Media, giving an unfair look into fame?

In the society of America there is a huge passion for following the rich and famous. Most of this coverage is posted in magazines and tv shows that shows the daily lives of many of Hollywoods biggest stars. There have been many stars that have imploded under the spotlight. Such as Britney Spears, Which is having one of the all time greatest breakdowns. 

To the more important part of the discussion, are the media types actually glorifying the aspects of being rich. They seem to make being out of control and that living a life of no real responsibility something that everybody is doing. I'm not saying that the rich in Hollywood are irresponsible but the way they are portrayed makes it seem that way. They only show tidbits of people shopping and partying or eating at a 5 star restaurant. Most people think they are one American Idol appearance away from fame, or some how fame happens over night. The only problem with this is that these stars have a rugged schedule, and they have a lot of hard work to get to the place in their lives that they are at. Time and time again we have someone living their lives as if they are one step from making it big. I'm sure we all know someone like this. Only to have that person to fall on hard times and never live out something that they have always wanted. After this happens we all know what comes next the excuses that we all get to hear time and time again.

If the media really wants to report the real story, report some blood, sweat, and tears. Report the agony of defeat and the courage to not give up and then fighting the way to the top. Try not to mislead with a 10 minute clip of someone in a bad moment or a shot on the red carpet. The more important part of all this is that the process of getting to stardom is a whole lot more important than the fame. When you take care of the process the end result usually takes care of itself.

KFC is Now Visible from Space

KFC became the first brand visible from outerspace, on November 14, 2006, by unveiling a record-breaking 87,500 square foot updated Colonel Sanders logo in the Area 51 desert. This event marks the offical debut of a massive global re-image campaign that will contemporize 14,000 plus KFC resturants in over 80 countries over the next few years.

I believe that like Barbie and Ken, KFC is trying to reenergize their product by giving it a new face. By giving Colonel Sanders a apron instead of his suit shows that there is a homecooked feel to the food that you are about to buy. By advertising in the middle of Area 51 with a giant tile logo will attract attention because it is something that has never been done before. The only fault that I see in their execution is that they didn't show advertise this change in any of their commercials. I think it would of done them some good if they said why they were going for the new look.

For more info click:

$10 flights to Mexico coming soon

VivaAerobus announced Wednesday that flights to Cancun and Monterrey, Mexico will be available for as low as $9.99 starting May 1st, 2008. To receive fares at such a low price, tickets must be purchased five weeks in advance.The company will offer no-frills flights from a new privately owned terminal from ABIA. With the addition of the new airline to ABIA, more passengers will be traveling through ABIA, which may lead to the airport expanding the current terminal with more gates.

This article is from the News8Austin website and it shows the free publicity that the airline is getting for offering such low fares. The story was featured on their website as well as on television, and the story was also linked to the Austin ABC network KVUE. The company has gotten the job done with putting their name out there and potentially attracting more customers. By having the lowest fares available the company is able to stand out against other airlines that charge hundreds of dollars for the same flight.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=199108

http://www.vivaaerobus.com/

Ford's four new Hybrids

The Ford Motor Company has announced that they will release four new Hybrids nationwide all within the next three years. By doing so Ford has become the only automaker with serious developement on four fuel technologies, gasoline-electric hybrids, clean diesels, hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines and fuel cells. The new vehicles being released are the Mercury Mariner Hybrid, which releases later this year, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, coming in 2008, the mercury Milan Hybrid, also in 2008 and a test fleet of Mazda buses in production in two years. All of these vehicles run on alternative fuels and have recieved much praise from environmental agencies.

This press release came from the Headquarters of the Ford Motor Company. The release was sent out by the Ford Motor Company to notify all car owners, or people interested in owning a car about their new lineup of Hybrid vehicles. I'm sure that when the cars actually hit the the market, there will be much larger press releases distributed to more sources, but for now they have this information on their website. It makes sense that they would only release this information on their own website this early in development, becuase they also have many commercials that will come out later with the arrival of the vehicles. The press release establishes credibility and shows that the Ford Motor Company is environmentally conscious, and looking for new more practical sources of viable energy. Above all the press release did a great job of releasing new information from the Ford Motor Company.

http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=19949

Where will you be on the 5th of May?

Worried about where to celebrate the first week in May? Well, no need to be.

For two days in May, The Nevada Hispanic Service (NHS) hold an event in Reno through government grants and gifts to raise funds for corporations. Cinco de Mayo Reno is an event filled with good food, multiple festivities, and fun free entertainment.

http://renotahoe.about.com/od/artsentertainmen1/a/CincodeMayo.htm

This event was sponsored to build relationships and raise money to benefit Nevada Hispanic Services. DM Productions had $ 400,000 of media sponsorship, including newspapers, television, and radio stations.

http://www.dm-productions.com/cinco_de_mayo_1.htm

Cinco de Mayo in Reno is known to be the largest celebration in the West Coast, regarding this particular holiday. It is great for children of all ages, and it is somewhere to get away, have fun and listen to great music, while making a difference in one's life. Come out and join us this May 4-6 in Reno, Nevada; you will not regret it.

Tampons for Africa

Always and Tampax launched a new campaign. When you buy a box of tampons, money is sent to Africa to supply girls with feminine products so they can go to school when they are on their period. A lot of girls have to miss school and fail their courses because they don't have the necessary and cleanly material when on their period. In addition to buying a necessity, the consumer also feels good for contributing to young girls in Africa. It is a good PR move, becuase when a consumer is in the store deciding which brand of tampons to buy, they will be more likely to choose Always or Tampax because they are contributuing to a good cause. Perhaps these two companies will see an increase in sales.

Perfection, Body Image and Today's Women

One of the speakers on the Dove Real Beauty Campaign Tour,Author Courtney Martin, will give a presentation and discuss her book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body.  This event will take place on Monday, February 4, 2008 from 12:00pm-1:00pm in the Mabee Ballroom B at Saint Edward's University in Austin, TX.  

The is effective crisis management because it is bringing forth an issue, and discussing the negative aspects and the things you can learn from them.

Martin discusses how," You can be anything, but you don't have to be everything."  It is about striving to have the perfect body and how it is not important and to focus on other things.  This pertains to the dove campaign we watched in class.  It talks about self image and peoples desire to look perfect.  I feel this event would help people get over that, not just women, but all genders.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Dyson 'Rolls Out' New Ball Vacuums, Keeping it Small but Powerful

State of the art Vacuums by Dyson have been gaining popularity despite HUGE pricetags. The popularity is justified by groundbreaking design and technology innovations. The change in stagnant vacuum technology comes from the invention of the Dyson's patented ball technology, which replaces traditional weel with a rotating ball, allowing the vacuum to pivot, and move with ease.
The newest release in the groundbreaking Dyson line is the ultralight DC 24 weighing in at under 12 lbs. The DC 24's "partner in crime" the DC 25 weighs in at 16 lbs. The vaccums come with patented Cyclone(TM)technology that spins dust and dirt out of the air. Simply put, Dyson vacuums suck, so much so that the ball vacuums don't lose suction, as proven in the international tests. Dyson vacuums also expel cleaner air, with up to 150 times less bacteria and mold than the air we breathe.
The official Press release comes straight from the Dyson headquarters. The release was sent by Dyson directly to notify the public about their new product innovations. Innovations in vacuum technology have no vacuum specific media outlets, so a pr news wire service is the likely destination. The press release establishes and reinforces credibility that Dyson are leading the competition in scientific innovation and research. The press release does a good job educating the consumer about the advantages inherent in choosing to buy a Dyson vacuum despite the heft pricetag of four to five hundred dollars.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/01-18-2008/0004739025&EDATE=FRI+Jan+18+2008,+12:35+PM

Sony Like No Other

Sony Like No Other

Through Sony’s article in the New York Times the company is able to send a message to the American consumer. The Message being that Sony is making enough money to cut cost on all their products to help American consumers buy the Sony products they want during these hard economic times. The message is a long one, but carefully worded through out the article to have the positive impact intended. One could divide the article into two carefully planned sections that have positive PR messages.
The start of the article covers details on the profits made by Sony’s different departments (television, game console, etc.). Sony’s deputy manager of the trading department at Takagi Securities, Shigeo Kikuchi, is quoted saying that “electronic sales appear to have done well”. It is obvious that Sony is showing in the beginning of the article that their product is obviously in demand and wanted by many consumers. In addition the title of the article is “Sony Profit Increase 25%”. This creates a value of quality among the Sony name and the Sony product by showing it is in demand.
Then the article takes a turn to go in depth about how Sony understands that the subprime crisis here in America is going to cause economic strain on the American consumer. By establishing this through the article that Sony is aware of Americans economic hardships Sony then announces with in the article that they are cutting prices by 17 percent to help the American consumer (no statement of when). This announcement to cut prices after discussing what’s going on with Americans economically is most likely in an effort to show consumers that Sony cares about their customers. This is obviously a very positive PR reputation to have.
Through one article in the New York Times Sony is able to announce itss cutting of prices along with its love for their customers. What better message could a company ask to achieve from a article in the New York Times?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/technology/31cnd-sony.html?ref=business&pagewanted=print

Can Cocaine Vaccine stop Cocaine addiction?

For husband and wife, Tom and Therese Kosten have dreamed about finding a cure for addicts who struggle with addictions like cocaine, methamphetamine and nicotine. In their study at Baylor College of Medicine based in Houston, Texas, they have found a cure or a vaccine that can help stop cocaine addiction. This has been a dream of Tom and Therese for years to find a cure that could help such addictions. "The vaccine, which is based on an inactivated form of the drug, teaches the immune system to fight real cocaine and stops it from getting to the brain and delivering the expected "high." This is a huge step in the medical history. This kind of vaccine can help save people from an addiction problem and help them get clean. "The solution, which seems obvious now, but has taken nearly ten years to perfect, is very clever. Take an inactive cholera toxin protein and attach inactivated cocaine to its surface. This "tricks" the immune system into making antibodies against cocaine. The immune system "sees" the inactivated cholera toxin and also the cocaine pattern and makes antibodies against both substances." The only problem with this vaccine is that it will take years for the US Food and Drug Administration or the FDA to give the go ahead to a phase clinical trial of the vaccine. "All being well, the multi-center study will begin in the spring, although full FDA approval may take several years after that. The trial involves 300 participants in six locations around the US, including Houston." The only problem with this is that the vaccine just like some other medicine might not work on some people. This can cause a concern for some of the addicted people who are doing drugs like cocaine.
I felt like this news release was a well demonstrated news release. It definitely made a good point in its argument about whether the idea of a cocaine vaccine is effective. The news release itself is very effective to me because it has a lot of good solid information. It has what I feel reliable sources. I believe one of the major sources is from the Houston Chronicle newspaper. This news release also informs the public about new medicine being made every day. I know there was an article from the Houston Chronicle about this that informs the public about what new vaccines there are. This news release is more from a health point of view and doctors. How this relates to public relation is because it allows the public to know a different way of quiting addiction problem. It also informs the medicine world as well about what is going on. For example, I read another news release from London that talks about the same information I found in my news release. If you are interested in reading this article from London click on this link: London Cocaine Vaccine. Overall, I felt this was a good news releases. If you would like to look at the news release you can just click on this link: Cocaine Vaccine.

Public Relations-True Love

You may know what you want for Valentine’s Day. But perhaps what you want is not what you need. As the holiday known for chocolate and flowers arrives in the next few weeks, for some, making the right match may be difficult. But apparently, with the help of the new eHarmony Labs and a series of questions, true love may be more accessible than you think.The New York Times features an article titled HittingIt Off, Thanks to Algorithms of Love, by John Tierney. According to this article, matchmaking and scientific research plays an important role in finding love. Other outlets such as a young person’s hormones and matchmakers have been used in the past in order to satisfy this search for compatibility. However, as online services make way, it seems that this methodology is no longer acceptable in our society today. The internet offers a simpler way. eHarmony was founded by Dr. Neil Clark Warren, a clinical psychologist. Dr. Warren’s company has helped millions of singles find true love through a questionnaire in order to determine a correct match.Commercials depicting happy couples who fell in love over the internet are one of the publicity tactics eHarmony uses to persuade its viewers. Despite these tactics, many consumers want to know if these methods are reliable. In public relations, marketing communication is also imperative. It has worked well for eHarmony in the past years. Cutlip stated, “Public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on which its success or failure depends” (Cutlip et., 2000) In this case, this statement is true. The success of eHarmony relies on the satisfaction of its customers. For instance, in a national Harris survey, it shows that eHarmony is responsible for 2 percent of marriages in America in 2007.eHarmony’s public relations firm has done a job well done in promoting the companies compatibility and matchmaking abilities via online and through commercials. Both advertising and public relations are present in this article. The company uses advertising because it is promoting the service through television and other media outlets. However, additional methods of advertisements such as billboards and newspapers are scarce. Perhaps eHarmony should advertise in more public areas such as college campuses or hold special events that encourage its service. The use of public relations is apparent because the entire organization is being promoted as well. As shown in the article, the company has established credibility. This can be seen through it statistics and the amount of matches that are currently together. Overall, this company uses media relations in order to target its audience. It is using the media in order to achieve its objective. Its’ objective is to encourage single people, regardless of age and race, that true love is waiting and is only a questionnaire and a click away.As discussed in class, this article is of human interest as well. Many single people, during this time of the year, and in general, are ready to enter into a new, long-lasting relationship. Online services such as eHarmony are offering people a chance.Through the use of its new labs and scientific methods, eHarmony not only targets a wide range of singles but is making a large profit as well.

Victoria's DIRTY Seceret

The Victoria's Dirty Secret Tour is a campaign put on by an organization known as "Free The Planet!". This campaign is an effort to stop the destruction of forests; the campaign aims their target at the popular women's clothing store Victoria's Secret. Supposedly Victoria's Secret is one of the leading retailers in the catalog industry. They reportedly mail approximately 395 million catalogs every year printed on paper made from the Boreal endangered forest in Canada.

The campaign is touring across the United States to different university campuses to inform students and community members about their efforts against Victoria's Secret and protecting the wilderness areas. The campaign's goal is for students to reach out to Victoria's Secret consumers and employees to educate them about the harm they're doing to our forests. Students are sending back Victoria's Secret catalogs, helping get the forest destruction in the media to "expose Victoria's Dirty Secret," as well as sending letters and phone calls to the company's CEOs to make a difference.

This campaign is a great example of how through this campaign Victoria's Secret is getting free advertising as well as getting their name out into the public. Although in this case the advertising and publicity is not a good thing for the company. I think that "Free The Planet!" is doing a great job of making their point and attempting to help efforts towards stopping the destruction of forests. The tour to university campuses across the country is another great technique because our youth is always looking to get involved in something to help make a difference for our environment, especially recently. The campaign was smart to reach out to students to do the work for them, or at least help them do the work in larger numbers. Although this may be a blow to the extremely popular Victoria's Secret, it is still publicity for the company, and it's publicity that they are doing virtually nothing to receive.


For more information about the campaign click Free The Planet! to visit their website.

Oprah Announces the Launch of her Own Television Network

Oprah is getting her own cable network, in additon to her magazine, talk show and television speicals. In 2009, the Discovery Health Network will become OWN-the Oprah Winfrey Network. In addition to being CEO of her new nework, Oprah will also be launching her web platfrom Oprah.com. Oprah said that "Fifteen years ago, I wrote in my journal that one day I would create a television network, as I always felt my show was just the beginning of what the future could hold... For me, the launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network is the evolution of work I've been doing on television all these years and a natural extension of my show." This is a perfect example of building corporate identity, which Oprah is very good at making people awaire who she is and what she represents. Her brand is crossing over many mediums and will make her even more well know and powerful brand. The OWN was announced on The Today Show.

Hollywood, Friend or Foe?

Heath Leger's passing has been the latest tragedy in Hollywood, but could all of the press be serving two purposes? Entertainment Tonight, E! News, and many other entertainment programs are having a field day with all of the drug gossip and latest videos of the young actor meddling with substances, but one cant help but think with the upcoming Batman movie due out Summer 2008, The Dark Knight, there be ulterior motives within the studio's publicity peeps minds.


Hopefully this is not the case, but in the past, many entertainment magazines and news programs have been know to betray those in the Hollywood scene, and even death has failed to stop the debauchery.

This weekend starts off the four day countdown to 2008's Mardi Gras. Many tourists are expected to come to New Orleans this weekend for the countdown to Fat Tuesday.

Since Hurricane Katrina, the interest of tourists have gone down, but this year's celebration is expecting a good outcome. Though there there is an expected smaller crowd due to the earlier date, according to Mavis Early, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Hotel and Lodging Association, 90 percent of 31,000 hotel rooms

have been booked with an expected 2 percent increase. According to Nola.com, hotel room occupancy for Mardi Gras 2008 is about on par with that of 2003, 2004 and 2005, the three years before Hurricane Katrina.

Mardi Gras is a great way for residents of New Orleans to recover economically after Hurricane Katrina. It has been a challenging two and half years for residents, but more and more are starting to come back, and with celebrations, such as Mardi Gras and upcoming concerts, post-Katrina New Orleans is only getting better. During Mardi Gras, bars and clubs are expected to gain much profit. According Charles Weber, manager of Rick's Cabaret, during a weekend or big event, a waitress can pull in up to $500 while entertainers can see $2,000 to $3,000.

With the passing of time, New Orlean's residents, and this city alone, is starting to get back on track; and many residents are looking forward to Mardi Gras for profit, and also for just the celebration that takes place in their city.

Dawn has recently organized a movement named the "Make a Difference" campaign, in which activists are trying to preserve the North American waters and animals from oil spills and other sorts of pollutants. This campaign is promoting awareness’ of how much pollution affects our environment. Their goal is for 'ONE MILLION PEOPLE" to take part and decrease the amount of harm done to animals. To accomplish this the Dawn campaign has suggested three methods to help preserve these animals. One of the tactics that the campaign suggests is for the viewer to start their own 'flock" or group by adopting a virtual animal and sending them via e-mail to friends and family to promote awareness, the second motive that the activists suggest is for the viewer to reduce polluting by maintaining their vehicles, disposing cooking oil properly, etc. and helping out in their community by recycling, and the last method is for anyone viewing this message to promote it as much as possible by sending e-cards to their loved ones.

"A DROP OF DAWN MAKES A DIFFERENCE AND SO CAN YOU."

This campaign is an excellent source of awareness for the public. The "Make a Difference" campaign is an effective operation that not only educates the public on how pollution affects animals but it also suggests effective solutions that in the future reduce the amount of animal deaths.

http://www.dawnsaveswildlife.com/en_US/dawnsaveswildlife/home.do

Death Becomes Him

For many, death means an everlasting peace; if you are a celebrity, it means weeks and weeks of posthumous speculation.

Heath Ledger's death came as a shock to movie watchers and pop culture followers around the globe. He became the subject of the "text message hear around the world". I received four text messages in three minutes speaking of the same thing, the untimely passing of Hollywood's rising star, Heath Andrew Ledger. 

In the days following his death, the typical media circus began. It can only be expected in these times when all it takes for something to be newsworthy is whether there was [insert illicit drug here] involved or not. Reports on Ledger's drug habits evolved in a matter of days, creating a nightmare for his PR firm. 

Represented by ID PR, Ledger's death did not end his contract with this firm. If anything, his death became their greatest PR challenge. Their latest efforts to preserve Ledger's name came as Entertainment Tonight announced they would be releasing a scathing video portraying Ledger talking about and doing drugs. The PR firm, along with Ledger's family and friends have been fighting to keep his image from being forever tainted. For this reason, the show decided to pull the video from its line up. However, this gesture does not prevent the public from continuing to speculate about the actor's recreational habits.

It goes without saying that Ledger will remain in the news until one of two things happens first: 1) Reports confirm Ledger was a raging drug addict 2) the media finds another celebrity to psychoanalyze for the next few weeks.

Now as sick as this intrusion of privacy may be, it goes without saying that Ledger's celebrity increased ten-fold with his death. Already a respectable actor in his own right, it was his death that can be directly attributed to the spike in video rentals starring the dead actor. Beyond that, everyone will be clamoring to see the actor's last role as "The Joker" in the next installment of the Batman series. 

It is unfortunate that such a talented young man should be reduced to a caricature of himself. His death becomes his identity , and with it comes a barrage of media coverage. Morally it appears damaging, but the truth is Heath Ledger has probably never been more popular, not even after his oscar nomination. This tragic death and ensuing PR nightmare has undoubtedly turned into Heath Ledger's greatest ad campaign. 

"Central Texans are sweet on Cupcakes!"

This article was posted in the Austin American Statesman today, January 31, in the Business section. Hey Cupcake, the main focus of this article, is a cupcake stand that has recently been relocated to the South Congress area close to St. Edward's campus. The owner of Hey Cupcake stated in the article that "buisness has boomed" since moving the Airstream trailer from the UT campus area to its current spot.
I think this newspaper article shows a fairly appropriate example of a newspaper picking up a story about a local business. In the article they give more information about other cupcake companies here in Austin, and the others that are going to be here as well, but the main focus is definitely Hey Cupcake. I think that this goes with the article that Professor Weisgerber has us work on with the airline press releases and media relations.
This newspaper article is filled with statistics about Hey Cupcake from some of the flavors of the cupcakes, where you can get themm and how much they cost. They even list the more expensive competeing prices from other cupcake businesses. They quote the owner of Hey Cupcake more than any other cupcake owner and they even have pictures of the trailer where the cupcakes are sold. The PR for Hey Cupcake is probably very happy with the Austin American Statesman right now.
If you would like to read the newspaper article go to www.statesman.com and click on the business section. It is their feature story. And, if you just want to see some more cupcakes go to www.heycupcakebakery.com and see all of the different flavors that they have...they cater!

Youtube and free music promotion

Last summer, an acoustic cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella" catapulted up YouTube's video rankings. Today this video stands at over 4.5 million views. The artist who covered the song was Marie Digby. She was a gorgeous, multiracial musician who apparently had no record label. On the strength of her YouTube video, she appeared on the late night talk show Last Call With Carson Daly.



Shortly after the video achieved mass popularity, major label Hollywood Records announced that it had signed Digby onto their label.

Was this the story of another Terra Naomi, who received a record label contract on the strength of her homemade videos of her songs?

Unfortunately it wasn't. The Wall Street Journal revealed that Digby had already been signed to Hollywood Records 18 months before the video appeared on YouTube. The idea of Digby covering songs by famous artists was the brainchild of Hollywood Records senior vice president Ken Bunt.

Hollywood Records led the Internet to believe that Digby was just another amateur waiting for her big break. But actually, the entire "Umbrella" scheme was a marketing campaign by Hollywood Records.

Download This: YouTube Phenom Has a Big Secret

Hollywood Records even gave Digby the computer she uses to record her videos.

In an age where people no longer pay attention to commercials of new releases, how is the Internet transforming the publicity these usually unsigned artists receive? Will YouTube one day no longer be a viable means of publicity for these artists? Is it ethical to misrepresent yourself as an amateur when you actually have a major label?

Will shining stars shine some votes on canidates?

It is the most popular website today Perez Hilton, http://www.perezhilton.com. Many young Americans religiously visit this website on a daily basis. With the latest news and pictures of celebrities, America is becoming obsessed with the lives of the stars. Why wouldn't one be intrigued by the lives of actors whom star in one's favorite movies? Movies are entertainment; a leisure that allows you to relax. With that said, the lives of these celebrities seem to be entertanment as well. As a young adult myself, celebrity news has bcome a beacon for eliminating the stress of school or work. These stars have become not only culturally iconic, but politically iconic as well.
With the 2008 Presidential Elections right around the corner, what better way to attract young voters to a campaign than to get a celebrity on board. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/01/17/malveaux.celebrity.cnn?iref=videosearch
Young voters are, after all, the biggest target, for we are the ones who can and will mold the future of our dear country. However, many do not like the fact that politicians are parading celebrities around. Because celebrities are the biggest icons of today's society, many are easily persuaded to vote for whoever their favorite celebrities are campaigning for.
Is that moral?
Many will argue that politicians using their Hollywood friends as celebrity endorsments is just a harmless way to gain publicity. They can forget the extra news release or press conference because with their celebrity endorser they will reach extra demographics on entertainment websites and television stations such as E!, http://www.eoline.com. You can really gain some votes if you have Oprah on your campaign trail, as Barack Obama has done. The most powerful woman in America has potential power to leer many indecisive voters towards Obama http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2007/12/09/levs.politicians.and.celebrities.cnn?iref=videosearch. While opposing democratic canidate, Hilary Clinton, has older celebrities backing her campaign, as mentioned in the CNN clip above.
Either way, I recommend everyone to be their own person and make their own decisions. Be smart, research the viewpoints of each canidate. You are the future, and whoever you vote for will be too.

Coca-Cola Saves the Polar Bears

Everyone remembers those cute cuddly polar bears from the Coca-Cola Commercials, right? Well, in Coca-Cola's newest PR campaign they are READY TO TAKE ACTION!! Coca-Cola wants to reduce human impact on global climate change! Aren't they just socially responsible?!?!

They post, "Polar bears need your help too. We created this web site so you can learn about polar bears and what you can do to help the planet. Send a polar bear e-card to a friend, make adonation to WWF or "adopt" a polar bear. Whether you do one thing or do them all, you can make a difference."

So was it a good attempt or a bad one? I actually think that this is a really good campaign. I really like the fact that they chose polar bears. Polar bears have been one of the trademarks of the Coca-Cola Company and choosing to give back to our cuddly friends is great!

Here is one of the more recent polar bear commercials...

That was really cute! The Coca-Cola Company feels that it has a responsibility to protect their 50 year icon. They issued this statement on their website:

“Beverage concentrate is largely shipped to bottling operations by sea, while finished beverages are mostly transported by road to distributors and retail customers. The environmental impacts of the transportation of our product -- whether by land or by sea -- result from fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and maintenance.

We are working to conserve fuel in our fleet of approximately 200,000 diesel vehicles through the introduction of idle-reduction and biodiesel technologies, which can also help reduce emissions. We also have begun use of diesel-electric hybrid trucks in select markets.

In 2006, a two-year test run of bottling partner Coca-Cola Enterprises' (CCE) new diesel-electric hybrid truck revealed a 32 percent improvement in fuel economy. With CCE, we also put into place a way of systematically evaluating and promoting energy-saving fleet technologies for replication throughout the entire Coca-Cola system.”

Coca-Cola has had some bad publicity from websites like KillerCoke.org. I think that saving the polar bears was a great move toward the right direction.

Always Coca Cola!

Other references: influxinsights.com

Nike and the "Car Jumper" Just Do It Together

[Publicity Campaign, Publicy Values]

There are some companies and corporations that get promotions without actually paying for advertising.

Last October, Ellen DeGeneres received a letter from a fan, Chris. The letter expressing his current situation and a dream he had of working with Nike. Along with the letter he sent a video of him jumping over cars, showing a unique talent he had. Ellen, inspired by his siutation and talent, invited him on the show to publicize his abilities and set up a meeting with Nike. (Ellen show clip) After Ellen connected with Nike, they too were inspired by Chris’s story and decided to shoot a commercial strictly to be shown on the internet to tell his story. Along with the commercial, Ellen got NIKE to let Chris design his own shoe by Nike and gave him a $5000 shopping spree to Nike. Than for even more publicity of Nike and Chris, Ellen invited him back on the show for a world premiere of the commercial and shoe. (Ellen show part 2 clip)

(Online commercial)

The value of publicity and coverage that Ellen gave to this young man was announcing his talent and story. Nike also was able to announce a new product (the shoes) through the publicity of this young man and constantly reengerize the brand name through the Ellen DeGeneres show. Thus, the concepts of publicity to reenergize a product (in the case brand name) and to publicize Chris’s talent were employed well through Ellen DeGeneres’s Show.

Radiohead 'In Rainbows'

On October 10, 2007 British band, Radiohead, released their seventh album, In Rainbows. The band recently parted ways with Capitol Records, label that promoted the band's music for over a decade, and decided to try something new to the music industry - e-commerce.

The popular rock band decided to call it quits and wave goodbye to the record industry and personally sell their music to the public off their official In Rainbows website as a digital download. They put no price on the record and just asked the fans to donate what they can to the band. No promotions from the band themselves were really necessary other than a statement on their blog declaring their digital distribution. From the National Public Radio (NPR) to the UK Times, Radiohead made headlines universally for their decision to be the sole profit of the In Rainbows record.


Though donations ranging in various amounts were offered to the band, according to a survey from Record of the Day, one-third out of 3,000 people chose to download the album for free. So on January 1, 2008, In Rainbows was made available for sale in record stores nation wide under the independent label ATO Records. Though fans of Radiohead were sad to see the band pull the plug to their digital distribution, many begin to wonder if there is even a future in store for today's record companies.

Motel 6: "We'll leave a light on for you and remember your name"

"My motel 6", the new PR campaign for the largest hotel chain in North America is helping create an entirely different experience when working with Motel 6. The campaign started in 2007 and has been incredibly successful thus far.

The company used both advertising and PR in television commericals, new website features. press releases and additional commercials on YouTube. The main feature in the "new" Motel 6 is their internet registration. According to a press release on PR News Now all the information is protected with some of the best security in the industry. They focus on the fact that this enables customers to create an online profile that helps Motel 6 employees to better understand their customers' needs.

http://www.prnewsnow.com/PR%20News%20Releases/Industry%20Specific/Leisure%20And%20Hospitality/Well%20Leave%20the%20Light%20On%20For%20You%20And%20Remember%20Your%20Name%20%20Motel%206%20Introduces%20My%20Motel%206%20to%20Make%20Online%20Booking%20Faster%20and%20Easie

Part of the campaign is the slogan "We'll leave a light on for you and remember your name." This corresponds with the idea that PR publicity can be used for reenergizing an old product. As a result of Motel 6's inexpensive, often questionable hotels, the chain has developed a less than desirable reputation. This new image of hospitality shows the hotel in a different light. It implies that customers can feel safe, comfortable and cozy during their stay at Motel 6 thus recreating a new image of an old chain.

Motel 6: "We'll leave a light on for you and remember your name"

"My motel 6", the new PR campaign for the largest hotel chain in North America is helping create an entirely different experience when working with Motel 6. The campaign started in 2007 and has been incredibly successful thus far.

The company used both advertising and PR in television commericals, new website features. press releases and additional commercials on YouTube. The main feature in the "new" Motel 6 is their internet registration. According to a press release on PR News Now all the information is protected with some of the best security in the industry. They focus on the fact that this enables customers to create an online profile that helps Motel 6 employees to better understand their customers' needs.

http://www.prnewsnow.com/PR%20News%20Releases/Industry%20Specific/Leisure%20And%20Hospitality/Well%20Leave%20the%20Light%20On%20For%20You%20And%20Remember%20Your%20Name%20%20Motel%206%20Introduces%20My%20Motel%206%20to%20Make%20Online%20Booking%20Faster%20and%20Easie

Part of the campaign is the slogan "We'll leave a light on for you and remember your name." This corresponds with the idea that PR publicity can be used for reenergizing an old product. As a result of Motel 6's inexpensive, often questionable hotels, the chain has developed a less than desirable reputation. This new image of hospitality shows the hotel in a different light. It implies that customers can feel safe, comfortable and cozy during their stay at Motel 6 thus recreating a new image of an old chain.

Some Feisty Publicity

In September of 2007, Apple released their new Ipod Nano. What was once confined to only music, the new Nano introduced video to its mini media players. In Apple's efforts to market this new product, music video's of hip underground artists were incorporated into the commercials. For example, the artist Feist's  music video was used in an one of the first commercials to promote the ipod.

The artist in this case gets free publicity from the commercial. After the release of the ad, downloads of the song used and other songs by the artist skyrocketed. Downloads of the song "1,2,3,4" jumped from 2,000 to 73,000 from September to October according to Nielson Soundscan. It also reached the Top 100 on the Billboard charts after the commercial. 

In Apples efforts, the Nano also boosted sales. The advertising used by Apple, helped out not only  themselves but the artist too. This symbiotic approach to public relations builds upon each-other. From seeing the ad, the public got interested in Feist, from listening to Feist people got more interested in the ipod and etc. This is also an ongoing trend within companies. A Hewitt-Packer ad uses celebrities  to market their product.

  Not only does this commercial market the HP computer, but also Jerry Seinfield, and the recent "The Bee Movie" he stared in. In the end, with no extra money spent, publicity is gained for all contributers to an advertisement.

Special Olympics State Winter Games hit San Antonio

This year's Special Olympics State Winter Games, running from Thursday, Januaray 31 to Sunday, February 3, will be hosted in San Antonio, which is about an hour and a half drive from Austin. One of the biggest concerns with this event is the lack of volunteers needed. As an intern with Special Olympics Texas, I have been experiencing a bit firsthand the mad rush for getting volunteers. I have written a press release and two media advisories in order to get the word out that we need help. I tried to do a bit of exploring on google by finding any article that pertained to the press releases that have been put out, and to my surprise, I found only a handful of articles, one coming from my press release and another from my media advisory. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty cool to see my write-ups being used, but I wish they could've been used more effectively to draw people's attention. If you click here, here, and here, you can read up on our urgent cry for help (the last one is from my press release). For those that are interested in volunteering, shoot me a message! We need all the help we can get....and in a way, this blog is a PR effort!

Now, a cry for help, which is prevailent in the last link and the link to the news release on the SOTX website show a somewhat lack of strategic planning. The date posted for the news release is December 19, 2007. It was good that Special Olympics Texas started trying to get volunteers early for the event, but there is no persistency thereafter. From what I learned at the office, the press release I wrote on Monday was the first for the event since the December 19th post. There should have been more effective and strategic planning instead of waiting until the week of the event to send out a release.

Upcoming Film Unites With Kids To Stop Underage Smoking

Spidey Girl, an independent film currently in its pre-production phase has teamed up with its sponsor, DogCat Radio to promote anti-smoking awareness for kids. The effort is being executed via a nation-wide essay contest for ages 11-17, and three chosen winners will receive a small speaking role in the film. The essay prompts its contributers to focus on the ways kids can discourage their friends from smoking, fitting for a film about a 13-year old girl fighting neighborhood crimes of independent and underage cigarette solicitation.

Spokesperson Steve Burdeaux notes, "This movie tackles the issue of kids smoking. Hopefully this film, ins ome way, can help create a generation of non-smokers."
The contest's winners will be awarded a trip to and tour of Hollywood, dinner with the crew, their promised appearance, and complimentary tickets to Sunset Strip's Mann's Chinese Theatre, after their notification on February 29th.

DogCat Radio, the official sponsor, is considered the nation's premier radio station for pet lovers and pets, alike, having received positive recognition from the New York Times and PETA. Their link and further information on their involvement in the campaign can be found at http://www.dogcatradio.com/. The teaser trailer for Spidey Girl, whose projected release date is August 2008, may be found at http://www.dogcatradio.com/spidey.htm.
A short teaser clip of the film is offered:

Ultimately, this partnership campaign appears a practical and optomistic effort on the part of a low-budget production company advocating corporate ethics and a radio station that is built around the humane adoration of animals. In terms of interests in this project, their cross-involvement is unrelated, however, in the long run they are dually invested in progressive and moralistic pursuits, rendering a reasonable partnership. It seems appropriate that the trusted listeners of DogCat Radio may also have an interest in engaging their children in the connected campaign. The essay contest seems a noble and properly interwoven practice and a feasibly stimulating means of gaining the attention of youth in an upcoming film that might otherwise struggle for publicity.

The New York Times uses Text Messaging

January 28th, The New York Times announced the launch of a text messaing service that will deliver the most up-to-date news to people around the globe. They will also feature columns for the newspaper as well as features from The Times Magazine. This new sorce of news will allow people to know what is going on no matter where they are, all they need is their cell phone. "With our mobile site experiencing triple-digit growth, this is the next step in our efforts to make full use of this medium," siad Rob Larson, who is the vice president of product development and managment for The New York Times. "We want our readers to have easy access to our news and opinion, wherever they may be." Even though standart text messaging rates apply, with the new text messaging feature, users can receive the latest three articles from that given section or the most recent column from theri favorite opinion, business, enviornmental, entertainment, health, metro, national, political, sports or technology columnist.I think this is a very effective way of informing the public of an action being made within The New York Times. People do not always have a newpaper or internet connection handy. Since articles can be displayed on any type of cell phone, people now only need good reception from their cell phone company to recieve the most up-to-date news articles. The New York times has even released all the text message keywords that will appear in the appropriate sections of the newspaper. I can image that many other major news corporations will be soon to follow in the text messaging movement. The New York Times has created a new and impressive way or reaching its readers the fastest.

Great technological advances are no longer only a tool for the elites of society, but has become available to everyone. Technology has permeated every aspect of our lives. We can access the internet from home, office, school, our cars and even while walking around downtown. In this day and age, it is likely that before you get home you will have already known the days headlines before turning on our T.V. Blogging and product leaking has become a new marketing practice. Countless companies have done this. I think the companies that have mastered this practice are Apple and Blackberry. Although Apple has run numerous T.V. ads and Blackberry has aired some commercials in North America, most of the buzz and hype about their products began online with blogs like Boy Genius Report and Engadget. In the past there was buzz over the Blackberry 8320, which was one of the first to have Wi-Fi. Boy Genius bloggers hopped on this story the second it became available and created the buzz. From that point on there was specutlation over when it would become available and which wireless provider would be lucky enough to launch the product. This buzz is great for the company and the product and at times works even better than commercials. Blackberry has used limited commercials and with free publicity like this, why would they even want to spend all that money. The availability of internet on computers and phones makes blogs a very important piece in the marketing mix.

JetBlue Nightmare

In February of last year, one of the nations most economically savvy airlines who was most noted for special attention to customer detail, experienced a PR disaster. 1000 flights were cancelled in 72 hours due to the companies lack of support in severe weather conditions. This not only left customers angry and out of flights, but also caused 71 flights to remain on the tarmac for approximately 6 hours. The story read like the ending of a corporation that had prided itself on the best quality for its customers at lower prices. When faced with a crisis such as this, most would think the CEO would simply get on national television and apologize for the catastrophe (with hope they could save some of their already tarnished image.) In this day and age times are changing, with no respect to the world of public relations. JetBlue being such a young and vibrant entity decided to handle this in a very non-conventional manner, that might have eventually saved the company.

CEO David G. Neeleman decided to reach customers through a personalized message posted on YouTube. This methodology that had rarely been used, ended up being called one of the best apologies by a company in US history. This PR innovation demonstrated that the company truly knew how to reach their customers. It expressed a companies sincerest apologies, while also guaranteeing a company overhaul. Not only did this spread like wildfire by word of mouth, but it reached a multitude of national news stations and newspapers.



Mr. Neeleman was extremely clever in his decision to use this tactic in his companies lowest point. With a huge hit to the companies budget, they could not afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on ad campaigns, press conferences and much less they did not have time to waste. This is PR innovation at its finest. It led the way for more companies to use the internet as a means to truly reach an age of people that base so much of what they hear on the internet. This was the most inexpensive way to reach the most people. JetBlue never gave excuses, always keeping the customer first which was key in revamping the companies image. Neeleman should be grateful of his PR department for coming up with the best method, and speech to turn a catastrophe into a minor earthquake.

Ringo's "Liverpool 8" in stores now

Perhaps I’ve been under a rock, but I had no idea Ringo Starr had a new album coming out. The only way I know this now is because I saw him on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. In retrospect, I think I saw an article about Ringo Starr on a national news site about three weeks ago, but I lost the webpage, never finding out what the article was about. It was pure luck when I tuned in to Craig Ferguson’s show and he announced that his guest, and his only guest for the night, was Ringo Starr. I didn’t know why he was a guest, but it was enough for me to stay tuned.

Ringo Starr appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS to promote his album last week. His appearance was unique because he was the only guest on the show that night, and he had the chance to perform four songs. In addition, it brought an interesting perspective to the interview because they are both British, as Ringo is from England, and Craig, from Scotland.



The public relations activity which Ringo’s practitioners utilized is media relations. With media relations, PR agents should communicate with journalists, specialists, editors from local, national, international and trade media, including newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and web-based communication. The PR agent must have seen Craig Ferguson’s show as a desirable outlet for publicity and set up the appearance. On the other hand, Craig Ferguson must have found out about Ringo’s album and saw it as a great opportunity to meet a rock music legend. It could have even been a mutual endeavor where Ringo’s PR agent approached Ferguson, and the talk show host happily agreed, giving the former Beatle half an hour of air time. A late night talk show usually consists of a monologue from the host, and three guests, whereas one of those is usually a musical act. Whatever the case may be, Ringo was given great publicity.

The media relations medium of a talk show appearance seems very effective. When organizing the appearance, Ringo’s PR agent must have asked, “Who is watching the program? Are they paying attention to it (Tench 325)?” Hundreds of thousands of people must watch Craig Ferguson, including young people. Practically everyone likes The Beatles, and young people who may not know about them will have been exposed to a couple of their songs, which Ringo performed. In addition to performing two songs from his new album, he performed two Beatles songs, including “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Another advantage of the talk show is that the public relations message came with an editorial endorsement. As the text states of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, ‘Public Relations is about reputation, the result of what you do, what you say, and what others say about you (our italics) (Tench 325).’ Craig Ferguson almost acted as the editorial endorsement because he seemed especially excited about Ringo being on the show. It was as if he were living out his childhood dream. While Ringo and his band were performing, the camera showed Craig sitting casually on top of his desk, bopping his head to the music. It must have been an incredible sight for him, and I, as a viewer, almost felt glad for him that he was able to get such a music legend on his show.

Distinguishing between Advertising and PR

I believe that most people heard about the controversy last year when Grey's Anatomy cast member Isaiah Washington was rumored to have called fellow cast member T.R Knight the "F" word, a slur for his sexual orientation. I thought that the publicity steps that he took in response to the attention that the incident received were interesting. I think it is a good example of how to use public relations to create, or in this case, fix an image of yourself without paying for it.

In this video clip, Washington used their few moments of spotlight, after the show won a Golden Globe, to attempt to clear the air and fix his image. However, the attempt only seemed to upset the public more.



When this attempt failed he turned to advertising in the form of a spokesperson. He made a public service anouncement for the GLAAD organization, which is the lesbian and gay alliance against defamation. While this was technically advertising because it was a commercial, he used it in a PR effort to fix his tainted image. By speaking out for an organization like this, he hoped to show what he had learned and how he had changed. While this may have been advertisement for the GLAAD organization and its mission, it definitely acts as a publicity outlet for Washington, just like the Golden Globes.



I think that this is a good example of all of the different forms that pr can come in, even when it is disguised as advertising.

Imagine if all companies sold products like tobacco

The Truth campaign is the largest nationwide anti-tobacco education program. The campaign is designed to expose the tobacco company’s marketing and manufacturing strategies, as well as highlighting the toll of tobacco in relevant and innovative ways. After the executives at Philip Morris Companies decided to change their company name to Altria, Truth decided that they needed to find a more innovative way to convince Americans that tobacco is a harmful substance.

Now Philip Morris USA publicly released their concerns that the American Legacy Foundation's anti-smoking ad campaign and Web site violate "the spirit" of the agreement that funds them. Philip Morris USA is hinting its billion-dollar payments toward the effort may be in jeopardy unless major changes are made.

The commercials are getting so intense that they have been rejected by CBS and Fox Networks. This is one of their most innovative commercials entitled “Shards O’ Glass” which debuted during the Super Bowl XXXVII.

I think that in this squabble the Truth Campaign comes out looking like the good person while the Tobacco Companies come out looking like bad guys. Philip Morrison must send a message that these commercials are not hurting sales but their direct attacks are unseeingly, especially if they are being funded by a Tobacco Company. Moreover, a good tactful compromise would be to instead of censoring the truth commercials, they can only be seen during certain hours or certain events.

Tigers and Lions and Bears...in the streets eating people

Zoos all over the nation are facing an uphill battle. Often, zoos rely on private donations as a large part of their funding, and keeping up a positive image is crucial. Most zoos would like to keep the focus on their efforts for endangered species and educational programs. Dissent from animal activist groups insisting that animals are mistreated is a persistent problem, and so the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is leading a public relations campaign to ignite enthusiasm for zoos as animal rescue facilities.

Of course it doesn't help things when a tiger escapes, kills a zoo patron and mauls two others. On Christmas Day.


As a side note, these zoos are trying to bounce back from drama such as a monkey dying from the bubonic plague and a gorilla taking off with a three year old.
The AZA is handling their PR load by making crises management a main focus. A crisis management course is taught in their training program. The organizations PR committee hired Steve Feldman from Powell Tate, a Washington PR firm in 2006. Feldman has experience in responding to plane crashes and environmental group scandals.

After the tiger attack, the San Fransisco zoo went into extreme crisis management mode Mr. Feldman had the San Fransisco Zoo officials field questions about the attack while he answered questions about feline care and safety. The zoo hired a crisis PR expert Sam Singer on New Years Eve to relieve an overwhelmed PR staff. The zoo acknowledges that the enclosure was too low, but maintains that the tiger was provoked.

I think that the zoo handled the situation with all of the finesse it could muster in light of the gruesome nature of the crisis. It is a catch 22 for the zoos, who respond to bad publicity about their animal habitats by making them more realistic, and in turn less enclosed and more risky, which leads to more bad publicity.

In the end, the people who work for zoos are people who care about animals and work with the animals' interests at heart. Due in large part to constant criticism and frequent crises, they have their work cut out for them, and they do the best they can in their unique position.

Of course there is still a spider monkey at large, so keep your eyes peeled.

Is the world's cheapest car to good to be true?

The question is, how much is the world's cheapest car? The flat rate of this car is $2,500. Tata Company Chairman, Ratan Tata, announces the newly launched Tata Nano at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008. Ratan anticipated this ultracheap priced car that will hopefully bring ownership into tens of millions of people across the world. The world's cheapest car can fit 5 people if they squeeze! The basic version of this model comes with NO radio, NO passenger side mirror, NO power steering, NO power windows, and only one windshield wiper. The car has a top speed of 75mph. So say goodbye to "flooring it."

Critics say that Tata will have to sacrifice quality and safety standards to meet the target price, and also possibly millions more automobiles hitting already clogged Indian roads, adding to mounting air and noise pollution problems. Mr. Tata insists the this car WILL meet safety standards and pollute even less than motorcyles, passing domestic and European emission standards and averaging about 50 miles per gallon! The company's vission is to revolutionize the auto industry by forcing other manufacturers to lower their own pricing.

However, the car will only be sold in India, but Tata has said it eventually hopes to export it in the near future. Critics are also saying with the afordability of the car, the quicker those pollution levels will increase.

Journalists Use of Blogs

Although our class is using a blog as a supplemental learning tool, others use blogs to access news and public opinion.

Brodeur conducted a survey on how journalist use blogs and found that blogs make news easier and quicker to access. Mainly though, blogs help journalist gain a better understanding of a story and their audience's opinion on the story topics.

This press release and article bring up the question of whether the quality of news stories are affected by blogs. Do journalist take blogs too far by not using more reliable and accountable resources?

Bizarro Buzz

Some media events can lead to fantastic promotional advantages for an event or competition, and that promotion can come in many forms. In this article from the National Public Radio (NPR) news site, a Brazilian model named Angela Bizmarchi opts for plastic surgery to alter the appearance of her eyes, making them appear like that of a Japanese person. She's undergoing this extreme procedure as a way of gaining publicity for her competitive samba group and the dance that will take place at the next Brazilian Carnival. But where's the connection? She's having the surgery as way of honoring the great influx of Japanese immigration to Brazil. Bizmarchi has already gained fame for her numerous plastic surgery procedures, having undergone over 4o procedures and vying for the Guinness World Record. 

NPR's audiences are captured initially by the "news of the weird" quality of the article. A woman's face being abnormally stretched by an unseen doctor's hands. It's a subject some readers would immediately find intriguing and read simply because they cannot look away.This article is found near the celebrity gossip section of the site, alongside links to red carpet fashions and celebrity updates. 

Angela Bismarchi's decision to undergo such a bizarre surgical procedure brings a huge amount of media coverage, but it is not free of flaws. It is extreme enough to grab an audience's attention, but the article does not name Bismarchi's dance troupe or any details of the Carnival. When or where is the festival being held? If interested, the reader could simply perform a quick Google search to find any of these answers.  Another concern is whether or not Brazilian Carnival appreciates this kind of media coverage. Considering Carnival is Brazil's Mardi Gras, a yearly festival held 40 days before Lent, it is doubtful the festival would be concerned about maintaining high standards of respectability. So in this case, the affiliated groups are safe from being offended by such an article. 

Golfweek Goofs on Network Scoop

Whether or not you watch the Golf Channel or subscribe to Golfweek Magazine, chances are that you're familiar with the name Tiger Woods. After all he is arguably the greatest golfer alive today; the Michael Jordan of golf if you will. In contrast, it seemed that until recently no one was familiar with the Golf Channel's now infamous correspondent Kelly Tilghman. That is, until she committed a highly controversial on-air faux pas on January 4th. The incident which led to Tilghman's media notoriety and a two-week suspension from broadcasting involved her attempt to offer what she viewed as a comical suggestion as to how up and coming professional golfers could beat Woods. Without any sign of noticeable consideration, she chuckled while saying, "lynch him in a back alley" just before making what seemed like an awkward pause. Nevertheless, Tiger who is of multi-racial Asian, Caucasian and African American descent made a statement that the comment made by Tilghman was unfortunate, but that he had spoken with her and that there was no ill intent on her part.

After Tiger spoke on the matter the story seemingly should have come to an end, however, Golfweek Magazine had other plans. When the January 19th issue of Golfweek hit newsstands many readers were shocked to find the stark image of a noose plastered across the cover of the publication. Can you say PR disaster? I cannot even begin to understand how anyone could think that this would be a good idea for the cover of any magazine of which Don Imus is not the editor. I mean, surely no editor who wished to keep their job would approve such a thing, right? The "higher ups" at Turnstile Publishing Company which owns Golfweek were not too pleased with former editor and vice president Dave Seanor's poor decision to approve the distasteful cover either as they released him on January 22.

Following Seanor's termination, Turnstile Publishing Co. president William J. Kupper released a statement citing, "We apologize for creating this graphic cover that received extreme negative reaction from consumers, subscribers and advertisers across the country." Kelly Tilghman returned to the Golf Channel today and began her initial post-suspension telecast by issuing what appeared to be sincere apology. "For the last two weeks I've taken the time to reflect and truly understand the impact of what I said. While I need not intend to offend anyone, I understand why those words were hurtful. I am terribly sorry for any hurt that I have caused. I would like to express my deepest apologies." Nice recovery Kelly! It is nice to see that in the wake of Don Imus' notorious comments about the Rutgers Women's basketball team that some media outlets took notes. Despite the fact that this three-week long ordeal resulted in both a job suspension and termination, I believe that all parties involved handled the situation in a timely and effective manner.

The discussion of the importance of an organization's key publics from the class lecture on January 10th should make more sense if you follow the progression of this story. Although, technically, one party was to blame for the whole incident it snowballed into a much bigger problem. Once this snowballing effect occurred, one person's mistake became the responsibility of multiple parties within each organization in order for them to maintain good standings with their respective internal and external publics. This scandal was about much more than losing potential viewers or readers as both the Golf Channel and Golfweek Magazine stood to lose money from advertisers had they failed to resolve this PR nightmare.

MacBook Air: Advertising vs. Publicity

While listening to yesterday's lecture, I thought that a great example of the publicity vs. advertising topic is the media surrounding the new MacBook Air.

On TV, chances are that you may have seen this commercial:



Like the Dove commercial, the Apple company has paid to advertise with this thirty second spot. They've chosen the exact content, location, and frequency. But what is not seen on TV, is the Guided Tour on Apple's Website. Here is the video:



Like we discussed in class, Apple has not paid to get this video out to the masses. All they have done is simply post it on their website. The video probably didn't cost that much to produce. Now, the video has gone viral and is all over YouTube and other video-sharing websites. I'm sure that Apple probably bet on this happening, which is great (and very easy) publicity.

On YouTube alone, there are currently 158 postings of the "MacBook Guided Tour" with hundreds of thousands of views combined. As with anything that goes viral on the web, especially on YouTube, it spreads quickly. I know that when I first heard of the MacBook Air, it was through word of mouth. Probably from someone who read/heard/saw about it online.

This contribution exemplifies the announcement of a new product (a value of publicity).

Brief tutorial on how to create a blog post

Here's a brief tutorial that should help you get started with Blogger. You will need to click on the slide to move from one slide to the next.

Welcome to the Intro to Public Relations Course Blog at St. Edward's University

This is the course blog for our class. As part of your participation in this class, you will be expected to actively contribute course material on this blog. The idea is to get you to engage the course material critically and to have you keep your eyes open for interesting PR efforts to share with the class. I want you to become an active learner and to start being on the lookout for material to incorporate into the class instead of relying on me, as the instructor, to tell you what is important.

Throughout the semester, you will be required to identify 4 examples of current PR practice which illustrate a concept discussed in class and examine them by applying key course concepts. Your analysis should pertain to the most recent course material covered. For this assignment, no duplicate examples will be allowed. If someone already posted on your example, you will need to find another one.

Due dates:
It doesn’t matter what day you post your examples & analysis, as long as you follow this schedule:
1. The first example/analysis is due between 01/15-01/31.
2. The second example/analysis is due between 02/01-02/21.
3. The third example/analysis is due between 02/22-03/20.
4. The fourth example/analysis is due between 03/21-04/10.
Please note that you cannot simply wait until the end of the semester and add 4 posts at once. You will only receive credit if your posts follow the schedule listed above.

The Assignment:
1. Start your post with an appropriate title. Make sure the title describes the PR effort or identifies the key players.
2. Throughout your post, link to additional information, news releases, key websites, or anything else of importance to your example.
3. Briefly describe the example by answering the who, what, when, where, and why. You don’t need to spend more than 2-3 sentences on this part.
4. Indicate what concept you are illustrating with this example (i.e. effective crisis management, strategic planning, etc.)
5. Analyze the example by applying course concepts and evaluating their effectiveness. In other words, make an argument that these concepts were employed well or poorly, back up your position, and explain what could have been done better. The point of the analysis is to show that you understand key course concepts and that you can apply them to real life examples.

Happy blogging!