PR Week (US) articles from November 2007

PR Week (US) archives from November 2007

Gap's crisis team tackles child labor controversy.
November 5, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO: Gap Inc. put its crisis PR strategy into motion last week, in an attempt to divert a major controversy after reports surfaced that the company was in business with a vendor that uses child labor. Working closely with...

Chiquita addresses layoffs with internal comms push.
November 5, 2007... CINCINNATI: Following the October 29 announcement of a major company restructuring, including layoffs of about 700 employees, Chiquita Brands International is in the midst of an internal communications campaign. Only five minutes after a...

Adidas narrows its search for US PR agency partner.
November 5, 2007... PORTLAND, OR: Adidas heard pitches from at least three agencies last week as part of its search for a US agency partner. PRWeek has learned that Hill & Knowlton, Ketchum, and Bratskier & Co. all pitched. Abby Guyer, PR director at the...

SimulScribe launches an anti-voicemail campaign.
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK: SimulScribe, a company that converts voicemail to text, has launched a 'voicemail sucks' campaign to emphasize the hassles of voice messaging. James Siminoff, SimulScribe founder and CEO, is using New York taxi tops to carry the...

10 questions debuts online interactive political forum.
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK: A bipartisan mix of political bloggers and Web sites is helping promote a new site that lets anyone post and vote on video questions posed to 2008 presidential candidates. Townhall, Redstate, Treehugger, MSNBC, Politico,...

News brief: John 'Pat' Philbin will not be named new director of public affairs as expected.(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... Washington: John 'Pat' Philbin, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) director of external affairs who oversaw a press conference in which FEMA staffers asked all the questions, will not be named the new director of public affairs...

News brief: Qorvis Communications and CMS Strategies to assist Patton Boggs.(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON: Qorvis Communications and CMS Strategies will assist Patton Boggs in representing the government of the Republic of Cyprus, under one-year contracts worth dollars 25,000 and 8,625 per month, respectively. Work will include...

News brief: Interpublic Group announces revenues of dollars 1.56 billion for third quarter.(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK: Interpublic Group announced revenues of dollars 1.56 billion for the third quarter, up from dollars 1.45 billion in the third quarter of 2006. Net income for the quarter was negative, with a loss applicable to common shareholders...

News brief: Publicis Groupe reports 10.8% growth in revenues for third quarter.(Financial report)
November 5, 2007... PARIS: Publicis Groupe reported a 10.8% growth in revenues for the third quarter to 1.12 million euros (about dollars 1.61 million). Revenues so far for 2007 are 3.37 million euros (about dollars 4.85 million), or 7.5% growth. Publicis also...

News brief: Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalist hires Peppercom as its AOR.
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK: Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism has hired Peppercom as its AOR. The agency plans to focus its communications on the school's changing modern curriculum and on attracting a broad range of applicants

News brief: Monitor Clipper invests dollars 30 million in W2 Group.(Monitor Clipper Partners)(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... WALTHAM, MA: Monitor Clipper, the private-equity arm of Monitor Group, has invested dollars 30 million in W2 Group to build out the first Web 2.0centric holding company. It will span across Racepoint Group, Digital Influence Group, and...

News brief: Anderson Economic Group selects Marx Layne & Co.
November 5, 2007... FARMINGTON HILLS, MI: Anderson Economic Group has selected Marx Layne & Co. as its AOR. Anderson is a financial services group with expertise in economics, public policy, and market research

News brief: Owen Blicksilver PR provides communictions counsel to STanley O'Neal.
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK: According to sources, Owen Blicksilver PR is providing communications counsel to Stanley O'Neal, the recently ousted Merrill Lynch CEO

News brief: Rob Rumpza launches Raumpza Consulting.
November 5, 2007... MINNEAPOLIS: Bob Rumpza has launched Rumpza Consulting. Initial clients include Marvin Windows & Doors, The Toro Co., Lawn-Boy, Liberty Diversified Services, and Avant Energy Services

Hormel boosts comms as it debuts Web sites.(Website overview)
November 5, 2007... AUSTIN, MN: Hormel Foods Corp. is supporting the launch of its new corporate and recipe Web sites with a significant PR campaign targeting consumers, stakeholders, social-media sites, and bloggers. The sites - HormelFoods.com and...

Zipcar appoints CooperKatz.
November 5, 2007... CAMBRIDGE, MA: Car sharing service Zipcar has named CooperKatz its corporate AOR. Kristina Kennedy, corporate communications manager, said the agency will handle corporate PR, media relations, and will continue to develop CEO Scott...

XanGo ups consumer outreach.(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... LEHI, UT: XanGo, an Amway-like network organization that sells a beverage made from the rare Southeast Asian mangosteen fruit, has launched a video-sharing site targeting both consumers and its 750,000 current international distributors. ...

Launch Pad: New initiative seeks so create a better place for electric cars.
November 5, 2007... Organization: ProjectBetterPlace.com Campaign: Web site launch PR team: Hill & Knowlton Other marketing: Web site Launch: October 29 Budget: Undisclosed Project Better Place seeks to deploy stations around the world where people...

PR Play of the Week: Public eats up free Taco Bell offering.
November 5, 2007... If there is one thing that unites us all as Americans, it's this: We will do anything in exchange for a taco. Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough to keep us from getting to that processed low-grade cow, pre-packaged...

'Atlantic' ups comms to mark its 150th birthday.
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON: Most magazines fail before they see their second birthday. But The Atlantic, the venerable journal of news, opinion, and literature, is in the midst of a publicity push surrounding its 150th anniversary. The magazine's PR...

News Analysis: Disaster relief efforts get more involved.
November 5, 2007... Plans and partnerships are helping companies craft quick and strategic responses to disasters. Through today's 24-hour media cycle, we can witness even the most shocking disasters as they unfold all over the globe. As the recent Southern...

Newsmaker: Alliance's Hardwick savors prized opportunity.(Brian Hardwick)
November 5, 2007... Like many people, Brian Hardwick, director of communications and development for the Alliance of Climate Protection, woke up last month to find that former Vice President Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for working to raise awareness...

Companies: Corporate Profile - Salon.com still thriving as brand evolves.(Company overview)
November 5, 2007... Backed by a solid comms strategy, online magazine has established itself as a leader in breaking news. When it was founded in 1995, the general wisdom about Salon.com was that it was a great idea. A magazine - online only! The future is...

Companies: The Agency Business.
November 5, 2007... Trade shows present profitable opportunities. For PR firms working in the tech space, trade shows offer the chance to simultaneously build buzz for a product or service, learn about new technologies and trends, and get the buzz on companies...

Opinion - Editorial - Both sides play a role in ongoing pitch problems.(Editorial)(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... Wired is the bible of the tech-smart set, and it stands to reason that PR pros pitching the publication would be as savvy as its readership. So when the magazine's editor Chris Anderson publicly blacklisted more than 300 PR pros for...

OP-ED: Elections are a lesson in innovation.
November 5, 2007... It seems everywhere you turn these days, news about the presidential campaigns dominates the airwaves and fills our newspapers. Network news programs and cable news outlets spend so much time covering politics that I often wonder how they...

OP-ED: Use press releases in moderation.
November 5, 2007... It happens at pitches, at lunches, at parties... almost every time people talk to me about PR. The other person says, 'So basically you send out press releases, right?' I then try to explain that PR is a lot more complicated and academic...

Opinion: '30 Rock' clip shows synergies aren't always the best solution.
November 5, 2007... It might have seemed ridiculous that The New York Times recently published a piece about a six-second, blink-and-you'll-miss-it flashback on a TV sitcom. The Times-cited, six-second clip on NBC's 30 Rock featured a music video that Tracy...

Opinion: Politicians' extreme makeovers provide lessons in rebranding.
November 5, 2007... Politicians are brands. Like commercial brands, they have attributes, a market position, and competition. And, like commercial brands, they occasionally need reinvention. Richard Nixon reinvented himself in 1968 after losing the...

Opinion: Fact file - A different branding strategy comes together at Applebee's.
November 5, 2007... IN THE NEWS Applebee's, which positions itself as the neighborhood food joint, is undergoing a rebranding campaign and announcing a new tag line: 'Together is good.' McCann Erickson, the chain's new creative AOR, has helped develop...

Media: Analysis - FEMA under fire for fake news briefing.(Federal Emergency Management Agency)
November 5, 2007... The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is not, primarily, a PR organization. It is actually tasked with managing emergencies. This is sometimes hard to recall because it seems to make the news only when its PR staff is doing...

Media: Journalist Q&A - Bob Wallace, Exchange Magazine.
November 5, 2007... Name: Bob Wallace Title: Executive editor Outlet: Xchange Magazine Preferred contact method: bwallace@vpico.com Web site: www.xchangemag.com - PRWeek: There seems to be a lot of consolidation of telecom titles. Bob Wallace: We...

Media: Research: 2007 Campaign coverage.(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... Conducted by: The Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University. Sample: 1,742 election campaign news stories from Jan. 1-May 31, 2007 Goal: To catalog the nature of political journalism in the...

Media Roundup: culture of virtual worlds is catching on.
November 5, 2007... The hit TV series CSI: New York recently took the unprecedented step of sending one of its main characters into Second Life to search for a killer, a plot twist that gave many Americans their first look into virtual worlds. Though virtual...

Media Roundup: Critical hit - Halo gets 'Good Housekeeping' nod.(Interview)
November 5, 2007... - Who is your client, and what are its media goals? Ellen LaNicca: Halo Technologies focuses on products that make families healthier. This year, it introduced a line of Halo Ultraviolet Vacuums - the only vacuum cleaners that instantly...

Media Roundup: Media ups and downs.
November 5, 2007... - The Associated Press changes its pricing structure to allow most member papers to pay less for the news they receive. - CNN launches a bureau in Second Life, which is geared toward virtual citizen journalism - Paste magazine offers...

Media Roundup: Inside information - Think tanks using online video to expand reach, appeal.
November 5, 2007... More think tanks are starting to use online video as a way to generate interest in their efforts among a broader audience. Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank that describes itself as an organization dedicated to 'advancing free minds...

Cover story: A clean operation.
November 5, 2007... Technology companies are now increasingly communicating the environmentally friendly aspects of not only their products, but also their actual business practices. With very little in the green movement being regulated, it's not hard for...

Regional Focus: Beyond the city limits.
November 5, 2007... Philadelphia is home to a cohesive and vibrant PR community, one that is attracting talent and business from across the US. It may be a difficult time for the pharmaceutical companies that have long formed the backbone of Philadelphia's PR...

PR Technique: Helping the little guy make a big splash.
November 5, 2007... The right pitch can help get coverage for the smaller tech companies. While it can be harder for smaller consumer tech companies to net influential coverage, it is certainly possible. As with any company, it requires a combination of...

Campaigns: Transitions eyes Hispanic set.
November 5, 2007... TRANSITIONS OPTICAL PR team: Transitions Optical (Pinellas Park, FL) and Burson-Marsteller (Puerto Rico) Campaign: Transitions Sheds New Light on UV Protection for Hispanic Eyes Duration: October 2006-ongoing Budget: dollars 150,000 to...

Campaigns: Tongue-in-cheek opening of Pink Taco attracts A-list.(Full Picture)(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... PINK TACO PR team: Pink Taco (Los Angeles) and Full Picture (Los Angeles and New York) Campaign: The launch of Pink Taco LA Duration: March to July 2007 Budget: dollars 50,000 Pink Taco worked with its in-house PR department and...

Campaigns: DEI recycling event helps build sense of community.
November 5, 2007... DALBEY EDUCATION INST. PR team: Dalbey Education Institute (Westminster, CO) and Metzger Associates (Boulder, CO) Campaign: Computer recycling event Duration: April to June 2007 Budget: dollars 1,300 But hazardous materials found...

Toolbox: PR Toolbox - Holidays and social media, internal comms, and more.
November 5, 2007... Social media How can social media be used for upcoming holiday sales? 'Creatively and extensively,' says Lisa Wehr, CEO of Oneupweb. This season's hottest products are employing an extraordinarily creative variety of social marketing...

Careers: Expert advice.(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... Cathleen Graham, SVP of HR and recruiting, Ruder Finn What are some of the main factors to ensure a successful transition to a new agency? A:First of all, congratulations on the next chapter in your career. You should take a break...

Careers: People moves - US State Department.
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON: Karen Hughes, the head of the US State Department's public diplomacy operations, is leaving her post as of mid-December, the Associated Press reports. As the under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, the...

Careers: People moves - Fleishman-Hillard.
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON: Former White House chief of staff and US secretary of transportation Andy Card has joined Fleishman-Hillard's international advisory board as a senior counselor. Card will help provide clients with public policy analysis. Card...

Careers: People moves - Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
November 5, 2007... WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has named Karen Vonder Meulen corporate communications manager for North America, effective January 2008. She will be responsible for corporate communications across the US, Canada, and Mexico....

Careers: People moves - Manning Selvage & Lee.
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK: Manning Selvage & Lee has promoted Glenn Osaki to the post of president for the Asia-Pacific region. Osaki was previously SVP and senior director for the agency

Careers: People moves - Public Strategies.(Brief article)
November 5, 2007... AUSTIN, TX: Former White House counselor Dan Bartlett has joined Public Strategies as a senior strategist. During his seven years in the Bush administration, Bartlett oversaw strategic communications planning and policy formulation and was...

Careers: People moves - Citigate Cunningham.
November 5, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO and BOSTON: Citigate Cunningham has promoted three staff members to senior management posts. Melissa Sheridan has been named EVP, based in San Francisco; Scott Malinowski has been promoted to EVP and GM; and Sandy George has...

Careers: People moves - Winning Strategies.
November 5, 2007... NEWARK, NJ: Judi London has joined Winning Strategies as CMO, a newly created position. London was previously president of the South Jersey Tourism Corp. She will be responsible for the firm's expansion into the South Jersey and...

Careers: People moves - Euro RSCG Life PR.
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK: Douglas Stroup has joined Euro RSCG Life PR, a division of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, as EVP. Stroup joins from Ruder Finn, where he provided leadership in its branding practice. In his new role, he will report to Chantal Beaudry,...

Careers: People moves - BlueFront Group.
November 5, 2007... WASHINGTON: Former Bush administration political director Sara Taylor, who testified before Congress this summer on the firing of US attorneys, has joined PR and advertising firm BlueFront Group as a principal. Taylor was previously a...

Careers: People moves - The Bravo Group.
November 5, 2007... NEW YORK: The Bravo Group has named Eric Hoyt president, effective immediately. Hoyt was previously president of Y&R, Wunderman, and Bravo Miami. Hoyt succeeds former Bravo Group president and COO Linda De Jesus-Cutler, who is leaving to...

Big apple running on Dunkin'.
November 5, 2007... Putting its tagline 'America Runs on Dunkin'' into action, Dunkin' Donuts was scheduled to sponsor the November 4 ING New York City Marathon. The mega coffee chain planned to dispatch the 'Everyday Joes' Running Team, a group of 20 Dunkin'...

NBC Universal breaks ground in Green Week.
November 12, 2007... NEW YORK: NBC Universal turned inward last week for one of the most comprehensive green branding campaigns ever by a media company. GE-owned NBCU unleashed a comprehensive week-long blitz of green-themed programming and events, covering all...

FEMA wraps briefing review.
November 12, 2007... WASHINGTON: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has finished an internal review of a highly criticized news conference and has vowed changes in its press policies. The fiasco took place on October 23, when a hastily planned press...

Audi taps BNC, SS&K to complete agency search.
November 12, 2007... AUBURN HILLS, MI: Audi has chosen BNC (Bragman Nyman Cafarelli) and SS&K (Shepardson Stern & Kaminsky) as its agency partners after a competitive review involving four firms. Audi originally set out to find a single AOR, which would have...

Champion eyes young adults in new initiative.
November 12, 2007... WINSTON-SALEM, NC: Consumer and media outreach is playing a key part as Champion executes a major PR effort in support of the sports apparel maker's largest marketing campaign in a decade. Claire Edgar, director of brand marketing at...

Goodwill targets upscale consumer for stores, Web.
November 12, 2007... WASHINGTON: Goodwill of Greater Washington (GGW) has begun a fashion blog and other social-media outreach intended to show younger, wealthier female patrons that its DC-area stores and e-commerce site offer the same clothing sold at vintage...

TransFair USA chooses Carmicael Lynch Spong as AOR.
November 12, 2007... OAKLAND, CA: Nonprofit TransFair USA, a third-party certifier of 'fair trade' products, has chosen Minneapolis-based Carmichael Lynch Spong as its AOR. The agency plans to launch a campaign to raise awareness of fair trade products certified by...

AZN Television launches platform for discussion.(Asian American Journalists Association)(azntv.com/outspoken)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... CENTENNIAL, CO: AZN Television has launched Outspoken, a community forum at azntv.com/outspoken. The site is a platform for discussion of lifestyle, culture, and current events affecting the Asian-American community. AZN has partnered with the...

M Booth & Associates consolidates its digital marketing proctice.
November 12, 2007... NEW YORK: M Booth & Associates is consolidating its digital marketing practice into a new service called FirstWorld Digital. It will leverage emerging media such as online video, mobile applications, gaming, social networking, search engine...

Kleber & Associates wind new clients.
November 12, 2007... ATLANTA: Kleber & Associates (K&A) has won two new clients: Grand Hall, a supplier of commercial and residential gas appliances, and Nichiha USA, a maker of fiber cement technology. For Grand Hall, K&A will run a campaign promoting a new hybrid...

One Communications selects Peppercorn to execute PR program.(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... NEW YORK: One Communications has selected Peppercom to execute a PR program to raise brand awareness about its b-to-b telecoms services. One Communications was formed with the merger of Choice One Communications, CTC Communications, and...

Hill & Knowlton LA form alliance with Sugerman Communications Group.
November 12, 2007... LOS ANGELES: Hill & Knowlton LA has formed a strategic alliance with LA-based public affairs and government relations firm Sugerman Communications Group (SCG). The alliance is intended to provide H&K clients with 'expert public affairs...

Aduro adds clients to its roster.
November 12, 2007... FREDERICK, MD: Aduro has added several clients to its roster: Executive Hotel Group, a national meeting-conference planning organization; Layman Real Estate, DynPort Vaccine Company, a biologics product-development firm; and Mangia e Bevi, an...

The National Commercial Bank ..
November 12, 2007... OTTAWA: The National Commercial Bank in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has selected dna13 to manage and monitor its outreach efforts. Media Watch Middle East (MWME) joins dna13 as news content provider (a list that includes Thomson Corp. and...

Buson-Marsteller forms allicance with Bendixen & Associates.
November 12, 2007... MIAMI: Burson-Marsteller and Bendixen & Associates have formed a strategic alliance to serve US Hispanic and Latin American clients Among its services, Bendixen offers clients Spanish-language polling. Together, they will offer integrated...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
November 12, 2007... CORRECTIONS: In the November 5 'News Briefs,' revenues for Publicis were erroneously reported in the millions. They should have been reflected in the billions. In that issue's News Analysis, the figure of dollars 500,000 provided in aid to...

Insurance.com has fun with viral video effort.
November 12, 2007... SOLON, OH: Insurance.com, in conjunction with Optiem, has launched a viral video campaign that satirizes reality TV and the competitive prowess necessary to secure good insurance rates. The spoof series, 'Reality Rejects,' features...

TimeWarner bolsters comms.
November 12, 2007... NEW YORK: Time Warner is in the midst of a months-long communications program to roll out new CEO Jeffrey Bewkes to internal and external stakeholders prior to his official takeover from Richard Parsons on January 1. 'We've been working...

ACS ups Smokeout outreach.(American Cancer Society )(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... WASHINGTON: The American Cancer Society (ACS) is ramping up communications out-reach surrounding the upcoming 31st annual Great American Smokeout on November 15. With Minnesota recently becoming the 25th state to put an anti-smoking law on...

Launch Pad: State of Ohio brings financial education to citizens via Web.(Ohio Treasurer of State Richard Cordray)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Company: Ohio Treasurer of State Richard Cordray Campaign: Your Money NOW PR team: In-house Other marketing: Interactive CD/direct mail Launch: November 3 Budget: Undisclosed IDEA: Since last year, Ohio's high-school students have...

PR Play of the Week: Musharraf uses words very wisely.
November 12, 2007... Say what you will about Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf being a power-crazed autocrat, an undemocratic military authoritarian who rules by force alone, a swaggering and pompous man who thinks nothing of suspending a nation's rule of law in...

CIRM set to hire agency by January.
November 12, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO: The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), a state-backed institute for embryonic stem cell research, has launched a search for a firm to support its public information and education efforts. The institute...

Textbook crisis comms example.(Oprah Winfrey)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... It brought her to tears. That's what Oprah Winfrey told reporters during her November 5 press conference. Speaking with the media via a video link from Chicago, she said the allegations of child abuse at a school she built in South Africa have...

Accountants tap Keymer for initiative.
November 12, 2007... ALEXANDRIA, VA: The Association of Government Accountants (AGA), which represents more than 15,000 federal, state, and local accountants, has hired Keymer Group to provide US government relations and to develop partnerships with similar...

Council ready to keep momentum in '08 and beyond.
November 12, 2007... Before I step down as the chair of the Council of Public Relations Firms later this month, allow me to paraphrase what certain other chief executives from DC are wont to say every January: 'The state of the PR business is strong.' The most...

Iceland touts its energy in latest efforts.(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... REYKJAVIK, ICELAND: An organization backed by the Icelandic Tourist Board and a group of overseas Icelandic businesses recently launched a media campaign promoting Iceland's renewable energy sector to US businesses. Seeking to capitalize...

AMD seeks to streamline PR function.
November 12, 2007... SUNNYVALE, CA: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is reviewing firms for a multi-million-dollar task for its product communications and corporate PR functions. Brenda Rarick, PR manager at AMD, said its current agencies - Bite Communications,...

Groups fight FCC.
November 12, 2007... WASHINGTON: The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) and a coalition of 70 media organizations have submitted a letter to the Federal Communications Commission in support of Comcast, which faces dollars 20,000 in fines for...

Lexus eyes teens in sustainability drive.
November 12, 2007... TORRANCE, CA: Lexus has begun an educational program and contest aimed at getting middle- and high-school students actively involved in improving the planet. Developed in partnership with Scholastic and assisted by Ferris Communications,...