Public Relations

It's the Little Things

"Walmart used to annoy me with its horrible labor practices, draconian rules, and blatant manipulation of the media, but now it's gone past annoyance to bafflement," writes marketing consultant K.D. Paine. "The latest was the firing of their VP of Marketing because she allegedly went for rides in an Aston Martin and accepted dinners from Agencies pitching their business. ... Their message is: we're all about ethics.

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Edelman Flacks for Big Oil

"With congressional Democrats readying probes into oil companies' profits and eyeing legislation aimed at curbing global warming, the American Petroleum Institute and its K Street allies are looking to assemble a $100 million war chest to rally policy makers and public opinion to their side," reports Peter Stone.

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Marketers Seek Multicultural "Magic"

The Association of National Advertisers recently held its Multicultural Marketing Conference, "which drew more than 300 attendees from companies such as McDonald's Corp., Sprint, Home Depot and Lexus." Earvin "Magic" Johnson told the conference that early engagement of communities of color resulted in brand loyalty. If "somebody beat you in, we're going to stick with them," he said.

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Perchlorate Makers Blow Smoke on Health Issue

The Los Angeles-based group Environment California says an industry-funded group is using "misleading research and tobacco industry-style lobbying to influence the debate on the effects of perchorate." Perchlorate is a rocket fuel ingredient and "a known thyroid inhibitor" often present in water supplies near military and manufacturing sites.

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New Zealand Opposition Leader Retreats From Banning Book

The Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Don Bracks, has indicated that he may clear the way for the publication of a book by investigative journalist Nicky Hager, despite having obtained an injunction last Friday banning anyone from publishing the contents of leaked internal party emails.

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Uranium Miners Want PR Push

With the Australian government supporting plans by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto for a major expansion of uranium mining, a recently released report proposes a major PR campaign to counter public concern. The Uranium Industry Framework report, written by a mining industry dominated group, notes that a majority of the Australian public oppose the establishment of additional uranium mines.

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Fast Food Nation Interview: Eric Schlosser On Obesity, Kids, and Fast Food PR

When PR Watch most recently caught a cell phone signal from Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and the new Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food, Schlosser was rushing from car to car in New York City, after London, which was just after Berkeley, where he was giving students a preview of the indie film version of "Fas

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