Public Relations

PR Firms Holding Their Own, for Now

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on June 27, 2008 - 3:31pm

U.S. PR firms seem to be doing well despite uncertain economic times, at least for now. The annual Best Practices Benchmarking Survey by StevensGouldPincus showed that while the industry didn't match its 22% growth of 2006, in 2007 they still managed a 19.7% average profit.The survey found "a remarkable average of $221,388 per professional in annual billings and a huge jump in average monthly fee minimums to $14,000 from $10,000 one year earlier.

Main Source:

Bulldog Reporter's Daily Dog, June 23, 2008

Topics:

Corporations

Public Relations

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The Swift Boating Begins in August

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 25, 2008 - 1:06pm

Saying "we believe the media whitewashed the candidate," the president of Regnery Publishing announced an August release for a book titled "The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate." The PR firm Creative Response Concepts (CRC) is promoting the book.

Main Source:

Muckety.com, June 24, 2008

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Image and Reality in Zimbabwe

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 25, 2008 - 12:44pm

"Horrified directors of global marketing giant Young & Rubicam have begun a sell-off of their holdings in Zimbabwe, after learning the company's head was behind Robert Mugabe's election campaign image makeover," reports Rowan Philp.

Main Source:

The Times (South Africa), June 25, 2008

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Sweeting Corn Syrup's Public Image

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 23, 2008 - 1:46pm

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

Main Source:

Wall Street Journal (sub req'd), June 23, 2008

Topics:

Advertising

Internet

Obesity

Word-Of-Mouth Marketing

Pakistan Taps PR Lobby Firm for Help

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on June 19, 2008 - 10:49am

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.

Main Source:

O'Dwyers PR Daily (sub req'd), June 19, 2008

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Whitman's New Nuclear Job

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 18, 2008 - 4:09pm

Christine Whitman with Rudy Giuliani At the Nuclear Energy Institute's (NEI's) recent conference, Penn, Schoen & Berland pollster

Main Source:

The Express-Times (New Jersey), June 18, 2008

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Gay Times for California's PR Industry

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 18, 2008 - 3:15pm

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.

Main Source:

O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), June 17, 2008

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China's Online Persuaders

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 16, 2008 - 5:00pm

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.

Main Source:

BusinessWeek, June 12, 2008

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French Flacks Want Their Information in First Place

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on June 13, 2008 - 9:22pm

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.

Main Source:

ZDNet.fr, June 11, 2008

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Weber Shandwick Bowls over the Army

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on June 13, 2008 - 5:08pm

From the Army's 2006 All-American Bowl How can you counter "daily stories and blog entries that portray the negative aspects of joining the military"? That was PR firm Weber Shandwick's job in the lead-up to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January 2008.