PR Week (US) articles from September 2004

PR Week (US) archives from September 2004

LA refuses to pay Lee Andrews bill due to insufficient information.(Los Angeles Department of Water and Power)(The Lee Andrews Group)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... LOS ANGELES: Yet another PR agency's bills to the LA Department of Water and Power have come under scrutiny. City Controller Laura Chick has refused to pay invoices from The Lee Andrews Group, citing insufficient detail in the description...

CIPRA poll reveals China's PR industry is flourishing.(China International Public Relations Association)
September 6, 2004... WASHINGTON: PR firms may have had a rough couple of years in the US, but, according to a new survey, things in China have never been better. The China International Public Relations Association (CIPRA) has released the findings from its...

PRWeek panel to focus on union of PR, legal advisors.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... NEW YORK: The relationship between PR and legal is the topic of the next PRWeek/Peppercom 'Closing the Gap' breakfast panel. PR and legal advisers, whether in-house or with professional firms, will often find themselves at odds over issues...

Critics call nonprofit tied to Stratacomm 'front group' for carmakers.(SUV group)
September 6, 2004... LOS ANGELES: A nonprofit consumer group with close ties to Washington, DC-based Stratacomm is being accused of acting as a tool of the auto industry after launching a California-based pro-SUV campaign. 'We have been wrongfully labeled as an...

Demand for media experts spurs top-level movement.(Edelman)(Weber Shandwick)(appointments and resignations)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... CHICAGO and NEW YORK: In a bout of media-services musical chairs that shows the continued importance of media expertise to the industry, Peter Himler is leaving Burson-Marsteller for Edelman, while Michael Schiferl is leaving Edelman for Weber...

Three firms to submit final Domino's bids.(Domino's Pizza Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... ANN ARBOR. MI: Domino's Pizza will hear presentations in mid-October from three undisclosed finalist agencies competing for its dollars 500,000-a-year PR account. The firms are all large multinationals or affiliated with multinationals and...

Shank to run Wal-Mart's community relations in IN.(Shank Public Relations Counselors Inc.)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... INDIANAPOLIS: Wal-Mart has hired Shank Public Relations to handle PR, community relations, and management consulting for the retailer in Indiana. Shank already has worked on the openings of two Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets, a new concept...

Allison & Partners grows its LA office with Smith buyout.(Smith Public Relations)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... LOS ANGELES: San Francisco-based Allison & Partners has acquired LA-based independent Smith Public Relations. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but principal Steve Smith said that staff and clients of his firm will be incorporated...

News Brief: Good Technology hires Tejada.(Kelli Tejada appointed)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... SANTA CLARA, CA: Good Technology has hired Kelli Tejada as the mobile technology firm's first director of corporate communications. Tejada was previously a VP with Text 100. She has also held posts with Applied Communications, Crosspoint...

News Brief: Casio names HWH PR.(Casio Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... DOVER, NJ: Casio has named HWH PR as its US agency of record, overseeing PR for the company's numerous consumer electronic products, including digital cameras, watches, and projectors. HWH will concentrate on building the Casio brand, as well...

News Brief: Band & Brown acquired.(The Band & Brown Group)(Cossette Communications Group)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... QUEBEC CITY and LONDON: Cossette Communication Group has acquired The Band & Brown Group, a leading PR firm based in London. Cossette clients in North America include Coca-Cola Ltd., General Motors of Canada, The Home Depot, Nike Canada, and...

News Brief: Gerry Freeman sells stake.(Freeman Wall Aiello)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... DENVER: Founder Gerry Freeman has sold his stake in his agency, Freeman Wall Aiello, to his partners, James Wall and Tracy Aiello. The Colorado-based firm employs five PR professionals and generates about dollars 1 million in annual revenue....

News Brief: Clarke to expand.(Clarke Advertising and Public Relations Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... SARASOTA, FL: Clarke Advertising and Public Relations said it will expand into the Denver market, allowing the firm to better service its Colorado-based clients, including BonaKemi USA, as well as Clarke's other non-Florida clients, including...

News Brief: Feinstein Kean opens office.(Feinstein Kean Healthcare appoints Beth Kramli and Michael Lampe)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... CAMBRIDGE, MA: Feinstein Kean Healthcare has opened a new office in Princeton, NJ, to service its major pharma clients including Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, and Pfizer. The office will be led by SVPs Beth Kramli, who joins Feinstein...

News Brief: Sittmann hired.(American Institute of Certified Public Accountants appoints Anne Sittmann)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... WASHINGTON: The American Institute of CPAs has hired Anne Sittmann as director of PR in its DC office. Formerly director of public affairs for the Property Casualty Association of America, Sittmann will report to AICPA's VP of communications in...

News Brief: Hartman joins Horn.(Horn Group Inc. appoints Glen Hartman)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... BOSTON: Glen Hartman has joined the Horn Group's Boston office as managing director. Hartman was COO of Ksciences, an IT research, consulting, and system-integration firm. Hartman has also held positions with Identify Software and Giga...

News Brief: Jefferies joins Ketchum.(Mike Jefferies appointed)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... LONDON: Mike Jefferies has joined Ketchum's UK operation in London as director of business development. He formerly served as director of business development at the Wolff-Olins brand consultancy in Europe.

News Brief: Lewis PR chosen.(Novatel Wireless)(Lewis PR)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... SAN DIEGO: Novatel Wireless has chosen Lewis PR to drive media relations campaigns in the US and Europe. Novatel develops wireless broadband access technology.

News Brief: Kohnke selected.(Bandai America Inc.)(Kohnke Communications)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... CYPRESS, CA: Bandai America has selected Kohnke Communications to oversee PR strategies and press outreach for the company's upcoming video game 'Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.' Bandai America produces some of the most popular...

News Brief: Lamoureaux hired.(West Glen Communications Inc. appoints Ed Lamoureaux)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... NEW YORK: VNR provider West Glen Communications has hired Ed Lamoureaux as SVP, sales and marketing. Lamoureaux, who was most recently with The Newsmarket, has also held key executive management roles at VMS, Bacon's Information of New York,...

NJ governor sought advice from Rubenstein.(new Jersy)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... NEW YORK: Two years before his resignation, Gov. James McGreevey (D-NJ) solicited PR advice from a friend and industry pro, hoping to stem the controversy surrounding his top security adviser, Golan Cipel. At the time, that controversy...

NYC, GCI Group add comfort to reporter services at RNC.(New York City )
September 6, 2004... NEW YORK: Reporters who cover political conventions are accustomed to tiny workspaces, often shoddy technical setups, and few, if any, luxuries. Last week, New York City and the GOP - with the help of GCI Group - went to great lengths to...

Study finds IR websites in Europe surpass US sites.(investor relations)
September 6, 2004... TORONTO: A study of more than 500 investor relations websites of large-cap companies worldwide released on Wednesday found that European firms' sites are generally far superior to those of their US counterparts in terms of completeness,...

Toyota N. America pegs Pineda VP of corporate comms.(Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc. appoints Patricia Pineda)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... NEW YORK: Patricia Pineda has been named group VP of corporate communications and general counsel for Toyota Motor North America. Pineda will oversee PR and IR, advertising, and philanthropy. She will report to Dennis Cuneo, SVP of Toyota...

C&W scores drug account, reopens its Chicago office.(Cohn and Wolfe)(Genentech Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... NEW YORK: Cohn & Wolfe has scooped a new-business win from Genentech, which has awarded it all PR responsibilities for two of its cancer drugs after a summer review of its accounts, said Neil Cohen, the drug maker's director of product...

Ex-spokesman for Clinton camp joins Kerry's campaign.(appointments)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... WASHINGTON: Joe Lockhart, former chief spokesman for the Clinton administration, was one of the new Kerry/Edwards campaign members who were announced Tuesday. Lockhart, a media relations and political strategist who is a Glover Park Group...

MA tourism office hires Mullen as its agency of record.(Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... BOSTON: The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism said August 27 that Mullen will be its PR agency for the coming year. The contract, worth about dollars 200,000, started Wednesday and will run through June 30. Massachusetts-based...

Group sells sneaker to tread on Nike turf.(Adbusters Media Foundation)
September 6, 2004... VANCOUVER: At least one activist group has found a novel way to combat what it sees as corporations run amok: It's going into business. The Adbusters Media Foundation, a Canada-based group of anti-corporate activists that publishes...

CDC, HHS ramp up comms in response to flu worries.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... WASHINGTON: Two federal health agencies have turned to communications to allay fears ahead of the flu season. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), officials have been 'very forthright in relating their message' amid...

Survey finds three cholesterol drugs could get a boost.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... EAST HANOVER, NJ: Three cholesterol drugs stand to benefit from new cholesterol guidelines introduced this summer, found a survey by a health-research company. NOP World Health polled 601 doctors in two separate internet polls on how their...

NKH&W takes on new name, owner plan.(NKH and W Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... KANSAS CITY, MO: NKH&W, an integrated marketing firm, has started an employee-ownership plan and changed its name to Nicholson Kovac. Jim Bergeson, president of the Minneapolis office, said of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), 'The...

Firm unveils rock music practice to cut through clutter.(FMAMradio.com)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... FARMINGTON, CT: With new technology, fewer record companies, and more artists, the rock music scene is changing, and rock music PR is changing with it. FMAMradio.com, a rock music practice launched last week by Your PR Department, will...

Car PR pros voice doubt over consumer poll.
September 6, 2004... ANN ARBOR, MI: A new study showing declining customer satisfaction with US auto brands isn't going to prompt new PR offensives from Detroit, said auto PR executives. Rather, they questioned the validity of the study and contended their PR...

Editorial: Recent senior-level moves signal that PR may be ready to make its mark in broadcast media.(Editorial)
September 6, 2004... Larry Moskowitz, CEO of Medialink, has long said that PR lags behind the revolution in media. As advertising has seen greater scrutiny, Moskowitz maintained via a recent e-mail exchange that 'the dollars 250 billion spent on broadcast...

Op-Ed: CSR is becoming more integral for companies in Asia.(corporate social responsibility)
September 6, 2004... While triple bottom-line reporting, social audits, and ethical investing are increasingly de rigueur for US and European multinationals, two realities are emerging in the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Asia. First, the...

Analysis: Internet Advertising - New tech for web media ads spurs concerns for PR pros.(Vibrant Media)
September 6, 2004... Vibrant Media's new software that embeds paid ads in articles posted online is worrying some PR pros about the toll it could take on how they pitch stories. Marketing as a discipline has never been afraid of controversy. As new...

Paul Holmes: PR pros should aim for transparency to make sure front groups maintain ethical practices.(public relation)(Public Relations Society of America )
September 6, 2004... Several years ago, when former GCI Group CEO Jack Bergen was head of the Council of PR Firms, he and I had an interesting discussion about codes of ethics. He was developing an ethics policy for the council and I was urging that he take a...

Corporate Case Study: NBA's Bobcats win over media, fans with outreach.(National Basketball Association )
September 6, 2004... By aggressively targeting the press and community, the Charlotte Bobcats were able to gain approval from fans who were largely apathetic about a new NBA team coming to town. Tom Acitelli reports. As the newest NBA team, the Charlotte...

The Agency Business: Corporate retreats allow staff to get closer while getting away.
September 6, 2004... To counter the negative effects that the fast pace of the PR business can have on employee relations, many firms take staff on retreats to encourage bonding while also teaching new skills. PR is a hectic business. Despite being an industry...

Media Roundup: Media gets comfortable with faith.
September 6, 2004... Because of the recent success of faith-based books and films, many media outlets have increased the scope of their coverage of religious topics and issues. From cover stories by national newsweeklies on best-selling faith-based authors, to...

Media: Journalist Q & A - Michael Musto.(Interview)
September 6, 2004... Publication: The Village Voice Title: Columnist Preferred contact method: musto@villagevoice.com Website: www.villagevoice.com Since 1985, Michael Musto's 'La Dolce Musto' column in The Village Voice, the nation's largest...

Media Watch: Google's IPO thrives despite bumpy road.(Google Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... On its first day, Google's much-awaited IPO soared despite a few bumps leading up to the moment. A Playboy interview appearing in the September issue drew SEC interest. Google got Wall Street's attention by offering an auction-style IPO...

Inside The Mix: Fallout over Corvette ad implies that GM's PR and advertising are at odds with each other.
September 6, 2004... As the marketing industry embraces integration, we could be forgiven for thinking that we are living in a kind of multidisciplinary Mayberry. But then a story about a young boy flying a car through city skies hit the news and reminded me...

Profile: Feldman brings client focus, discipline to GCI Group.(Bob Feldman)(Biography)
September 6, 2004... As CEO of GCI Group since 1997, Bob Feldman strikes a balance for the firm by putting as much focus on running the business side efficiently as he does on serving GCI's clients. Julia Hood reports. Ed Meyer, CEO of Grey Global Group, met...

The crunch-time counselors.
September 6, 2004... John N. Frank profiles 22 people who should be on the speed dial in a crisis. CHRIS ATKINS - Managing director; Global corporate practice, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, New York Years in crisis work: 20 Crisis Assignments:...

Regional Focus: Western and Plains States - PR inside the heartland.
September 6, 2004... Corporate consolidation hurt, but agencies are leaner and meaner now. There is a rumbling in the heartland as states throughout the lower Midwest and down through the inland Gulf Coast experience a slow economic resurgence, spurring new PR...

PR Technique: Financial TV - Making your financial TV pitch add up.
September 6, 2004... Financial television programs reach a highly discerning and targeted audience. Christie Casalino discovers how to make your pitch a winning one. Having a client appear on a financial television program is a coup for PR practitioners trying...

Campaign: Grassroots efforts drum up interest in college band battle.
September 6, 2004... PR team: Urban Sports and Entertainment Group (Cornelius, NC), American Honda Motor Co. (Torrance,CA), and French West Vaughan (Raleigh, NC) Campaign: Honda Battle of the Bands Tour and Invitational Showcase Time frame: September 2003 to...

Campaign: Remy touts history to broaden renown of Macallan whisky.
September 6, 2004... PR team: M. Booth & Associates with Remy Amerique (both New York City) Campaign: The Macallan: The World's Most Precious Whisky Time frame: October 2003 to June 2004 Budget: dollars 450,000 M. Booth & Associates came to the forefront...

Campaign: Del Mar gains new patrons by altering course with media.(Del Mar Group Inc)
September 6, 2004... PR team: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Bailey Gardiner (both in San Diego) Campaign: Horse Racing Season 2003 Time frame: January to October 2003 Budget: dollars 40,000 With the knowledge that the movie Seabiscuit was due to come...

The Publicist: The Cowboys win because PR is a key part of their playbook.
September 6, 2004... Even if you work in the rough-and-tumble world of pro football, a visit from 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace can cause a company man some jitters. But not Rich Dalrymple, PR director for the Dallas Cowboys, who was blessedly aware the newsman was...

PR Play of the Week: Even in war of words, Bush cannot 'win'.(public relation)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Up until now, President Bush's verbal uh-ohs have been pretty benign. A 'subliminable' here, a vow to never stop finding new ways to harm our country there. In fact, he'd become pretty adept at turning them to his advantage through...

Toy Box: Latest Jenny Craig items measure up.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... With the summer barbeque season over, it's time to think about working off some calories before the year-end party scene kicks in. Jenny Craig wants to help. The weight-loss wonder is offering two products designed to help in the endless...

Book Review: PR pros will move toward 'Other Way'.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Title: Run the Other Way Author: Bill Hillsman Publisher: Free Press (April 2004), 288 pages Reviewed by: Beth Herskovits The former campaign consultant for Paul Wellstone, Jesse Ventura, and Ralph Nader feels an effective political...

Al Jazeera to launch English-language news network based in US.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... WASHINGTON: After years of flirting with ways to break into the American media market, Al Jazeera has announced its intention to launch an English-language news network by the end of next year - a potentially unrivaled opportunity for anyone...

Group accuses Ketchum of conflict on Medicare issue.
September 13, 2004... WASHINGTON: With the release of a new survey on the impact that proposed Medicare-reimbursement changes will have on cancer drugs, Ketchum has found itself on both sides of a hot issue. At least one public interest group is calling for an...

Wal-Mart bolsters media relations to buck image woes.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK: Wal-Mart is expanding its media relations team in order to better communicate its message, said Mona Williams, VP of communications. 'There's an acknowledgement throughout the company of the importance of using the media to tell...

Study: 57% of press views PR favorably.
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK: The media takes a generally favorable view of PR and its use for corporate image and reputation building, according to a new study by CARMA International. CARMA's analysis, commissioned by PRWeek, also found that PR still has...

Study finds pharma firms' reputations tied to visibility.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... PRINCETON, NJ: As PR budgets within the drug industry become leaner, a survey by Roper Public Affairs has found that pharmaceutical companies that are less visible are also less likely to have favorable reputations. Pharma companies are...

IL pegs Morris lead firm on highway plans.(Illinois Department of Transportation)(Danielle Ashley Advertising)(Universal Mazjac Enterprises)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... CHICAGO: The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has picked E. Morris Communications, a Chicago multicultural marketing communications firm, as lead agency in a PR team working on two major Chicago area highway reconstruction projects....

Report predicts budgets for IT marketing will rise.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... FRAMINGHAM, MA: IT companies will finally start breathing life into their beleaguered marketing budgets, according to a new study from research and analyst firm IDC. IDC's CMO Advisory Service predicts that IT marketing budgets will...

Kellogg appoints Goode to post as global comms VP.(Appointments)(Vice President Communications)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... BATTLE CREEK, MI: Cereal-maker The Kellogg Company has hired Kimberley Crews Goode for the newly created position of VP of worldwide communications. Goode will oversee corporate communications, international communications, and US...

News brief: Al Golin award winner.(Arthur W. Page Society's Hall of Fame Award)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... CHICAGO: Al Golin, chairman of Golin Harris, is this year's winner of the Arthur W. Page Society's Hall of Fame Award. Golin will be inducted as the 20th member of the Hall of Fame during the society's annual conference today in Chantilly, VA.

News brief: Windsor joins Creative Artists.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... BEVERLY HILLS, CA: Mike Windsor, most recently CEO of OgilvyInteractive Worldwide, has joined Creative Artists Agency to head its marketing department, where he will represent such clients as The Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble, and...

News brief: Pollock Communications opens.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK: PR veteran Louise Pollock, former chairman of independent food PR agency AronowPollock Communications, has opened Pollock Communications. The new agency will capitalize on Pollock's extensive experience in nutrition, functional foods,...

News brief: Honeywell and Peppercom team up.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK and MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ: Honeywell, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Peppercom will team up to conduct a national awareness and education campaign aimed at child-abduction prevention. Called Got 2B Safe!, the...

News brief: Palmieri joins Fund.(Hispanic Scholarship Fund)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO: Dennis Palmieri has joined the Hispanic Scholarship Fund as the nonprofit organization's senior communications officer. Palmieri will oversee media relations, messaging, collateral development, and other communications needs for...

News brief: FitzGerald agency of record.(Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... ANN ARBOR, MI: The University of Michigan Business School's Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies appointed FitzGerald Communications as its agency of record. FitzGerald will focus on positioning, media...

News brief: FutureWorks opens office.(Marc Daniels & Associates merger)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... ALISO VIEJO, CA: Silicon Valley-based PR firm FutureWorks is opening a Southern California office by merging with Marc Daniels & Associates. Daniel McKean, who founded Marc Daniels & Associates, will run the Southern California office as...

News brief: DGWB selected.(DGWB Advertising and Communications hired as PR firm for Children's Hospital of Orange County)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... SANTA ANA, CA: DGWB Advertising and Communications has been selected to provide PR services for Children's Hospital of Orange County. The firm has been AOR for the hospital's advertising and marketing for five years.

News brief: Coburn VP.(Appointments)(Vice President)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... CHARLOTTE, NC: David Coburn has joined Luquire George Andrews as VP of PR. Before LGA, Coburn served as a senior PR counselor for Price McNabb. Jennifer Hillings Epstein has been hired as a senior PR counsel. Previously, she worked as a senior...

News brief: Starwood appoints Rosenberg.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... WHITE PLAINS, NY: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has appointed Alisa Rosenberg as VP of IR. Rosenberg has been with Starwood for six years and most recently served as the company's director of risk management in Phoenix.

News brief: Atomic PR new agency.(MicroDental Laboratories )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... DUBLIN, CA: MicroDental Laboratories has selected Atomic PR as its new agency. Atomic will focus on communications to the dental industry and consumer market, including positioning, messaging, brand development, website creation, video...

News brief: KNCB Dave changes name.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... SEATTLE: PR and advertising agency KNCB Dave has changed its name to Dave Syferd & Associates, as the old name was confusing and hard to remember, said agency president Dave Syferd.

News brief: 5W named AOR.(5W Public Relations named agent of record)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK: 5W Public Relations has been named AOR for the seventh annual The Source Awards and Source Awards weekend, produced by The Source. For more briefs, visit prweek.com.

FWV, Cumberland team up to create new agency in NY.(JB Cumberland Group)(French West Vaughan)(New York)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK: Independent North Carolina-based PR firm French West Vaughan announced on Wednesday that it is merging its New York office with the JB Cumberland Group and forming a new agency in the city called FWV Cumberland. FWV president and...

Both sides in CA's stem-cell debate up PR before vote.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... LOS ANGELES: A stem-cell research initiative dubbed Proposition 71 is shaping up to be California's most controversial ballot measure for the November 2 election, spawning fierce PR efforts on both sides of the issue that involve celebrities,...

CA transportation group delays Burson deal.(Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... SAN JOSE, CA: The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has postponed awarding a five-year, dollars 7.7 million PR contract to Burson-Marsteller after facing criticism in the San Jose Mercury News. The VTA provides light-rail...

FD runs efforts for Rouse in its sale to General Growth.
September 13, 2004... COLUMBIA, MD: Financial Dynamics recently developed and executed an integrated-communications program for one of the largest property deals in US history, General Growth Properties' purchase of The Rouse Co. The transaction was valued at...

WPP, Havas, H&F present offers to buy Grey Global.(the WPP Group, Havas, and Hellman & Friedman (H&F) have put in bids)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK: Three firms have bid for New York-based agency holding company Grey Global: the WPP Group, Havas, and private equity firm Hellman & Friedman (H&F). The deadline for bids was last Wednesday. Abbot Jones, managing director of...

Microsoft comes in first on index of corporate repute.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NORWALK, CT: A quarterly study of media coverage of corporations released Tuesday gave Microsoft the highest marks for corporate reputation, followed by Disney and Verizon. Wal-Mart, which had ranked first during the first quarter of this...

Ketchum reaches out to media for launch of new Absolut offering.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... NEW YORK: PR is a major component of an integrated marketing campaign Absolut Spirits Co. has begun for its new Absolut Raspberri flavored vodka. Ketchum, AOR for the Absolut brand, is handling media relations and launch events being done...

Drug group starts database of trials done by members.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... WASHINGTON: As drug companies face criticism over how they communicate clinical-trial results, the industry's trade association and lobbying group has launched a clinical-trial database for studies conducted by member companies. 'Recent...

Ford kicks off major push to revive Mercury's brand.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... DEARBORN, MI: Ford is launching a major integrated marketing campaign for Mercury that will seek to convey a new energetic image for the brand. PR already has been involved in the campaign, getting media attention for new ads that will...