted by Bob Burton on
The Free Tibet Campaign in the UK has warned that "any PR agency that is trying to assist China in its twisted distortion of the truth would be potentially exposing itself to protests outside its offices." Despite this, PR Week reports that Ogilvy,
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Penn Sought Out to Help British Prime Minister
Submitted by Bob Burton on
Despite the CEO of the PR firm Burson-Marsteller, Mark Penn, being dumped by the Colombian government and no longer working as 'chief strategist' for Hillary Clinton's campaign, he may be hired as a pollster by media staff working for British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown<
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Belarusians Give Bell Hell
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
In an open letter to British public relations executive Lord Timothy Bell, two directors of the Belarus Free Theatre accuse Bell of "making money on somebody's misfortune." Bell traveled to Belarus in March and met with President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been called "Europe's last dictator." Bell told Reuters, "I have been asked to make a propo
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Burson-Marsteller Floods Chile with Pro-Dam PR
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
One of Chile's "last true wildernesses," a forest
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U.S. Liberal Bloggers Brought to Israel to Show Them "Reality"
Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on
Left-wing U.S.
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Lawsuits, Light Cigarettes and Fear-Based Marketing Strategies
The Second Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals missed a great opportunity this week to hold the tobacco industry accountable for one of its worst marketing tactics -- positioning cigarette brands in response to smokers' medical concerns. The April 7, 2008, issue of the New York Times has an article about the dismissal of a huge, class-action lawsuit against the tobacco industry that was brought by smokers of "light" cigarettes who claimed they were misled about the relative safety of "light" cigarettes compared to regular, "full flavor" cigarettes. The suit, and its dismissal by the court, brought to mind a little-recognized tobacco industry marketing survival tactic that weighs heavily on the public's perception of exactly what "light" means.
The tobacco industry has long had a remarkable ability to rescue itself from damaging health claims by turning allegations against its products into marketing opportunities. Inside the industry, the fact that cigarettes cause widespread illness and death is referred to as the "smoking and health" issue, or "S&H issue" for short. Tobacco marketers consider "S&H issues" to be little more than "external marketing forces" that require re-positioning of products, through changes in advertising copy strategy, so that smokers will get an illusion of safety from the dangers they perceive.
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