Public Relations

Burson-Marsteller, one of the world's largest public relations firms, has formed an alliance with Cyveillance, a company that specializes in helping companies track what consumers, activists and other interested parties are saying about them on the Internet. ""Negative comments or dialogue, which can be devastating to large corporations, often begin unnoticed in the recesses of the Internet," explained Eric Letsinger of Cyveillance. According to B-M's Scott A.

Judy Blatman, who helped put cocktail hour on TV for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (which represents some of the nation's largest hard-liquor companies), has been hired to represent the Council for Responsible Nutrition, which represents companies that sell diet pills and allegedly "natural" food supplements -- including ephedra, which has been linked to

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According to the PR trade press, PR giant Burson-Marsteller helped create the hype surrounding the unveiling of the Segway Human Transporter on December 3. B-M scored big media hits for the scooter-like vehicle nicknamed "Ginger" and its inventor, Dean Kamen. The 65-pound motorized vehicle appeared in the New York Times, and Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson each gave "Ginger" a spin. Kamen, who has already made millions on his medical device inventions, raised about $90 million for the start-up of Segway.