Exploring Public Relations

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2009-05-07T13:08:00.001-07:00

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2008-04-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, in El Dorado, Texas, there was a raid on a massive polygamist compound. This compund is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a breakaway Mormon sect. It consisted of, not only of adults advocating polygamy, but of children that were apart of this movement. About 400 children we taken from this compound, and are being taken care of by authorities while investigations of abuse are being undergone.

So what has happened to the children since the raid?
These children have been growing up in an environment that most people will never experience. Of course, the way that these children were being raised may be inappropriate, but to take them out of their accustomed environment must be placing them into a huge culture shock.

After being taken into state custody, the children are on their way to different group homes, shelters and residences. Though foster children must have their own set of issues, the problems that these polygamy compound children must be that much harder. These children were raised to believe that everyone outside their community were harmful and toxic, only trying to contaminate their pure and holy beliefs.

Good news is that state officials are realizing how important it is to gradually expose these children to the world. According to Child Protective Services' spokeswoman Shari Pullman, "We recognize it's critical that these children not be exposed to mainstream culture too quickly or other things that would hinder their success. We just want to protect them from abuse and neglect. We're not trying to change them."

Though custody for each child is still left undecided, some may be sent to permanent foster homes, while others may even be allowed to return back to El Dorado, officials are doing things that are in the best interest of the children.

Are the Presidential Candidates Missing Something?

2008-04-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

In all of the craziness that has come about in the Presidential races, there seems to be one topic that has not made it on the national scene. I really don't know what more is a tragedy the fact that no one is talking about the destruction of the Gulf Coast or the fact that in 2005 one of the most powerful storms hit New Orleans, Louisiana.

In a debate that has been about who is more in touch with the problems of the country, it would seem that someone would mention rebuilding the Gulf Coast region. Yes, there was a candidate that did talk about the Gulf Coast, it was John Edwards. Senator Edwards built his campaign on poverty and the moral responsibilities of the country to combat these efforts.

The real question is all the criticism the national media gave the U.S. Government for ignoring the people and the clean up efforts. Now it seems that the national media has forgotten the Gulf Coast. The campaigns are focusing on Health Care, the Economy, and the War in Iraq. The main arguments the candidates have been trying to make is that they are ready for the crisis moment of their presidency. It seems as though we have a red phone moment in that a city in the United States is devastated. Parts of the Gulf Coast are never going to be the same. People have lost jobs and homes and family members.

May be the Gulf Coast is opportunity for economic stimulus. Maybe the Gulf Coast is the answer to the countries energy crisis, or maybe the moral responsibility of the Country is not being upheld. Maybe if the candidates would stop trying tell the people about how much they can fight for America, or their solutions for change, they could really be in touch and ask the people of the Gulf Coast what they think. You want to talk about change ask the people of the Gulf Coast about how their lives had changed. Ask them how hard they fight every morning trying to piece together lives with little government assistance.

Shakira Shakes it for Education

2008-04-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Shakira recently teamed up with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to call more global awareness to help send poor children to school. They are working together to help finance the Global Campaign for Education which strives to provide basic education for every child in the world. Shakira says that "one of the group's goals is to get more help from world leaders in paying for primary education for 72-million children, ages six to 12, who cannot attend school because of poverty." The group also wants to help some 226 million older children who also miss out on an education. Shakira will meet with U.S. lawmakers on Capitol Hill to try to persuade them to pass a bill which would increase U.S. aid for education in developing countries to $3 billion a year by 2012. Shakira and the Global Campaign for Education hope to break the barriers and increase worldwide education even sponsoring an even which will include five million students from for then 100 countries in the worlds largest simultaneous lesson.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/04/21/verjee.shakira.int.cnn?iref=videosearch

http://www.voanews.com/english/images/ap_Shakira_175_eng_21apr08.jpg

2008-04-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Pope & Bad PR

Pope Benedict XVI was met with mixed reviews when he arrived in New York. On the one side he had his fellow Catholics ready to here mass and receive communion in Yankee Stadium. The other side not so much; catholic rights activist planned vigils, demonstrations and news conferences to draw attention to issues ranging from the ordination of women and gay rights to sex abuse by priests and the Vatican ban on contraception.

Pope Benedict XVI may not have realized that he and the Catholic Church were facing a PR Crisis. Half the world has uncovered the Church’s dirty little secret of covering up sexual misconduct. The world wants this new pope to take action against these priests. His arrival to New York filled people’s hearts with hope of gaining justice.

However, these hopes were quickly dissipated because all Pope Benedict came to do was say he was deeply ashamed of priests who have been accused of sexual misconduct.

His did not go well with people, so now the Pope has been continuously under fire. Everyone is airing his dirty laundry from childhood to now.

Personally, I think to effectively manage this PR Crisis the Pope must send the message that sexual abuse will not be tolerated. Moreover, he must strategically take action against these priests to show the world that the Catholic Church does not condone sexual misconduct. Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church would really benefit from excommunicating those child-molesters, after all that’s what they are. The Catholic church and him would gain a new credibility from the public

2008-04-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Singer and songwriter, Alicia Keys, recently made headlines for her misinterpreted statement over "gansta rap" in America. According to the May issue of Blender magazine, Key was quoted stating "gangsta rap’ was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. ‘Gangsta rap’ didn’t exist.”

The 27- year-old singer defended her statement in the magazine as a misinterpretation on Blender's half of not clearly formulating Key's thoughts on the issue. In a recent press release Keys conveyed that her statement was not implying that the government was behind the formation of "gansta rap" in America. Instead she believes that rappers who fall under this genre of negativity and hate within their lyrics are in all honesty rapping about personal experiences. Furthermore, it is not only our country's leaders duties but also the public's as well to correct social issues of drugs, gang violence, and other crimes within America.

Though Keys was able to correct confusion over her thoughts on the creation of "gansta rap," her statement in Blender presented the public with a new outlook over the musician's beliefs and potentially jeopardized her career. The future will tell if Keys will be cautious of her wording in interviews over social issues or if her rant has just began.

The Internet as a PR agent since technological advances in Public Relations Theories

2008-04-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

With the advent of technology like the Internet, almost anyone can employ public relations practices. World Pillow Fight Day (March 22) was hosted by a student-run organization called Newmindspace, who promoted the event via Facebook and Myspace. The group’s founders, Kevin Bracken and Lori Kufner, are students at University of Toronto, and want to promote unity through events in public spaces.
http://www.newmindspace.com/

For professional PR practitioners, technological advancements in the 1990s meant that they would have a new area to get in touch with their organization’s publics. It also meant that regular people at home could use computers to connect with others, as well. The textbook explains, “The advent of the world wide web, with its global reach and instant communication, meant that business became more transparent; increasingly, organizations were expected to make information about themselves available to publics on the web (Tench 160).”

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=114422510

With technology like the Internet, students such as Bracken and Kufner are able to expand on the urban playground movement with the public pillow fight. The event already exists in major cities from Paris to Shanghai. Through the Internet and other means of publicity, the founders of Newmindspace were able to find out about such an event and have their own in the United States. They’ve already organized two in Toronto and one in New York City. Because of exposure through Facebook, 5,000 people attended the pillow fight in New York, even though it had an original confirmed attendance of 12,000. Such a massive number of people were exposed and wanted to come to the event. Professional PR practitioners from major businesses have actually tried to gain promotion through Newmindspace for their clients. However, Bracken thinks the urban playground movement should be about regular, everyday people. He said, ‘We feel it is best unmediated by commercial transaction.’ He also acknowledges the importance of the Internet, and what is possible with the Internet as a PR agent. ‘We hope that urban playground events will become a large part of popular culture,’ he said. ‘Now that Internet culture has enabled it, there's no reason for these events not to happen forever.’

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120814163599712081.html?mod=yhoofront

Ashley Simpson Pregnant?

2008-04-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ashley Simpson announcing she is engaged to boyfriend Pete Wentz is old news now that word has gotten out that she is pregnant. Sources close to the Simpson family are confirming that the young singer is in fact pregnant although she denies it. Constant interrogations from the press has caused a restless star and is trying to stay away from the press as much as possible.

Ashley Simpson's PR team is taking care of her to keep this hidden (if its true) very well. They are denying the question when asked, avoiding red-carpet interviews, and trying to changing the subject when asked during interviews about her album. I believe they did the best they could to control the media and avoid the subject all together. With her new album coming out she wants that to be the main focus of her in the media. Her PR people did a great job in crisis management all though the questions will keep on coming. That makes me wonder though. Did her PR team release that news to keep her name in the media so her album will sell?

For further information: http://www.eonline.com/gossip/planetgossip/detail/index.jsp?uuid=ad2d253f-7a92-43bd-8d61-b83d6107ad76

New Image for the military in Israel

2008-04-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Israel foreign ministry has launched a campaign to better their military’s image. In doing so, they will have a larger support base and possibly greater participation. The campaign is called “Operation Warm Winter”. What I notice first about this campaign are the strategies used.

The campaign is entirely based on getting sympathy from the Israelis as well as the international community. The foreign ministry is focusing on the fact that Israel is constantly being assaulted by Qassam rockets. The campaign points out exact numbers and frequencies of the assaults in order to get the point across.

It seems that the foreign ministry’s only strategy is using the sympathy card. In drawing the audience’s attention to the number of assaults on Israel, it sheds an almost innocent light on the military. It does not, in any way, focus on their wrongdoings.
In this campaign the foreign ministry is relying on the media to get the word out to the public. I can see this being very successful because it is current enough to be news and people naturally have a soft spot for others involved in war. I think it is a good strategy and I am interested to see a public reaction.

Press Release:
Israel starts military PR campaign

Published: March 2, 2008 at 9:24 PM
Print story Email to a friend Font size:
The Israeli foreign ministry has started a public relations campaign aimed at boosting Israel's military image.

The effort, dubbed "Operation Warm Winter," is designed to show the international community that Israel is being assaulted almost incessantly by Qassam rockets, Ynetnews reported Sunday.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and the executive director of the foreign minister's office have sent a manual to all 97 Israeli consulates and embassies abroad outlining the PR offensive.

The manual states that representatives of the Israeli government should tell the media that "since Wednesday of last week more than 150 rockets and missiles were fired at Israel, leaving more than 250,000 of its citizens at the mercy of incessant rocket salvos," the Web site reported.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Aryeh Mekel told Ynetnews the Palestinians fire Qassam rockets at civilians regularly.

"They fire Qassams at shopping centers, hospitals, schools and other civilian targets," he was quoted as saying.

© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
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See Also:
Israeli raids in Gaza kill at least 60
Israelis answer Palestinian rocket attack
Air strikes bombard Gaza, Israel
Hamas says it launched deadly strike
» Next in Top News: Violence in Sri Lanka leaves 25 dead

Pope comes to US to talk about sex scandal

2008-04-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Pope Benedict XVI arrived at Andrews Air Force Base on Tuesday. He is here for a six day visit after flying with reporters in the aircraft with him. He told the reporters that he was "deeply ashamed of the Roman Catholic Church's child abuse scandal." The pope is 81 years old and was met by President Bush and his family to welcome his stay in America. The pope is here to speak in the UN General Assembly in New York and he is doing a mass in Yankee Stadium. This will be the pope's first visit to the US. "The pope began his visit by addressing an issue that has wounded the Catholic Church in the United States, telling reporters on his aircraft that the sexual abuse of children has caused 'great suffering' for the church and 'me personally.' The scandal has produced thousands of sexual abuse victims and about 5000 accused priests since it erupted in 2002 and has cost the church more than $2 billion in settlements." The church officials now are training their ppriests in a way they know that they are not going to abuse children. Pope Benedict had done very little publicity in talking about this issue. Advocates for victims have said that the church has done or failed to call the bishops who allowed abusive priest to remain at ministry. "Peter Isely, a national board member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that he was glad to hear the pope acknowledge the sexual abuse problem more clearly than before, but that words alone are not enough. " The problem is if you don't start reprimanding and sanctioning bishops that know about sex crimes then there is not much being done about this situation. The rest of the article talks about how and what the pope's next actions are. If you are interested in reading this article go to Pope.
The article is good and is effective crisis management. It talks about the history of the Pope and what has happened in the history of the scandal. The article is a great news release because it keeps the audience aware of the problem and other views about the situation at hand. I hope that the Roman Catholic Church does something about this scandal and they get rid of the bishops that know about child abuse. The article is very effective because people want to know what the pope is going to do and what he hasn't done yet. To analyze the article I think the Pope has done a bad job of trying to fix this horrible problem. He has done little about issuing and getting rid of the bishops that know about which priest had acting so harshly towards children. I feel like he could of handle this a little bit sooner, now he has a big mess to clean up and people are not happy about it at all.

Carmelo Anthony Arrested for DUI

2008-04-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Denver Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony was arrest Monday morning at around 4am after being pulled over for suspicion of drunken driving. Anthony is one of the Nuggets most premier players who was drafted in 2003 after attending Syracuse University for only one year, taking them to a National Championship. Anthony was pulled over in his Mercedes near downtown because officials said he was unable to keep his car in one lane and had his high-beam lights on. Earlier Monday evening Anthony and his Nuggets took on the Houston Rockets; they won the game but it was Anthony’s worst performance of the season, which is in its last week. There is no excuse for this type of behavior from a professional athlete especially at such an important time in the season. Carmelo was mature about his actions and released an apology as soon as he could, which was on Tuesday. "I want to apologize to my family, fans, and the Denver Nuggets organization for my actions early Monday morning. As a leader, I know they expect a lot from me and I regret putting myself in this situation. I also want to apologize to my teammates for the distraction this has caused," said Anthony, who is averaging 25.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 76 games this season. This shows that he wanted to publicly tell the people he effected that he knows what he did was wrong and he is taking responsibility. I was surprised to see him respond so early and I believe it will help people forgive him because so often we see people and organizations put off public apologies. It was completely his choice to make the apology even though he had help from his attorney. By acting quickly and taking responsibility for his actions, Anthony showed his fans and teammates that he is an honest person and will hopefully learn from his mistake.

"3M Helps Breast Cancer Foundation Stick-It to Breast Cancer"

2008-04-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

"3M Helps Breast Cancer Foundation Stick-It to Breast Cancer"

The 3M products has began a campaign for breast cancer awareness throughout the region of Canada since 2005. "3M has flagged city phone directories for major urban centers across Canada to represent the approximate number of new breast cancer diagnoses that will occur in that city...". Because of this,3M companies has teamed up with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation to launch a campaign that will serve as a reminder for women to "conduct regular breast self exams,so they can be aware of any changes in their breasts". To accomplish their goal, the campaign plans to sell Pink Post-it notes, pens, and highlighters across the region to attain funds for the campaign. 3M plans to contribute a set amount of 50 cents for each pack of new Pink Post-it, pens and highlighters to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

The overall objective of this campaign is good, but has not set goal for a given time. I believe that the campaign has been a good initiative in promoting breast cancer awareness and has communicated its anti-breast cancer ideas effectively.

Next time you want to remind yourself of something use 3M Post-Its and helped join the cause!

Clinton on 'Colbert'!

2008-04-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hillary Clinton is scheduled to make a guest appearance on 'The Colbert Report' on Thursday, April 17th, during the show's week-long visit in Philadelphia in hopes of winning over the state of Pennsylvania. Fellow presidential candidate Barack Obama is also paying a visit to the state, but his wife will be going on the show instead of him. Clinton's visit to Pennsylvania was supposedly undercover until MSNBC's Chris Matthews accidentally spilled the beans, so she decided to further promote her campaign by guest starring on the show. Associated Press (AP) entertainment writer Jake Coyle claims that "comedy shows have played a role in the presidential campaign, and good things have happened to guests on 'Colbert'".

I think this is a smart move for Clinton to appear on the show. 'The Colbert Report' tends to paint its guests in a good light, mostly by showcasing their senses of humor, so this could only have positive effects on Clinton's campaign. The relaxed state of the show will allow audiences to see the real Hillary Clinton and will also allow them to feel comfortable with her. Good PR!

JUNO Gives Birth to Digital Copy

2008-04-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time we lived in a world where you could rip a DVD that you purchased to your personal computer and use it pretty much however you pleased. When piracy became a bigger issue that when people learned how to make moonshine, the entertainment industry struck back and we were all introduced to DRM or Digital Rights Management which makes it damn near impossible do anything short of simply pressing "play" on our digital media (providing that you use required DRM compatible devices). Juno's DVD release today is a little bit different and it brings back some fond memories because it features "Digital Copy" technology. Movie bluffs will be able to purchase a two-disc special edition of the film today that can be uploaded to the owner's computer or portable media player. Imagine going to the gym and being able to watch Juno on your iPod Nano whilst carrying out your usual cardio routine. Wherever or however you may choose to watch the film, Digital Copy sounds promising and I think that it may be a great way to boost DVD sales. There definitely needs to be stronger PR efforts to get the word out about this feature because I doubt many people are aware that it exists. I've seen the commercial advertising Digital Copy, but think it should be advertised on consumer electronics retail websites and social networking sites which facilitate mass communication.

UPDATE: A free Juno "gift" was made available on facebook Tuesday to generate publicity for the DVD release of the movie, however, there was no mention of Digital Copy. Why doesn't anyone listen to me?!

Who Doesn't Want to Give Big?

2008-04-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Next Sunday on ABC, "Oprah's Big Give" will be airing it's season finale, leaving just three contestants: Cameron, Steven, and Brandi. The whole concept and motto that is incorporated into the show over and over is that "You either give big, or you go home." For those that have not been into Oprah the way I have the past seven weeks, here's what happens: each week, the contestants are taken to different big cities across the US, given money and are assigned the task of helping an individual, family, organization, or whoever and changing their life/lives in the biggest and most creative way as possible. After each challenge, the contestants face the judges: Tony Gonzales, Malaack Compton-Rock, and Jamie Oliver, and are judged for how they perform and who gives the biggest.

I love what Oprah is doing with this show. To watch these people make such a big difference in one or a group's life is amazing. Oprah's PR people are trying to reach out to everyone out there and send the message that doing good and giving big will reward you in the best way...and when it comes to the show, the "biggest giver" is going to be surprised with $1 million from Oprah. I think it's wonderful that they get this money, but what about all of those across America that give more than what these people give? Most of the time these people aren't rewarded, except for the feeling that they made a difference in someone's life. I love the concept of the show, I just feel that it's not what happens in reality. People who give big are those who don't ask for anything in return.

Below is a minute spot for the show...

Leave your flags at home

2008-04-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

The International Olympic Committee has announced that athletes competing in the 2008 games will be barred from the competition if they display the Tibetan flag at any Olympic venues, including their own rooms. Jacques Rogge, president of the Committee, says that such displays violate the Olympic's anti-propaganda rules. This comes in the wake of human rights protests against China's recent treatment of Tibetans that took place during the Olympic torch relay, particularly in cities such as San Francisco and London.

As of yet, the Committee has not given a clear definition of what constitutes propaganda, leaving many athletes confused as to what kind of conduct would get them sent home or stripped of their medals.

This decisions has come under much scrutiny, with many seeing it as a violation of free speech and expression. Though the Committee claims that there has been no discussion with the Chinese Olympic hosts regarding the use of the Tibetan flag during the games, or its classification as propaganda, many are skeptical that this is true.

In response to the claims that this a violation of free expression, Rogge had this to say:

“Freedom of expression is absolutely a human right but there are small limitations. We are a movement of 205 nations, many of whom are in conflict, and the Games are not the place to take political or religious stances,” (Times online)

Though this may pacify some, many are still outraged by the IOC's attempt to ban the display of Tibetan flags. Rogge will have to do more try to placate the public with such statements. The 2008 games have already had a rocky start and actions such as this ban certainly don't help the IOC's image to the rest of the world.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article3724308.ece

American Airlines leaves travelers stranded

2008-04-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

American Airlines, based out of Fort Worth, Texas, canceled close to 3,100 flights this past week due to safety inspections of their popular plane, the MD-80. At least 250,000 people were affected by American Airlines cancelations throughout the week, and several other airlines canceled flights to properly inspect their MD-80 planes. The Federal Aviation Administration noted that airlines had 18 months to properly check their electrical wiring prior to last month's audit. The flight cancelations could not have come at a worse time due to the rising fuel costs that are affecting multiple industries across the nation. American Airlines tried to do their best by offering $500 travel vouchers and accomodating some travelers with hotel rooms.

I believe that American Airlines is going to be affected greatly by these flight cancelations with their credibility and financially. Along with losing upwards in the tens of millions of dollars in revenue, travelers may think twice about flying with American Airlines next time they book a flight. Canceling that many flights all at once because of poor safety management is not acceptable. The FAA required all airlines to inspect their planes within the 18 month span, and several others were able to get it done. It shows a lack of professionalism because it was a mistake that should have been taken care of.

American Airlines should have done more than hand out vochers and provide hotel rooms for travelers that were affected. Instead of a $500 voucher the airline should have provided at least one round trip first class ticket as well as food and other necessities for the travelers that were affected. The airline's PR department is going to have to put in overtime to clean up the mess that was made.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24029455

Idol Gives Back

2008-04-11T02:29:00.000-07:00

I know many of you are hooked on Idol. Well American Idol gave back, and gave big. Among the many celebrities showcased last night were Robin Williams, George Lopez and the best MILEY CYRUS. YEP SHE WAS THERE. This was a great PR effort. This campaign has worked during the years past too. Because of the celebrity endorsements, people tuned in. This brought more attention to the show, which boosted their ratings. I believe Idol Gives Back prides itself on using guilt to get us to give money. There were many sad stories that gave us chills and teary eyes, but then there were those star-studded endorsements that were at times funny. For example, Robin Williams did this to get people to call in.

Too funny! One of my most FAVORITIST singers ever also graced the stage.. MILEY CYRUS YALL! Check it out!

WOW she is amazing. The best part of the night was the appearance of the three presidential candidates . Yep, OBAMA, CLINTON AND MCCAIN graced Idol. The Idol Gives Back Foundation is truly a great effort trying to end poverty and child suffering. The effort raked in approximately 17 million viewers. This is a significant fall from last year. Maybe Idol needs to go back to finding talent... not TV personalities.

MYKA: Organic handmade make-up

2008-04-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

While attending St. Edward's GLBTSA Fashion show this past Tuesday, 4/08/08, I came across Myka, who helped sponsor the event. Myka is makeup, lotions, scrubs,etc. that are made by hand! The makeup is compounded with natural clays and starches instead of yuckytalcs and fillers. Myka uses concentrated colorants and pigments and binds them to their own formula, creating a makeup that applies easily, preforms well and treats your skin while you wear it. Cool, huh? It is well known that mineral makeup is better for skin because it is light weight and won't sag your skin like heavy, oil-based makeup. Mineral makeup also has natural sun protection qualities that will help keep your skin looking younger longer by either deflecting and/or absorbing damagingUVA and UVB rays. Mineral makeup is illuminating and radiant, adorning you with a youthful glow, and it is heat and humidity resistant; making it an excellent option to look fabulous and sweaty at the same time! Female sport players rejoice!! But best of all, since Myka makes the colors by hand in small batches, they have total control over them. What that means for you is if you are allergic or sensitive to a certain ingredient Myka can make it without the culprit.

Another perk for you is you can design the color anyway you want it! If your goal is to match a dress (prom, bridal...), power suit, swimsuit, or even your shoes....Myka can do it, and it all happens right in front of you while you wait, in fact you can even mix it if you want! Myka writes down the recipe in your customer profile and it is your formula forever; you can even name it! Embrace your individuality and display your creativity -- naturally!

Shop for makeup, organic hair care, professional and natural skin care, bath essentials from leading natural brands or try one of our handmade organic spa products! Enjoy a fresh outlook on buying mineral makeup that is prepared on site and custom blended just for you. Imagine, now you can have an eyeshadow made in any color you design! Come in and talk with our professionally trained staff, take a class, host a private party or fundraising event. This store is tailored to accommodate the customer. Myka is brand new to the market, and ladies this is a wonderful line of makeup, scrubs, and lotions. I already visited the location, and bought several items. The staff is wonderful, courteous, helpful, and young! If you love looking and feeling beautiful and being environmentally friendly,Myka is the place for you! There is only one location in Austin so far since it is new, but hope to branch out all over Austin. The address is 5800 W Slaughter Lane Suite 330. The phone number is 512-706-9557. They are open M-F 11am-8pm. Sat 2pm-8pm. And Sundays open only for party or appointment.

I guarantee anyone who walks in there will be 100% satisfied with the service, helpfulness, effectiveness, and consistency. I would like to help spread the word about new, afordable, organic mineral makeup and more!

Wal-Mart Bloggers

2008-04-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

As internet usage has increased over the past decade, it has also become a useful media tool for advertisers and in public relations efforts. It is an alternate, but increasingly popular way to gain publicity and create an image for a person or a company.

The retail giant, Wal-Mart, has put this new explosion of blogging to use in order to improve their image and increase positive publicity. According to Michael Barabaro, "Wal-Mart is increasingly looking beyond the mainstream media and working directly with bloggers, feeding them exclusive nuggets of news, suggesting topics for postings and even inviting them to visit its corporate headquarters". While this is definately a new form of public relations that could prove to be successful, is it ethical?

According to the Wal-mart public relations firm, Edelman, they do not pay the bloggers to do this, they only encourage it. The main purpose of this is to improve their tainted image because people are more likely to listen to other bloggers that they are familiar with than a company that has continued to do sketchy things that hurt its image. Wal-mart representatives send the bloggers positive information about the company, such as increasing job opportunities and health benefits, and in turn, bloggers post this information on various blog sites in their own words to try to get other people to see the good side of Wal-Mart and what they are doing to improve company issues, which have been criticized for some time.

While some are against this because a blog is supposed to be a person's own ideas and opinions rather than something being fed to them, this is a creative way of improving the company's image, and as long as it does not create an uproar from the public, they will most likely continue to use bloggers to their advantage.

Dunkin’ Donuts Fritalian -Humorous PR Move

2008-04-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

In efforts to make fun of the names Starbucks has for its coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts has created a commercial that has gained attention nationwide. The 30-second TV advertisement features customers ordering a hot cup of coffee, but for some reason, cannot pronounce the name. The customers sing the following song in this commercial, while deciding what to order. "My mouth can't form these words. My mind can't find these words. Is it French or is it Italian? Perhaps Fritalian.”
In the end of the commercial, Dunkin’ Donuts encourages its customers to purchase coffee at their establishment. Two reasons are offered. First, the customer can order the coffee in English. Second, because “America runs on Dunkin’”.
There is a noticeable difference in names and sizes between Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. Dunkin’ Donuts uses names such as Original Blend, Dunkin’ Decaf, French Vanilla and Hazelnut for their coffee. Starbucks uses names such as Organic Sumatara-Peru Blend, Pike Place Roast and Brazil Ipanema Bourbon. Dunkin’ Donuts has a small, medium, large and extra large. Starbucks has Tall, Grande and Veniti.
Due to its humor, both establishments are gaining publicity from this commercial. The public relations campaign for Dunkin’ Donuts is doing its best to increase its number of customers. Dunkin Donuts a competitor for Starbucks? Perhaps not. And if you are not in the mood for a coffee, try a donut?

Obama speaks to LGBT community

2008-04-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

For only the second time in his presidential campaign, Barack Obama has conducted an interview with The Advocate, the nation's leading gay magazine, in a wide-ranging interview. In the interview, he reiterates his position that he tries to speak mostly to general audiences, and points out that both the African American press and Latino press have also criticized him for not speaking to them. But at last he is appealing to a very interesting public in the presidential race: that of the LGBT community.

Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama has been weathering a small storm lately in the LGBT community for being too tight-lipped with gay and lesbian news media.

Unlike his rival Hillary Clinton, who's given interviews to Logo and several local papers since appearing on the cover of The Advocate last fall, the Illinois senator has only talked once, to address the Donnie McClurkin controversy. But last week, his campaign offered our magazine an exclusive sit-down in Chicago with the man who may well become the next President of the United States.
To some extent, it symbolizes the brilliance of a protracted primary contest where candidates continually pivot and adjust in order to engage ever more voters. Had the race stopped cold in the snows of New Hampshire, gays and lesbians would have been left with one interview of record for each Democratic candidate in total.

However, this interview is a carefully constructed publicity ploy, in my view. Though I find Obama to be genuine than the average politician, he is actually very middle of the road in responses about gay and lesbian issues, just as he was very judicious in his racism speech. Barack Obama has a delicate balancing act as a biracial presidential candidate. He will speak to the GLBT community, but does not make any broad promises. He says he will try to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" before reverting to his usual "I want to appeal to everyone" rhetoric.

So my question is this: Ahead of Pennsylvania, is this interview carefully timed to portray Obama as more inclusive than Hillary Clinton? I'm not too familiar with the voting base in PA, but with the race tightening, is Obama trying to grab some on-the-fence LGBT voters?

At any rate, this interview puts forth the implied promise that, unlike Bill Clinton in the 90s, Barack Obama is not going to throw queer voters under the bus. But how far would he be willing to go? My guess is that he will not mention LGBT issues again until he is actually in the White House, if he wins. Unfortunately, LGBT issues are still a divisive issue for many people, particularly regarding marriage equality.

Does this interview hurt or help Barack Obama's public image with conservative Democrats? Could this potentially harm him in PA?

Obama also runs the risk of once again raising accusations from the right that he is too liberal. With that in mind, is this interview potentially damaging because it reestablishes him as a supporter of queer rights?

Yellowstone Stops Bison Slaughter

2008-04-10T16:52:00.001-07:00

It's 2008, yet we are still resorting to the barbaric slaughter of animals as a means of wildlife control and market profits. Yellowstone National Park, with you would expect to uphold a higher understanding of animal ethics has announced it has seized the slaughter of wild bison inhabiting the park.

They had previously engaged in the removal of over 1,550 bison that had migrated into the park range. A third of the herd had been wiped out from this action. Yellowstone had previously been the only place in America where wild bison had continuously and peacefully occupied their native habitat.

"The Park Service's current course is to slaughter bison without concern as to the damage being done to the genetic diversity of the distinct bison populations in Yellowstone," explains D.J. Schubert, the head wildlife biologist for the Animal Welfare Institute.

The Animal Welfare Institute petitioned for this action to stop and gained nationwide attention in the process, influencing the park's decision to terminate the project.

A Bison, Unslaughtered

Has Dove set a new standard?

2008-04-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

Dove ventured out to uncharted territory when they launched their Beauty campaign. Have they now started a new trend for beauty product advertisement?

St. Ive's will launch a new print and online campaign called "Get a Happy Face" to promote living a better life by using St. Ive's products. Jason Zada, EVB executive creative director, said that the Dove campaign is "done in a not-so-positive way. Everything in [St. Ive's 'Get a Happy Face' campaign] is rooted in joy, excitement and fun."

Apparently each product will now come with an extra "widget". Some examples would be: a downloadable desktop weather widget that shows users the sun-intensity for the day, an offer for a getaway weekend sweepstakes, bedtime happy-thoughts text messages, etc.

http://www.getahappyface.com/

Gossip Girl Gets Action!

2008-04-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

The CW Network recently released a new campaign for the return of their hit series Gossip Girl on April 21st. Both of the ads show their main characters getting rather steamy! The campaign uses the popular "OMG" phrase (meaning oh my god) and takes it to a new level by adding the "F" factor in between...which I'm sure we all can figure out the word the "F" is intended to imply.

This campaign has already stirred up a lot of attention, which is GREAT for the show! Viewer's are sure to tune in now, this is a great marketing campaign which has accomplished its mission of gaining attention from the public! Some might consider the ads a little on the inappropriate side, but I guess we will have to wait and see what the ratings have to say about it when the season premiere airs on April 21st!

Rock the Cradle

2008-04-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard MTV has started a new reality tv show titled "Rock the Cradle". During each week of the competition, the celebrity offspring will rehearse with accomplished producers, songwriters and choreographers before performing live in front of a studio audience and panel of judges. Home viewer votes will ultimately determine which contestant will receive the grand prize of a recording contract.

I find it interesting that the offspring all state that they want to make it "big" in the world without the help of their famous parents but all of their famous parents appear on the show multiple times and they also give feedback during the performances. My main question is if the show would make it without the celebrity backing that it has right now. I find that this relates to some of the things that we have learned in class particularly the section where we discussed celebrity endorsements.

7-11 and The Simpson's Join Forces

2008-04-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

7-11 and The Simpson's have joined together to create a new guerrilla marketing campaign to turn several 7-11's into Kwik-E Marts from the The Simpson's television show. This is a great strategy for these two organizations because they are able to establish a great amount of publicity together. The Simpson's were able to create extra buzz on their new movie and 7-11 gained attention which drew in more customers. ABC News published a story on their guerrilla marketing campaign. ABC News

Cafe in the Sky

2008-04-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

The Nokia Internet Cafe in the Sky is in Las Vegas, and Nokia held the first ever press briefing 180 feet in the sky overlooking Las Vegas. They had a crane lift a platform full of reporters 180 feet in the air at the Las Vegas CTIA Wireless Show. While up in the sky, the reporters were given the opportunity to test out the new N810 Internet Tablet. It is similar to an IPhone and offers long range wireless internet called WiMAX. The technology makes it possible for the consumer to access the Internet in far off, unexpected places including the Nokia Internet Cafe in the Sky.

This is such an innovative way to grab their publics' attention. It is the first time this type of stunt has happened. Having the reporters in such an original location, the sky, will really demonstrate how useful the product is. I wonder if the reporters got to keep the Internet Tablet?

Bryan Adams teams up with Wal-Mart

2008-04-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Bryan Adams (not Ryan), Canadian singer-songwriter, just released his latest album 11. Instead of waiting to see the response from records sales, he and his record label decided to take matters into their own hands. They are working exclusively with Wal-Mart to promote the new album, meaning that will be the only place to find the record.
Recently, sales of Adams last few records have been sluggish, but you might remember him from back in the day, singing such hits as "Run To You", and "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" which was written for the Kevin Costner's version of Robin Hood.

Though Adams is known for his humanitarian contributions, even "rock stars" still need to eat. This pairing is quite unexpected, especially when comparing the social issues he supports, with the morals of Wal-Mart. What would Bono say??

Starbucks asks the customer.

2008-04-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

Starbucks launched a new site that will allow their customers the ability to make suggestions about the company's service, drinks, etc. The site is designed to function similar to a blog allowing customers to communicate directly to the coffee giant. Customers can now access the site directly via starbucks.com

IdeaStorm has launched the aptly named mystarbucksidea.com as they helped Dell deliver themselves from the many complaints regarding their support system. IdeaStorm has helped Starbucks set up the site and is continuing to move the site forward by developing new capabilities like commenting on suggestions or searching through suggestions quickly through a word search feature to refrain from repetition on the site. There's also a way to simply vote for your favorite suggestion. One of the most popular: "How about a free drink on your birthday?" So far it's received 39,110 votes in less than a month.

Starbucks is hoping to make the customer feel they have some input. By making suggestions the customer thinks about Starbucks, blogs about Starbucks, and checks back periodically to see the progress. Is it a scam to drive more sales? Dell's VP of communities and conversations compared the process to analyzing a sampling of consumers asking, "Is it better to listen to tens of thousands of customers vote on ideas, discuss them and participate with them over a period of a couple months, or get 10 customers in a room, feed them sandwiches and listen to them behind smoked glass?"

Since the launch of the program many suggested ideas have gone under review like customer appreciation cards that offer a free coffee after a set amount of purchases. Another common sense fix has surfaced on the site. A splash stick was thought up by a customer, and after successfully undergoing test markets in a few cities it is being launched nationwide.

The Simpsons Ride PR Effort

2008-04-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Twentieth Century Fox is currently hard at work promoting the new Simpsons amusement park ride. The new roller coaster is set to open in Spring 2008 at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. Chances are you may have been emailed the following graphic:

If you have ever signed up for any contest or newsletter with Twentieth Century Fox, you are kept in their database membership list. In the mass emails, the website being promoted is simpsonsride.com. Visitors to this website can learn all about the new rides, as well as sign up for promotional contests, and actually book tickets to visit the parks. The website also allows for people to come in and make their own Simpsons avatars, which can virtually ride.

The ride itself is estimated to have cost $40 million dollars, and features 29 characters all voiced by the actual actors of the show. Fox has put a lot of money into this project. Speaking of Fox and money, MySpace has also helped in the promotion of the new ride. A MySpace profile was created for the ride and features a video interview on MySpace TV with Universal Creative VP, Scott Trowbridge. In the interview, Trowbridge talks about the upcoming ride and the fit of The Simpsons with Universal.

The Simpsons Ride buzz has been in motion for over a year now with people posting videos on YouTube. There are a number of videos, like the following one, with footage, all in much the matter of much excitement which has formed in anticipation for the ride. Twentieth Century Fox has done most of the promotion for the ride and it has been successful. The internet buzz in the form of blog posts, banner ads, and traffic to the SimpsonsRide.com has done it's job. Again, this PR effort is another example which shows the power the Internet has in PR and Promotions.

Pepsi admitts that Aquafina bottled water is actually tap-water

2008-04-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

Pepsi has agreed to spell out "public water source" on their Aquafina bottled water label. Many consumers are unaware that most of the bottled water out there is in fact tap water. This action comes in response to a scrutinizing campaign calling itself "Think outside the bottle". The "Think outside the bottle campaign" urges people to use tap water instead of bottled water to fight reliance and environmental stress. Aquafina has pictures of snow capped mountains on the label, with a slogan that reads, "pure water, perfect taste", alluding to the idea that the water comes from mountain springs. Thousands of Americans were behind the initiative to have Pepsi change their label and let their consumers know that they are drinking tap water.
This campaign urges corporate accountability. With the nation now focused on corporate control of bottled water, and the "better than tap water" images they employ, Pepsi has decided to react to the publicity by complying and changing their label. Pepsi has made a public relations move that intends to relate to the consumer that they are honest about their product. Read this Pepsi press release in full at http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/cms/page1559.cfm

XBOX Live originals contest, Not Just Games Anymore

2008-04-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

Xbox 360 has announced a new component to their multi-faceted online gaming platform; the ability to create a TV show and have it be available for millions to watch. Gone are the days of "dead end" video gaming. With the onset of Microsoft's Xbox Live, games are played online with people from all over the world, and constantly updated with new gaming experiences. With this new technology came the ability to download television shows and movies from the Xbox Live marketplace. Now Microsoft is taking it one step further with the "Xbox Live Originals Contest," giving aspiring television producers the opportunity to create a pilot for the contest. The winning pilot will be given a $100,000 budget and the chance to Create a six episode series that will be available to watch on Xbox Live. Bill Neilsen, senior director of Xbox Live at Microsoft said, "Not only can aspiring TV producers from across the globe try their hands at creating new TV shows, but because of Xbox Live Marketplace, they can now win a chance to have more than 6 million people worldwide see their work." Xbox is doing an excellent job with product promotion by cross integrating multimedia features with it's online platform. The cross integrations lets Xbox gain exposure from people with different interests than just gaming. You can read the full press release at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/apr07/04-16xboxnytvfpr.mspx

The Man Kitchen

2008-04-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Calling all men--Can you imagine a kitchen designed specifically for you? A kitchen that makes all your dreams come true? Well your dreams have finally come true! This weekend in the United States on April 11, 2008, Porsche Design Group and Poggenpohl Mobelworke GmbH will present their first co-designed P'7340 kitchen. This Porsche inspired and designed kitchen will be displayed at Poggenpohl's showroom in the Merchandise Mart, Chicago -- and will be unveiled during a Kitchen/Bath Industry Show as mentioned before on April 11 from 5:30-8:00p.m.

The kitchen was created because of the overwhelming kitchen responses to trends that show that many men are becoming interested in cuisine and entertaining. Accordine to PR newswire, "The P'7340 kitchen's sleek and functional design specifically addresses male customers from its exclusive sensor controlled Miele appliances to the unmatched audio system." The integrating use of shiny alumninum give the kitchen that sleek technical, Porsche appearance and look.

There is also a website created for this kitchen alone that you can play around and see it in different colors, check out the features...etc

The PR concept for this in a sense would be ethical persuasive appeal. By integrating with Porsche, a strong sense of relation for men, the sales and attention the kitchen will receive will be way greater as opposed to Poggenpohl designing this alone. Porsche is a popular brand name and draws men in an ethical manner. There is no deception, its just a good selling point. Also by bringing this innovation to a United States States event show and localizing it, there will be a chance for publicity and media coverage once they get hold of the idea and see it in person. Thats a good strategy on Poggenpohl's part.

2008-04-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

Dove, keeps getting better and better at promoting its products using PR rather than traditional advertising. They constantly come up with new innovative ways to promote their products. Until now I had been very pleased with what seemed like a sincere desire, on Dove’s part to revamp their image as well as change the world’s perception of beauty.

The Unilever company first gained the interests of the public when they launched the Do ve Campaign For Real Beauty. The campaign concentrates on showcasing the beauty of women in every size and shape. They hope to challenge the narrow stereotypes of beauty. To promote this they made a video exposing the real world of the beauty industry. The ad exposed all the editing done to pictures that make models seem flawless and beautiful. This video went viral and increased awareness about their campaign.
Next they aired the controversial Pro-Age commercial, which showed older women half naked, embracing their inner beauty, wrinkles and all. They aired the “edited” version, however at the end of the commercial they displayed the website where one could view the “unedited” version. Once again, creating new traffic to their website and promoting their product in the process.

Most recently, Dove has teamed up with MTV to produce a micro series, “Fresh Takes”. The micro series will air in the commercial breaks of MTV’s number 1 show, The Hills. The micro series is about three girlfriends in the 20’s juggling careers, friendships, romance and the pressures of being beautiful. In the series the friends help each other balance everything and listen to their inner voice. The micro series accompanies Dove’s latest product, Dove- go fresh, a new fragrant driven collection. Dove’s “Fresh Takes,” is another ingenious way of product promotion with out being in your face with advertising. It also really drives home Dove’s message in their Campaign for Real Beauty and helps their revamped image.

However, my main bone to pick with Dove is, that they chose Alicia Keys, to be the star of the micro series. Really Dove? Campaign for Real Beauty? But they still hire one of the music industry’s most beautiful women to star in a series that is supposed to convince viewers like my self to not be judgmental about my body? She is one of the people who I compare myself to, yet I am supposed to embrace my imperfections when Alicia Keys’ is supposed to portray a “normal” woman in her 20’s. I think not! This is where Dove really dropped the ball. If I saw right through it I’m sure about half of the other female college students who watch the show saw right through it too.

Puppy Love

2008-04-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

How far is to far when it comes to pampering your four legged friend? Many people are now delaying the thought have having children and are buying pets instead. Because dogs are becoming the new wave of children, canine product manufacturers are rising to the top of the success levels. Clothing products, such as dresses, coats, team jerseys and even bathrobes are popular at pet supply shops all over the country. Believe it or not, yoga is no longer only for humans. A popular trend known as “doga” has formed, and allows “man’s best friend” to get a daily stretch to a spiritual way of life. http://www.petshed.com/news/yoga-for-dogs-canine-dogi.html
People who are not dog lovers will argue about all of the new activities and products for these animals.
I, for one, am constantly criticized for throwing soirées for my Chihuahua’s birthdays. However, to me, it is just an excuse to invite friends that I haven’t seen in a while, over. Dogs all over America are now having birthday parties thrown in their honor. Dog bakeries have popped up and have been quite successful. The local canine bakery, Groovy Dog, is where I get my Chihuahua, Bella’s, cakes. http://www.groovydogbakery.com/
Sure, Bella owns a dress or two, and has birthday parties. It is just my way of rewarding my four-legged best friend who loves me unconditionally.

An Affair Spiraled Out of Control

2008-03-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Kwame Kilpatrick, the youngest mayor in the history of Detroit, has been praised across the state for his ability to form coalitions to get things done. Kilpatrick has secured $7 million to address the lead poisoning problem, which affects more children in Detroit than in the rest of Michigan combined. Additionally, Kilpatrick advocated new laws to make schools safer, expand health care benefits for retirees, protect the environment, and strengthen personal protection orders.

While Kilpatrick has served his city well, his personal life might just put an end to his political career. Behind closed doors Detroit’s mayor was carrying out an affair with his Chief of Staff Christine Beatty, often using his security unit to keep his affair secret. When two officers started investigating him, they were both inexplicably fired.

Now an investigation has been opened charging him with perjury, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and misconduct. All of the charges against the mayor are felonies. The charges could be the beginning of the end of Kilpatrick's six-year career as the elected mayor of Detroit, since the city charter, a felony conviction would mean the mayor's immediate expulsion.

Kilpatrick along with Beatty, the former chief of staff, pleaded not guilty to charges he lied under oath about an affair and his role in the firing of a top police official. Both were released on personal bonds, and would have to pay $75,000 if they break them. Moreover, Kilpatrick has vowed not to resign stating, "I look forward to complete exoneration once all the facts have been brought forth. I will remain focused on moving this city forward."

Kilpatrick’s case bares a resemblance to charges brought up against Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky. However, this case could take a turn for the worse because the only evidence to link Clinton to Lewinsky is the famous black dress whereas the evidence of Kilpatrick and Beatty are the very affectionate text messages they sent each other.

To effectively manage this PR Crisis, Kilpatrick must remind Detroit why he was chosen to be their mayor. He must elaborate on all the good he has done for the community and send a message that his private life does not interfere with his public life. Moreover, he has to strategically convey that he has not let power go to his head.

Trent Reznor continues to revolutionize the music industry

2008-03-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Trent Reznor, lead vocalist and mastermind behind Nine Inch Nails, recently released his latest album, Ghosts, on his website. For $5, fans could purchase the entire instrumental album along with a high quality pdf album booklet. Reznor also offered a limited edition collector's edition of the album for $300. That version of the album sold out immediately. The revolutionary part? Trent Reznor left his record label upon the release of his last album, and so his current sales are 100% profit for him, without a record label getting any portion of the cut. Unlike Radiohead's recent endeavor, Reznor maintains that he is not doing a bait and switch on his fans. Ghosts is available from the getgo in high quality mp3 or flac (lossless) audio files. In Dreams was only available in low quality mp3s before getting a studio release later.

Reznor's venture seems to have paid off. To date, he's made $1.6 million dollars from the sales of his album. A $10 hard copy of the record will be available shortly, if fans choose to order it.

It appears that digital sales are the way of the future. How could bands continue to use alternative channels to their advantage to gain profit?

The Final Frontier Is Finally Here... (kind of)

2008-03-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

A Safe Return!

The space shuttle Endeavor enjoyed a safe return to NASA's Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The shuttle travelled sixteen days and nearly seven million miles to the International Space Station to set up the first of three installations of the Kibo laboratory, a facility provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The Canadian Space Agency also contributed a two-armed robotic system, Dextre. This journey is considered the first globally united space venture, as NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations, Bill Gerstenmaier explains, "The success of this missions makes the International Space Station truly international... Japan is now a full-time participant, controlling the Kibo module from its center near Tokyo. We have teams working around the clock in the United States, Russia, Germany, and Japan overseeing the crew's work and various elements of station. With the ATV scheduled to dock next week, Dextre ready to go, our partners' modules operating, and the next [shuttle] preparing to launch, it's an exciting time to be in the space business."

Could it be possible that space exploration will finally be a progressive tool of discovery and not a chauvinistic device for flaunting this nation's technological resources? It looks to be the case! With many Eastern and Western countries united, focusing on a beautiful and technological tomorrow, one can only expect the next millennium to look like Epcot.

A floating woman is commonplace in the circus of space.

For more information on Nasa's shuttle missions, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle and for more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

Scrubs is on the Move

2008-03-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

If you have ever heard of the TV show Scrubs you know that it always shows on NBC. Thanks to Aloma Wright, one of the stars from the show, the rumor is out that they will soon be switching networks to ABC. This leaves fans of the show wondering what exactly is going on and why.

Nothing has been said from either network confirming or denying the actions.

This statement made me think of the class that we had that discussed the Ethics of PR. What I have now been trying to research is the Scrubs PR reaction. I haven't found any information but I think it would be interesting to see what has happened to the actress that leaked the information as well as what is going to happen and the reasons why they switched networks.

Negative Publicity Threatens Success of Beijing Olympics

2008-03-26T01:11:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of buzz going around about how the 2008 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, China this August. Large numbers of activists protesting the games are making it difficult for advertisers such as Adidas, Coca-Cola (KO), General Electric (GE), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Kodak, McDonald's (MCD), Samsung, Visa to run their promotional campaigns which began promoting the event several months ago and is leaving some of them feeling uneasy about their ability to sponsor the event without the threat of violence.

Just yesterday two Tibetan demonstrators made headlines worldwide when they disrupted a torch lighting ceremony taking place in Ancient Olympia, Greece. There have been disputes regarding the human rights polices in China and the two protesters took the opportunity to make their opinions known on a rather grand stage. "Their evil purpose is to produce turmoil to interrupt and destroy the 2008 Beijing Olympics, whose theme is peace, and to destroy our country's good stability and unity in order to reach their evil goal of splitting the mother country," said Shan Huimin, a spokeswoman for China's Public Security Ministry.

Amidst the adverse publicity that China is receiving due to rioting and violence, the country remains hopeful that they can improve their public image. Sponsors, however, remain sceptical about how events such as the disruption of the torch lighting ceremony will ultimately affect their own public images. This is part of the tasks one must deal with as it relates to International PR which we talked about in class a few weeks back. I think it will be interesting to see how the well recognized American corporations will deal with the tension leading up to the Olympic Games and whether or not some of them will decide to pull their sponsorship in favor of a better public image. There will certainly be much more regarding this topic in the news in the four months leading up to this monumental global event.

Justin Timberlake Gives Back to Hometown

2008-03-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

On March 20, singer/performer Justin Timberlake donated a total of $200,000 to both the Rock 'N' Soul Museum and the Memphis Music Foundation in his hometown of Memphis, TN. His donations will go towards educating students about music, and will allow them to take interest in playing music. Timberlake showed up with his check unexpectedly at the museum, where John Doyle, the director of the museum, was pleasantly surprised and grateful for the singer's generosity. Timberlake has always been very involved in charities and in reaching out to help children get the chance to learn about music. According to Doyle, "he has never stopped giving back to the community, to the local music industry, and to young people." Timberlake is so talented and well-rounded, with being a singer, dancer, songwriter, designer, actor, and founder of the Justin Timberlake foundation. I think it is great to see famous people such as himself giving back to their community and showing interest in people other than themselves; it gives them a positive image and a reason for children to look up to them as role models.

Clinton's Exagerated Arrival in Bosnia

2008-03-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

Last week, Sen. Hillary Clinton said she "misspoke" when she gave a dramatic description of her arrival in Bosnia 12 years ago, recounting a landing under sniper fire. Giving a speech on foreign policy to George Washington University, she recalled her arrival as dangerous to back up her argument that she has the foreign policy experience needed to be commander in chief. Video footage later arose showing Clinton smiling and greeting people with the people of Bosnia upon her arrival.

The following Monday, during the editorial meeting with the Daily News, Clinton responded to the discrepancy with, "Now let me tell you what I can remember, OK -- because what I was told was that we had to land a certain way and move quickly because of the threat of sniper fire. So I misspoke -- I didn't say that in my book or other times but if I said something that made it seem as though there was actual fire -- that's not what I was told," she told the newspaper."I was told we had to land a certain way, we had to have our bulletproof stuff on because of the threat of sniper fire. I was also told that the greeting ceremony had been moved away from the tarmac but that there was this 8-year-old girl and, I can't, I can't rush by her, I've got to at least greet her -- so I greeted her, I took her stuff and then I left. Now that's my memory of it." Afterwards, Clinton tried to change the subject, but was constantly bombarded with questions being that the focal point of her campaign is on foreign policy.

I believe that the crisis management executed in this ordeal concerning Clinton was well done, but still may of hurt her in beating Obama. She handled it promptly, was willing to answer any questions, and gave reasonable, well thought out, explanations for what she said. A bigger problem to Clinton's campaign was that this gave Obama a chance to use this against her. The pr effort executed by Obama was smart because it would make him look better and tackle her driving force that she had against him. It was almost effective crisis management from an outside party, if you will. Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for rival Sen. Barack Obama's campaign, said the Bosnia claim was part of "a growing list of instances in which Sen. Clinton has exaggerated her role in foreign and domestic policy making."All in all Clinton did what she could to correct the damage done, but Obama gained from implementing an excellent pr effort.

For more information click:
www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/25/campaign.wrap/index.html

Boeing Being Sued After Jet Falls Apart

2008-03-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Major Stephen Stilwell was injured last year when his F-15 jet fell apart in mid air over Missouri. Stilwell suffered major injuries and is now suing boeing for the the defective aircraft. "Stillwell has suffered desfigurement and an inability to work and perform useful and productive work activities...". Air force investigators did find defects including cracks in parts that were installed incorrectly. The fleet of f-15s were grounded and inspected while most were returned to fly some were also perminantly grounded due to similar defects. The planes were orginally owned and built by McDonald-Douglas which was then bought by Boeing Co. Stilwell and his Lawyer Morry Cole flied the complaint Friday stating that Boeing should have been aware of these defects prior to being flown. Cole will not comment on any further questions until court.

2008-03-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

In recent years, automakers have been developing hybrid cars that will help the environment as well as drivers.

The new Ford Escape was created to drive like regular cars minus the high costs. Rather than driving thirty miles per gallon, the Escape can drive sixty and even then some. Ford's Greg Frenette spoke about the new Escape saying that in a suburban area one can drive this vehicle for thirty miles without even using a drop of gas. Though its rival the Toyota Prius gets more miles per gallon, the difference between the two is that Escape uses its electric motor as its main way to start, compared to the Prius that uses the gas motor as its primary way.

Because of such high gas prices, many new car buyers should think about purchasing hybrid cars. Today, gas costs about ten cents per mile, while hybrid cars' electricity cost a third as much. As David Sandalow of the Brookings Institution writes in his new book, "Freedom From Oil", "Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are a game-changing technology. They can break our oil addiction, cut driving costs and reduce pollution."

With these types of advancements in the way we all drive, how many more years will it be until gas motors are outdated and become hard to find?

Obama Related to Brad Pitt...Hillary to Angelina Jolie...Really???

2008-03-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Researchers today at the New England Historic Geneological Society in Boston found a loop that links Democratic presidential nominees Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to the hot couple of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Just like many of you, I sit here and ponder this and wonder who would really care, but just like many of you who probably clicked on the link to check out the story, there has to be a reason for this. The answer is plain and simple...THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS STORY! After reading the headlines and knowing that both Brad and Angelina are two of the most beautiful people for their genders, I figured this could be a strategic PR push. Will knowing that Barack Obama is related to Brad going to sway people his way, or is knowing Hillary is kin to the stunning Angelina going to do the same for her? Who knows...the article is silly, but it will be funny to see how many people will take it to heart and change their votes based on the geneology of the presidential candidates. I can't wait to see what researchers will come up with next!

Smashing Pumpkins sue Virgin Records

2008-03-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

Long time alternative rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins, are suing Virgin Records for illegally using the band's name and music in a promotional campaign for Amazon.com and Pepsi Co.

The Smashing Pumpkins, who recently released their album Zeitgeist in 2007, have been a big name in the music industry since the early nineties with the release of their debut album Gish in 1991. Furthermore, the band has been on the Virgin record label for more than 17 years and has never had any issues or disagreements on promotional marketing with the label prior to this lawsuit.

According to the Pumpkins, the record label's decision to promote the band through the Amazon website and the use of Pepsi products is a blow against the band's credibility with fans and threatens their long term reputation for "artistic integrity." The lawsuit against the label claims that the only agreement made between the band and Virgin was granting permission for the label to sell digital downloads of the Pumpkins' songs. Furthermore, the agreement did not give Virgin the right to use the band in promotional marketing for outside products.

In a statement on the Pumpkins' website, frontman, Billy Corgan, states, "We fought hard for the right to be in control of how our music is used, to avoid situations like this kind of crass commercialism and exploitation. Labels like EMI are no longer running the show, and we won't be bullied by those in the 'old' music business who consider every artist to be easily expendable. Those days are over."

With the lawsuit at hand, it's a wonder what the future holds for record labels like Virgin and musicians fighting back against faulty promotions of themselves and their music. The Smashing Pumpkins just may have opened the door of a new kind of attitude toward record labels in the music industry.

Super Computer Equals Super PR

2008-03-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

On February 23 the University of Texas who worked closely with National Research Network to unveil its creations of a new super computer that both institutions claim to be the most powerful computer in the world. This occurred at the Pickle Research Campus, which is apart of the University of Texas. The big deal that this computer brings to the market other than its technological innovation is its ability to compute complex math equations to help scientist deal with complicated equations along the studies of climate change, astrophysics, and energy research.
This sort of Public Relations is a great example of two organizations boosting their credibility with any individual across the world with their ability to develop advanced technology. The University of Texas could expect and increase of membership for its breakthrough in technology, in addition the National Research Network is mostly an unheard of organization that get put on the radar along with noticed. The story in the Austin American Statesman (http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/technology/02/23/0223supercomputer.html) was most likely one of interest by the paper, however the paper would not have known of this unveiling unless invited by the University of Texas or the National Research Network. Also there is a YouTube video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=izhh9_FJmDY ) that shows the super computer for those who could not attend the event to see.
This was a successful public relation campaign, because the computer is the most powerful in the world so it basically sales itself as being interesting. In my opinion the University of Texas benefited the most from this computer, because they strengthened their name in credibility by creating this computer. In addition more students are probably going to apply to the University of Texas, because frankly they are going to want to be at the school that the paper and YouTube are talking about in a positive way.

OBEY the Guerilla Marketing

2008-03-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

"The Obey campaign attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the campaign and their relationship with their surroundings." ObeyGiant was created circa 1990's by Frank Shepard Fairey. His first propaganda project was a stencil of Andre the giant( a famous wrestler) that exploded in the skateboard and hip-hop communities. The stickers and posters began to pop up everywhere. The campaign started in South Carolina, where Frank went to school and spread all across the nation.

With the company still growing and even being referenced in shows like family guy, and special edition Obey guitars by Fender, the propaganda is still spreading... so you better OBEY.

SCIKOTICS!!!

2008-03-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

I read a really interesting article today about the boxy Toyota Scion. I am not the biggest fan of this car, but I read there is a growing youth cult calling themselves "Scikotics". This fan base just keeps growing and growing. Because of this on-going popularity, Toyota has teamed up with popular marketing firm, StrawberryFrog, to launch its new website, Scion Speak.

Scion Speak allows users to design their own "coat of arms" to show their own personalities. These coats of arms are designed by Tristan Eatson, a graffiti artist. Designs range from flames, to smiley faces, to flames, to banners. These could be in different colors and saved to your computer or uploaded to their gallery. The gallery allows the whole world to see your designs. Toyota also encourages you to take your designs to auto shops and get them as decals or professionally painted onto your car. Cool huh? ( I tried to save my design to post it up but it didn't work bummer. But look for it on the website.. it has a green eagle, two marroon legs, a pink Austin banner and a pink skull in the center).

Although this is a really cool idea, I think it is an ineffective PR tool. Although Toyota encourages users to put their designs on their car, Toyota isn't the one paying for it. These details could end up being expensive running from $500 to $1500. Most people are not going to be willing to pay that kind of money. Also, Scion Speak is targeted to a very select group of people who own Scions. They aren't looking to appeal to future Scikotics but the current ones.

I got this article from Ny Times.com

Britney making a comeback

2008-03-25T17:58:00.001-07:00

Monday night Britney Spears appeared on the CBS show "How I Met Your Mother". Spears' played a sweet-natured receptionist that likes Ted, the problem is that Ted likes her boss Stella.
The show was highly anticipated, and paid off for both parties. The show received the highest ratings of the series with a record 10.6 million watchers. It was Spears' second guest appearance on a tv show, the first one being "Will and Grace" in 2006.
Britney was able to show critics that she still has what it takes to be a performer. She has been highly criticized for the way she has lived her life in the past year. From numerous visits to rehab, being hospitalized twice, shaving all of her hair off, and losing custody of her two sons, she has been on a downward spiral. It was highly believed that her performance at the MTV Music Awards last September would help jump start her career. Instead the poor performance was another low point on her downward spiral resulting in low record sales and harsh criticism from almost anyone who had an opinion.
Featuring Britney on the episode was a good PR plan for both parties. Britney benefited by showing fans and critics that she still knows how to get the job done. The appearance created positive publicity for her as opposed to recent publicity usually featuring news on her custody battle over her two sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline. "How I Met Your Mother" benefited by having a series high for viewers as well as attracting new viewers. CBS promoted her appearance by showing numerous commercials for the upcoming episode.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/25/tv.britneyspears.ap/index.html

Wrestlemania 24: the PR plan

2008-03-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

PR plan
Goal: Make the public aware of annual event
Objective: Increase awareness to non-wrestling fans by X percent in two months to attract attention to Wrestlemania.
Strategy: Use various mediums and cross-promotions to get the mainstream's attention.
Tactics: TV appearances, press conferences, advertisements, celebrity endorsement

The World Wrestling Entertainment has a pay-per-view event every month, but no event compares to Wrestlemania, which is deemed “The granddaddy of them all.” Once a year the WWE pulls out all of the stops, and they spare no expense on this particular pay-per-view. This year it will be in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl on March 30, and it is also the first outdoor Wrestlemania. This means a huge undertaking for public relations practitioners.

They have dozens of things planned to promote the event. Although wrestling fans know that Wrestlemania is a big deal, the practitioners work hard to promote it. Techniques include press conferences, advertising, and interviews.

The press conferences were over the course of two months. The first press conference was in Los Angeles with the major wrestling stars, and another will take place in New York City a few days before the pay-per-view.

For wrestling fans who tune into Monday Night RAW ever week, thy were informed of Wrestlemania’s upcoming arrival two months in advance. With a 30 second spot during the commercial break, an action-packed clip show of the wrestlers set to a high tempo rock song captures the viewers attention while a screencap at the end announces “60 Days Away.” In a reminding fashion, the same clip show would air every week, but the end would say “45 Days Away” or “2 Weeks Away” as time progressed.

Practicioners also promoted the event during non-wrestling programming. On The Travel Channel, a pay-per-view commercial was aired at 1: 30 in the afternoon during Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” with the WWE logo in the corner, encouraging its viewers to “Order Now!”

Pay-per-view commercial

The one aspect that sets this colossal pay-per-view from others is its use of celebrities. This year, John Legend will open the event by singing “America, the Beautiful.” Reality TV personality, Kim Kardashian, will play hostess to the event. In accordance with the WWE’s affiliation with the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, Disney star Raven-Symone will host fifty kids from fifty states to go to Wrestlemania. The professional boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will settle a month-long feud that began at the previous pay-per-view, where Mayweather was actually in the audience. A publicity stunt in itself, Mayweather was provoked by a returning professional wrestler, The Big Show. Mayweather punched the wrestler after he was mocked, and it prompted the match at Wrestlemania.

Practicioners have also arranged many television appearances into the mainstream in order to promote the event. Last week The Big Show appeared on the Late Night Show with Conan O’Brien. It was a five minute interview, but millions of people were exposed. They may have also been impressed or at least their interest was raised when they saw that The Big Show was actually a friendly guy who liked to joke and not a gruff wrestler guy. In addition, The Big Show and Floyd Mayweather, and other wrestlers will make appearances on various channels. On March 25, Mayweather will appear on The Best Damn Sports Show Period on the Fox Sports Network, and the next morning he and The Big Show will appear on The Today Show, which is a major opportunity, which millions and millions of people watch. Then, both will promote their fight on Wrestlemania on ten more separate appearances before the big event.

Mayweather vs. Big Show

Governor's Embarassing Moment

2008-03-25T17:39:00.001-07:00

On March 10, 2008, New York residents got a shocking wake-up call. Governor Eliot Spitzer had been caught soliciting a female escort, through a wiretapping sting. To all of his constituents this was not the man they had put into office. The shock of this scandal rang through the entire United States, bringing to a head the multiple scandals of public officials.

When news broke less than a month ago regarding the prostitution ring sting, most Americans anticipated an immediate resignation. Spitzer on the other hand thought he had a chance at keeping his spot. For the PR world this was a huge crisis. A publicly elected official caught red handed, spending tax payer money on call girls.

PR directors not only feared their strategic planning in down playing this situation, but others not involved in the scandal feared high profile clients of their own might be the next to be outed. PR in this situation is hard to create. Besides the fact that his job was lost, and his image permanently tainted, they needed to create a medium to keep his personal appearance and sympathy in line with that of the constituents.

A few days later, Spitzer announced his resignation, and was deeply regretful for all his actions while taking complete responsibility. This struck a cord with constituents, realizing he had made a mistake, he was sorry, and he was ready to turn a new page and move on with his life.

2008-03-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Kmart pharmacy to launch 1 $ over the counter Program

With the rise in health car and medications in general, Kmart has decided to offer something never before done. On March 7, 2008 Kmart Pharmacy announced the launch of the $1 Reward Program, which offers pharmacy customers a choice of ten over-the-counter medications, from Kmart proprietary American Fare Brand for only $1 with every prescription purchase.

Popular over-the-counter medications in the program include aspirin, Ibuprofen, children's pain reliever and other commonly used medications. Kmart states that "At Kmart Pharmacy, we're always looking for ways to provide more value and quality to our customer, the $1 Reward Program gives our pharmacy customers an amazing deal and introduces them to our great private-label over-the-counter products at the same time. This program is launching at Kmart pharmacies in Florida now, and will be available at every Kmart in April.

Kmart is defiantly using a persuasive appeal, to gain support for their $1 Reward Program. In order to take advantage of this deal you must be picking up a prescription with Kmart, and one $1 Reward is given for every prescription. This will persuade many people to use their pharmacy in order to receive $1 over-the-counter medication. They are really trying to target low-income houses and college students, who need to spend their money as smartly as possible. I think they have a really great idea. This Press Release has generated allot of Buzz and Kmart has already recorded a spike in sales in Florida. I believe that Kmart had a good idea and that other Pharmacies within larger business will do the same.

I believe that Kmart has not been doing as well as they would like financially, and their trying to get more customers. Kmart is a direct competitor to Wal-Mart, but Wal-Mart is much large and has cheaper prices. Wal-Mart has also just started a new program where you can purchase prescription drugs for less than $10. I believe that Kmart came up with this program in order to compete with the mega store Wal-Mart.

http://www.kmartcorp.com/story/pressrelease/news/pr080307.stm

What To Do When the House Is Not "A-Rockin"

2008-03-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Go back to the basics of course. Recently, Volcom Entertainment's record label has come up with the genius idea to start a vinyl club, an oldie trick, but a goodie. Through Myspace.com or the Volcoment.com website, you can become a member for just $30. Not only does this cover a year long membership, you also receive special vinyls through the membership available only for a limited time.

"While the rest of the music industry scrambles in a frantic, if not altogether existential, search for meaning in this modern age of shifting musical paradigms; we here at Volcom Entertainment have consciously decided to take a step back.

The set-up is simple… we wanna make records for you. Less simple than that, is to provide true music fans with something timeless.

With each single release our hope is to lift listeners out of musical purgatory.

We only ask for the opportunity to earn your trust on this one. When you subscribe to the Volcom Ent Vinyl Club you will receive a shiny, two-sided 7 incher from us delivered to your door every other month."

Since the start of the label back in the early 90's, Volcom Entertainment has brought music to listeners in various unique ways, from stuffing lps in jean pockets at retail stores, to having bands play diverse venues including art shows. Even though this label started as a primarily punk rock type, it has now evolved into a full-on, "we don't play Warped Tour anymore" type. The once angst-ridden, snowboarding, skating, teenage crowd that supported Volcom Entertainment in its quest for success, must have quit paying $10+ for CDs and stickers. Not to mention the major crisis that the general music industry is facing at the moment. There are few options for those involved in music, provide good tunes, market well, and remember/know your audience. This company has done a great job of seeking out new and inimitable bands, while carving out a place for them within Volcom's realm of fans. Hopefully, the new vinyl club will prove to be another success for the company. Lately, it seems they can do no wrong, with VLCM stock now being sold in the NYSE, there is no stopping this giant of a business. And to that I say, Oi Oi

Woman Files Lawsuit Against American Airlines

2008-03-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Dozier filed a $200,000 lawsuit against American Airlines this past Monday. The young woman was on a flight from International airport to Los A 21 year old Texas native CentavaDFWAngeles, California to visit family and friends over spring break. The claim reports that Dozier was seated in an empty row and decided to take a nap while on the flight. When Dozier woke up there was a man seated in the formerly empty seat next to her who was masturbating, she immediately noticed a sticky substance in her hair as well.

Dozier began to cry and become upset but claimed to receive no help from the attendants. Dozier asked for the man to be moved back to his assigned seat but claims the staff did nothing. Instead, other passengers tried to calm the young woman down as well as verified the sticky substance in her hair as semen. As soon as the plane landed an airport employee called the police and the man was immediately arrested.

So far, representatives for American Airlines have only made a statement claiming that their staff aboard the plane took appropriate action and had the individual arrested upon arrival. The airlines has not commented on the claim that their staff did not do their job in protecting Dozier when the man moved seats during flight next to her while she was sleeping.

American Airlines is going to need to step up their crisis management for this one. The airlines has not even made a public apology to the young woman. They should be lucky that she is only filing suit for $200,000 because Dozier could be filing suit for a lot more considering the circumstances. The fact that their staff aboard did nothing to help the young woman or at least calm her down after this horrific incident is definitely going to hurt them.

This is a perfect example of how a corporation handles a crisis and it will be interesting to see what American Airlines decided to do because their single statement that they have made so far is definitely not enough.

Chelsea Clinton Startled by Monica Query

2008-03-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

According to the Associated Press,in Indianapolis, Chelsea Clinton had a quick retort Tuesday when asked whether her mother's credibility had been hurt during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
"Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question in the, I don't know maybe, 70 college campuses I've now been to, and I do not think that is any of your business," Clinton said during a campaign visit for her mother, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Clinton had picked out the male questioner as she wrapped up a question-and-answer session at Butler University. It wasn't immediately clear what statement by the first lady the questioner was referring to. Before she was fully aware of her husband's relationship with Lewinsky, a White House intern, Hillary Clinton said the allegations about that relationship were manufactured by a "vast right-wing conspiracy."

Clinton's answer was met with loud applause from the about 200 people in the audience. After the applause, Clinton responded, "and I also don't think that should be the last question."

She took another question on global warming and wrapped up the event.

Wal-Mart Connects with Bloggers

2008-03-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart is a company that is constantly watched by the public. Wal-Mart has been criticized for lying to customers, taking small and local jobs, and a handful of other scandals. With recent increasing public complaints about large corporations (Wal-Mart and otherwise), companies such as these are constantly looking for ways to establish a relationship, or at least a feeling of connection with the public. It is almost as if they are constantly uses PR to cover up a crisis. Although this may not be the case, companies such as Wal-Mart are always walking on egg shells due to popularity of books such as “The Wal-Mart Effect” and other materials available to the public.

Wal-Mart recently began a campaign in which they would be working very closely with bloggers. Not surprisingly, Wal-Mart is currently under attack and needed a way to save themselves in the eyes of the public. In this attempt, Wal-Mart has been emailing bloggers. “Under assault as never before, Wal-Mart is increasingly looking beyond the mainstream media and working directly with bloggers, feeding them exclusive nuggets of news, suggesting topics for postings and even inviting them to visit its corporate headquarters” (New York Times). Wal-Mart is going to great lengths to protect and rebuild the company’s image. As journalist Michael Barbaro points out, there are multiple problems with this plan. One problem being that bloggers pride themselves on being truly independent and opinionated writers; with Wal-Mart telling them what to say, this is nearly impossible. Another problem is that some bloggers copy and paste from the Wal-Mart emails directly without revealing where the information came from.

In the emails Wal-Mart promotes itself by talking about specific success stories at various locations. Bloggers are then contacted after they write and depending on whether they were positive or negative blogs are endorsed, or challenged.

New York Times article: (the link will expire in a couple days so I included the entire article)

By MICHAEL BARBARO
Published: March 7, 2006
Brian Pickrell, a blogger, recently posted a note on his Web site attacking state legislation that would force Wal-Mart Stores to spend more on employee health insurance. "All across the country, newspaper editorial boards — no great friends of business — are ripping the bills," he wrote.
The e-mail exchanges between Marshall Manson, who handles online public affairs for Wal-Mart, and Rob Port, of Sayanythingblog.com
It was the kind of pro-Wal-Mart comment the giant retailer might write itself. And, in fact, it did.
Several sentences in Mr. Pickrell's Jan. 20 posting — and others from different days — are identical to those written by an employee at one of Wal-Mart's public relations firms and distributed by e-mail to bloggers.
Under assault as never before, Wal-Mart is increasingly looking beyond the mainstream media and working directly with bloggers, feeding them exclusive nuggets of news, suggesting topics for postings and even inviting them to visit its corporate headquarters.
But the strategy raises questions about what bloggers, who pride themselves on independence, should disclose to readers. Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private employer, has been forthright with bloggers about the origins of its communications, and the company and its public relations firm, Edelman, say they do not compensate the bloggers.
But some bloggers have posted information from Wal-Mart, at times word for word, without revealing where it came from.
Glenn Reynolds, the founder of Instapundit.com, one of the oldest blogs on the Web, said that even in the blogosphere, which is renowned for its lack of rules, a basic tenet applies: "If I reprint something, I say where it came from. A blog is about your voice, it seems to me, not somebody else's."
Companies of all stripes are using blogs to help shape public opinion.
Before General Electric announced a major investment in energy-efficient technology last year, company executives first met with major environmental bloggers to build support. Others have reached out to bloggers to promote a product or service, as Microsoft did with its Xbox game system and Cingular Wireless has done in the introduction of a new phone.
What is different about Wal-Mart's approach to blogging is that rather than promoting a product — something it does quite well, given its $300 billion in annual sales — it is trying to improve its battered image.
Wal-Mart, long criticized for low wages and its health benefits, began working with bloggers in late 2005 "as part of our overall effort to tell our story," said Mona Williams, a company spokeswoman.
"As more and more Americans go to the Internet to get information from varied, credible, trusted sources, Wal-Mart is committed to participating in that online conversation," she said.
Copies of e-mail messages that a Wal-Mart representative sent to bloggers were made available to The New York Times by Bob Beller, who runs a blog called Crazy Politico's Rantings. Mr. Beller, a regular Wal-Mart shopper who frequently defends the retailer on his blog, said the company never asked that the messages be kept private.
In the messages, Wal-Mart promotes positive news about itself, like the high number of job applications it received at a new store in Illinois, and criticizes opponents, noting for example that a rival, Target, raised "zero" money for the Salvation Army in 2005, because it banned red-kettle collectors from stores.
The author of the e-mail messages is a blogger named Marshall Manson, a senior account supervisor at Edelman who writes for conservative Web sites like Human Events Online, which advocates limited government, and Confirm Them, which has pushed for the confirmation of President Bush's judicial nominees.[Text: A PDF copy of an e-mail exchange between Mr. Manson and Rob Port, of Sayanythingblog.com.]
In interviews, bloggers said Mr. Manson contacted them after they wrote postings that either endorsed the retailer or challenged its critics.
Mr. Beller, who runs Crazy Politico's Rantings, for example, said he received an e-mail message from Mr. Manson soon after criticizing the passage of a law in Maryland that requires Wal-Mart to spend 8 percent of its payroll on health care.
Mr. Manson, identifying himself as a "blogger myself" who does "online public affairs for Wal-Mart," began with a bit of flattery: "Just wanted you to know that your post criticizing Maryland's Wal-Mart health care bill was noticed here and at the corporate headquarters in Bentonville," he wrote, referring to the city in Arkansas.
"If you're interested," he continued, "I'd like to drop you the occasional update with some newsworthy info about the company and an occasional nugget that you won't hear about in the M.S.M." — or mainstream media.
Bloggers who agreed to receive the e-mail messages said they were eager to hear Wal-Mart's side of the story, which they said they felt had been drowned out by critics, and were tantalized by the promise of exclusive news that might attract more visitors to their Web sites.
"I am always interested in tips to stories," said one recipient of Mr. Manson's e-mail messages, Bill Nienhuis, who operates a Web site called PunditGuy.com.
But some bloggers are also defensive about their contacts with Wal-Mart. When they learned that The New York Times was looking at how they were using information from the retailer, several bloggers posted items challenging The Times's article before it had appeared. One blog, Iowa Voice, run by Mr. Pickrell, pleads for advertisers to buy space on the blog in anticipation of more traffic because of the article.
The e-mail messages Mr. Manson has sent to bloggers are structured like typical blog postings, with a pungent sentence or two introducing a link to a news article or release.
John McAdams, a political science professor at Marquette University who runs the Marquette Warrior blog, recently posted three links about union activity in the same order as he received them from Mr. Manson. Mr. McAdams acknowledged that he worked from Wal-Mart's links and that he did not disclose his contact with Mr. Manson.

The e-mail exchanges between Marshall Manson, who handles online public affairs for Wal-Mart, and Rob Port, of Sayanythingblog.com
"I usually do not reveal where I get a tip or a lead on a story," he said, adding that journalists often do not disclose where they get ideas for stories either.
Wal-Mart has warned bloggers against lifting text from the e-mail it sends them. After apparently noticing the practice, Mr. Manson asked them to "resist the urge," because "I'd be sick if someone ripped you because they noticed a couple of bloggers with nearly identical posts."
But Mr. Manson has not encouraged bloggers to reveal that they communicate with Wal-Mart or to attribute information to either the retailer or Edelman, Ms. Williams of Wal-Mart said.
To be sure, some bloggers who post material from Mr. Manson's e-mail do disclose its origins, mentioning Mr. Manson and Wal-Mart by name. But others refer to Mr. Manson as "one reader," say they received a "heads up" about news from Wal-Mart or disclose nothing at all.
Mr. Pickrell, the 37-year-old who runs the Iowa Voice blog, said he began receiving updates from Wal-Mart in January. Like Mr. Beller, of Crazy Politico, Mr. Pickrell had criticized the Maryland legislature over its health care law before Wal-Mart contacted him.
Since then, he has written at least three postings that contain language identical to sentences in e-mail from Mr. Manson. In one, which Mr. Pickrell attributed to a "reader," he reported that Wal-Mart was about to announce that a store in Illinois received 25,000 applications for 325 jobs. "That's a 1.3 percent acceptance rate," the message read. "Consider this: Harvard University (undergraduate) accepts 11 percent of applicants. The Navy Seals accept 5 percent of applicants."
Asked in a telephone interview about the resemblance of his postings to Mr. Manson's, Mr. Pickrell said: "I probably cut and paste a little bit and I should not have," adding that "I try to write my posting in my own words."
In an e-mail message sent after the interview, Mr. Pickrell said he received e-mail from many groups, including those opposed to Wal-Mart, which he uses as a starting point to "do my own research on a topic."
"I draw my own conclusions when I form my opinions," he said.
Mr. Pickrell, explaining his support for Wal-Mart, said he shops there regularly and is impressed with how his mother-in-law, a Wal-Mart employee, is treated. "They go real out of their way for their people," he said.
Wal-Mart's blogging initiative is part of a ballooning public relations campaign developed in consultation with Edelman to help Wal-Mart as two groups, Wal-Mart Watch and Wake Up Wal-Mart, aggressively prod it to change. The groups operate blogs that receive posts from current and former Wal-Mart employees, elected leaders and consumers.
Edelman also helped Wal-Mart develop a political-style war room, staffed by former political operatives, which monitors and responds to the retailer's critics, and helped create Working Families for Wal-Mart, a new group that is trying to build support for the company in cities across the country.
At Edelman, Mr. Manson, who sends many of the e-mail messages to bloggers, works closely on the Wal-Mart account with Mike Krempasky, a co-founder of RedState.org, a conservative blog. Both are regular bloggers, which in Mr. Manson's case means he has written critically of individuals and groups Wal-Mart may eventually call on for support.
Before he was hired by Edelman in November, Mr. Manson wrote on the Human Events Online blog that members of the San Francisco city council were "dolts" and "twits" for rejecting a proposed World War II memorial and that every day "the United Nations slides further and further into irrelevance." After he was hired, Mr. Manson wrote that the career of Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island was marked by "pointless indecision."
Wal-Mart declined to make Mr. Manson available for comment. Ms. Williams said, "It is not Wal-Mart's role to monitor the opinions of our consultants or how they express them on their own time."
In a sign of how eager Wal-Mart is to develop ties to bloggers, the company has invited them to a media conference to be held at its headquarters in April. In e-mail messages, Wal-Mart has polled several bloggers about whether they would make the trip, which the bloggers would have to pay for themselves.
Mr. Reynolds of Instapundit.com said he recently was invited to Wal-Mart's offices but declined. "Bentonville, Arkansas," he said, "is not my idea of a fun destination."

Houston Rockets 22-game winning streak

2008-03-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

The Houston Rockets have done something that no other team has done since 1971. With that said the Rockets won 22 games straight before losing to the number one team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics. The streak started on January 1 and lasted to about March 18 of this year. Throughout their battle to be the number one team in the Western Conference they lost a very big star on the team, Yao Ming. Mainly, the success story for the Rockets come from not just one man but a whole team that comes together and becomes one. When they did have Yao Ming they had an 11 game winning streak. Without Yao they had an 11 game winning streak as well. All throughout the NBA people would say the Rockets would not be able to make it without Yao Ming, but they did. Superstar Tracy Mcgrady said, "You just can't rely on one guy. There are going to be some nights where I'm going to be off. We have multiple guys who can pick up the slack. That's a good thing to have." A lot of players step up the plate and delivered promising performances. Rafer Alston, the point guard of the Rockets posted up 8 for 11 from the 3 point line in the game against the LA Lakers. Louis Scola has been doing well as the rookie and might be elected as rookie of the year. He has played outstanding basketball without Yao Ming who helped and guided him. "Shane Battier has shot 39 percent from 3-point range and embraced the role of defensive stopper, handling the opponents' most dynamic score. He harassed Kobe Bryant into an 11-for-33 performance on Sunday." The head coach of the Houston Rockets Rick Adelman is a great coach. He is amazing at making offensive strategy that works out for the whole team. Everyone on the Rockets team will score and the starting five will be in double digits. The Rockets already have some of the greatest defensive plays and used them to their benefit. If you would like to learn more about this you can go to this link: Houston Rockets.

This kind of news release is more of an appeal to audience who are true fans. Everyone thought the Rockets were not going to make it without their star Yao Ming. Well, they did. Also, everyone thought the Rockets had some teams that did not have a full roster. I believe they proved almost everyone that this team is coming and they are going to do anything possible to win a championship.

I feel like this release was will developed because it gives the correct information when talking about this kind of sport. I think it is effective because it had a lot of good points in it. The article talked about role players and team work. That is what true fans want to hear about how well their team is doing. I would not change a thing about the new release because I feel like they touched based on the important facts. Overall, it was a very good article.

Google Gives up Control in Social Network Group

2008-03-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

As much anticipated, Yahoo is joining the Google-led Open Social Alliance, which is developing a common set of standards for programmers to create applications that can run on social networks and other sites. It is a non-profit group whose founding members will include Google, Yahoo and MySpace, another large backer of Open Social. For the past several months Yahoo has been considering joining the alliance but their executives felt that Google might exert too much control over the evolution of Open Social and any intellectual property created by the group. After some time, Google has agreed to give up control over Open Social.
Joe Kraus, director of product management at Google, said the foundation represents "more an evolution of where Open Social is heading" than a response to concern raised by any other member. This was brought up after a conference with Google and Yahoo executives when there was an idea that the foundation was created in response to Yahoo's concerns. The alliance was formed last fall as a counterweight to Facebook, which has successfully courted thousands of application developers. The creators of many of the most popular Facebook applications have said they plan to adapt their programs to make them compatible with the Open Social standard.
This is an example of several large companies coming together to achieve a common goal. Google is not trying to dominate the movement as they have said but rather working together on an even level with other companies. Yahoo provided no details about when or how it would implement the Open Social standard. So far, only MySpace and Orkut, Google's social network, have introduced Open Social on their sites.

Free Tibet Campaign vs. China

2008-03-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

The Free Tibet Campaign, a group that works to promote Tibetan autonomy, has released a press release detailing their planned protest of a meeting between London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Chinese Olympic officials.

The Free Tibet group is upset that Livingstone, a major supporter and partner of the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing, has not made a public statement condemning the alleged human rights violations taking place in Tibet at the hands of the Chinese government. Matt Whitticase of Free Tibet said that "The Mayor must abandon his politically expedient policy of brushing human rights under the carpet and only talking trade with China's leaders. Instead, he should address China's appalling human rights record in Tibet and China. A good place to start would be by telling the Chinese Ambassador tomorrow that President Hu Jintao must meet the Dalai Lama to negotiate an end to China's 57 year occupation of Tibet."

China is countering these concerns over Tibet by silencing (even further) any and all media reports that relate to Tibet or the recent protests that have been taking place in Lhasa and elsewhere in the small mountainous nation. Using its economic power, China has also used non-traditional methods of "PR" by forcing nearby trading partner Nepal to crack down on protests and not allow any negative press about China's human rights practices in Nepal's media.

"Show Us Your Cheap"

2008-03-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

With Spring Break right behind us, we can all relate to searching for flights across the country. CheapTickets.com is a website-based company that provides airline tickets at discounted prices. CheapTickets strives to give its customers the best deal by working to help them spend less money to travel.

Therefore, they have launched the "Show Us Your Cheap" Contest. CheapTickets knows that their target audience includes people who enjoy traveling but can't afford to do so at any expense. So the "Show Us Your Cheap" Contest targets those individuals and asks them to send in their stories on how they tried to save money while traveling and how that changed their traveling experiences. This is a perfect way to enhance the relationship between CheapTickets and their customers.

This is also a great way for them to reinforce their print campaign "Real People". These advertisements featured individuals that saved on their airline tickets, so they got to "splurge" on other things during their vacations.

Brandweek Article
MediaPost Article

Walt Disney Signs Partnership with PATA

2008-03-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) have announced a new strategic partnership. PATA's mission statement is “The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a membership association acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry.

In partnership with PATA's private and public sector members, we enhance the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism to, from and within the region. Disney is now a PATA Premier Partner, gaining exclusive access to a range of co-operative opportunities including market intelligence, business development and co-branded events and products. Disney joins a select group of PATA Premier Partners such as Visa International, Amadeus, CNN International, TIME and Fortune. Mr Peter de Jong the president and CEO of PATA, stated that he was delighted to welcome such an iconic and powerful brand as Disney into the PATA community. Jong said “It really is a dream come true."

Disney's relationship with PATA is a very successful attempt in establishing effective international relations. Disney is successful at this attempt because they are establishing knowledge of foreign customers and knowledge of different cultures. Disney is creating strong international relationships which aid in making their presence in foreign cultures more widely accepted.
Disney

No end in sight for Dell lay offs

2008-03-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

In an effort to stem declining stock values, Dell Inc. enacted a plan last May to lay off 8,000 employees (about 10% of its global workforce) within the next year. The Round Rock based computer company is doing this in an effort to counter certain factors and events that have hurt its stock value over the last several business quarters. One of these factors was Dell's loss of their #1 position in worldwide computer shipments to rival company Hewlett-Packard. Another milestone preceding these lay offs are the results of an ongoing federal accounting probe that discovered numerous financial discrepancies and evidence of financial misconduct at the company. In addition to falling stock prices as a result of public opinion regarding this investigation, Dell stock has also taken a hit from the $46 million cost of funding the probe.

Dell announced these lay offs in the form of a news release, but declined any sort of follow-up conference call with reporters or analysts. The following statement was later released by Michael Dell in regards to the downsizing:

“While reductions in head count are always difficult for a company, we know these actions are critical to our ability to deliver unprecedented value to our customers now and in the future.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18967391/

While lay offs are a necessary evil when conducting business, Dell's effort to keep an open and honest line of communication with their publics seems to come up short. The fact that they announced this ill news through a press release while declining to comment on the matter immediately gives Dell the image that they either don't care enough about their publics to do so, or that they are trying to hide something. This is especially true considering that Dell is under investigation for shady business practices and shoddy financing, which was one of the main reasons for the lay offs in the first place. While Michael Dell did comment on the matter, he should have done so immediately so as not to tarnish the trust that Dell has with its employees and consumers.

Since the time that the lay offs were announced, Dell's stock value has fallen from nearly $25 per share to around $20.50 per share. Clearly these 8,000 lay offs did little to slow the decline of Dell's stock value, leaving us only to wonder what lies in the future for Dell employees.
http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=DELL&t=1y

2008-03-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

“Life…. Supplemented”
The Council for Responding Nutrition (CRN) is launching a campaign that informs the average citizen of the positive side of supplements. For decades, supplements have been stereotyped to have a negative source of nutrients on people’s health and body, but because of this the CRN has launched an educative campaign that will promote the positive side of dietary supplements. It is estimated that more than 2/3 of the nation is currently taking some sort of supplement (Douaud, 2007). Although sales have not been reported to decrease the CRN is doing this educative movement to secure its market and increase revenues. The vice-president of CRN was interviewed by NutraIngredients-USA and told them that “One of our main objectives is to create an environment that will increase sales”. It is evident that the CRN is doing this movement as an attempt to increase proceeds and interest from the general public. The company has not fully given the full details as to how it will generate its tactics to the audience, but they have pinpointed some plausible goals. Some PR techniques that CRN plans to launch is a website that will educate the consumer how to live a healthy lifestyle, and future partnerships with retail companies to promote supplementary diets.
The CRN PR campaign is an effective movement for their company or a stunt to promote their company? Although sales have not shown to decline, I believe that they are doing this education campaign to acquire more people to try dietary supplements and learn more about them. Although their efforts are commendable, their main interests are to acquire more revenues for their company while promoting their “clean image”. To learn more about this campaign please visit http//www.nutraingredients-usa.com.

Michael J Fox Foundation

2008-03-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, launched their new campaign today for a funding program. They are hoping to improve drug delivery for Parkinson's disease. They are promising to raise $2 million to spark research to specifically determine the two major challenges about the development of transformative research. On April 7, 2008, a conference call will be orchestrated with MJFF Research Programs staff to cover the goals of the new funding campaign. If someone wishes to take part in the conference call they can RSVP to conferencecalls@michaeljfox.org

Have you taken your Airborne today? Good, don't.

2008-03-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

I coughed once. I sneezed twice, three times at the most. Before I knew it, my mother was filling my cup of water with two yellowish tablets the size of quarters. "It's Airborne. Drink it all. Now!", she says. I swallow the tepid, somewhat unsettling, effervescently bubbling water and hope it will have no adverse effects. My mother then assured me that I would not be ill. She promised I would be as good as new in mere minutes. She was wrong.

Airborne: the Effervescent Health Formula is marketed as "the best-selling herbal health formula that boosts your immune system to help your body combat germs. It was created by a former second-grade school teacher, Victoria Knight-McDowell, who was constantly exposed to germs in her classroom". For several years now, Airborne has been the panacea for middle-aged housewives across America. This "miracle" herbal supplement has recently run into a spot of trouble that even Airborne's essential vitamins and herbs cannot solve.

The company, based in Bonita Springs, Fla., has agreed to pay $23.3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought against the company for falsely claiming its vitamins prevented colds. Anyone who has purchased Airborne is entitled to a refund. The lawsuit was lead by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit advocacy group that accused Airborne of having "no credible evidence that [it] prevents colds or protects consumers from germs". In addition to the million dollar settlement, Airborne has also agreed to pay for ads in several magazines alerting consumers where they can receive their small part of the settlement money.

After flying high on their creation, Airborne founders were snatched from atop their home-remedy pedestal when ABC's Good Morning America did some of their famous investigative reporting. The same media outlets that helped them rise to the top of the "dietary supplement cleverly disguised as a cure-all" game, was now revealing that perhaps there was more to the story than what was shown on Oprah. Apparently Airborne's claims that it has been scientifically proven to do what the box says was challenged when it was discovered that their much-touted lone clinical trial was actually conducted without any doctors or scientists, just a “two-man operation started up just to do the Airborne study.”

Airborne has responded with an open letter on their website thanking their loyal customers for remaining loyal. This kind of PR crisis is not new. The vitamin and drug aisle of the grocery store is rife with the kind of FDA scandals that might frighten the general public. However, those who are dead-set on claiming that Airborne saved them from the ever-treacherous common cold will most likely not turn away from their beloved herbal supplement. Although, 23 million dollars is ALOT of money, but that is something accounting has to deal with. From a PR point of view, all Airborne has to worry about is having their loyal fans find them when they are moved from the drug aisle to the supplement aisle.

Sweet Barrymore

2008-03-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

A handful of fingers can not count the amount of wonderful movies Drew Barrymore has starred in. Today, this sweet Barry is one of Hollywood’s delightful, influential stars. As an active philanthropist, she has used her power to give back to communities’ worldwide, turning her into a modern day role model http://www.drewbarrymore.com/. However, that was not the case more than ten years ago. After starring in the four-time Oscar winning motion picture ET in 1982, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000106/. Barrymore’s life came dumpling down. Two years after ET, 9 year old Barrymore began drinking and then shortly became abusive of drugs. Being born into a theatrical family, Barrymore lacked the lessons of family value, for she often partied at Studio 54, in New York, with her father. By the age of 17, she legally divorced her mother, and checked herself into rehab http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1:244/2/Drew_Barrymore.htm. Although the cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol addictions were kicked to the curb, Barrymore still fell under the “sex symbol” image. In 1995, Barrymore posed for Playboy.
All this has change since then.

Barrymore today graces the cover of Vogue, and has her own production company, Flower Films. In this month’s issue of Vogue, Barrymore talks about her new up and coming film and how difficult is was to become the character of Onasis debutant, Edith. The issue also mentions budding romance with Apple commercial star, Justin Long.
From helpless, alcoholic child to respected, successful actress/producer, we must do nothing, but to love Barrymore!

Audrina Patridge Nude Pictures Surface

2008-03-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

Recently, nude pictures of The Hills star Audrina Patridge surfaced on the celebrity blog What Would Tyler Durden Do. The pictures were taken when she had just graduated from high school and was only 19 years old. The pictures were meant to kick off her modeling career and be sent to Playboy, but were never meant to be released to the public. The Hills is a popular MTV “reality” show that follows the life of Lauren Conrad, previous Laguna Beach star, her best friend Audrina Patridge, and their enemies Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. Since the new season of The Hills premiers Monday, March 24th, Audrina and her publicist had to respond to this issue immediately so that it would not affect the shows season premier.

"I took these photos years ago when I was just out of high school and beginning to model. I was young and very trusting of others and I didn't know to protect myself," said Patridge in a statement released by her representative and obtained by TMZ.com. "It is a lesson learned, for myself, and hopefully for the young girls who look up to me."

Not even 24 hours after the pictures surfaced online, Audrina posted a response to this issue on her myspace defending the pictures because she was young and naïve and advocating that her young fans learn from her inexperience. "I intended them to be artistic and not in any way provocative," Patridge wrote in a blog posted to her MySpace Celebrity page. "I was naive, overly trusting of people and inexperienced. I thought that to be a model you had to be comfortable in front of the camera." She also made an immediate blog post similar to her address of the situation on her myspace page. She also made an appearance on the morning WPIX CW show to explain the situation.

I think that Audrina and her publicist have handled the situation very well so far. She immediately made a response to the situation rather than hiding from it and waiting for it to go away. The other Hills cast members are also helping the situation by being supportive and not giving out any unnecessary information. While she has not apologized for the pictures she has admitted that they were a result of being young, inexperienced, and taken advantage of, which is an appropriate response. By making a statement that she hoped that other young girls will learn from her mistake, she will probably keep some of her younger fans and not be so attacked by parents, etc.

Justin Timberlake Gives Back

2008-03-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

While in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee last week, pop singer-turned indie movie actor Justin Timberlake, donated $100,000 each to the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and the Memphis Music Foundation. Aside from this wonderfully charitable act of kindness, this example shows just how every good deed in a celebrity's life goes well publicized. Many journalists and photographers were at the Rock 'n' Soul Museum in Memphis on Thursday, March 20th, to see Justin and his Mother present the checks to the Executive Director and Board Chairman of the Museum and the President of the Memphis Music Foundation, all pictured above. Timberlake said in a very well publicized statement, "Music education and keeping the legacy of Memphis Music alive has always been important to me. That is why I will always continue to support my hometown the same way they have always supported me."

This good deed by Timberlake puts him in the public eye for something very positive as well as promoting his new independent film, The Open Road, all at the same time. The timing of this event could not be anymore perfect for team Timberlake PR, the coverage has gained the film an exciting anticipatory buzz during production.

Pilots (and airline) Packing Heat

2008-03-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

US Airways is in the middle of a huge PR crisis because of an incident involving a pilot with a gun on board Flight 1536 this last Saturday. The pilot had the concealed handgun in the cockpit as part of a new program that trains pilots to carry handguns on board flights. The Federal Flight Deck Officer Program (FFDO) has been implemented by the Transportation Security Administration. A TSA spokesperson made a statement on Sunday assuring the safety of the aircraft and its passengers. The TSA is not questioning the pilot's ability to carry the gun because he was last re qualified for FFDO program in November.

This story has been printed in nearly all major news publications including this link from CNN. Unfortunately for US Airways, this means that many of their publics heard about the incident via the media. Passengers, potential customers, US Airways employees, and many other publics were more than likely unaware of the FFDO program before this incident. This is potentially dangerous information to those passengers/customers that are sensitive to matters concerning concealed hand guns. Those who are anti-gun may choose not to fly the airline in the future. Also, many pro-gun fliers may feel more safe carrying on their own concealed handguns as part of their constitutional right. If they are trained by an equally safety conscious program as the FFDO, shouldn't they have just as much of a right to "protect" themselves? This slippery slope argument can go on forever. The point is: there are many reasons US Airways could potentially lose customers because of this incident.

There is no explanation or apology on the US Airways News/Press Release site. The only statement regarding the incident was the one from the spokesperson of the TSA. It was only given when the news station WCNC contacted them the day following the incident. It would be wise for PR purposes to release a statement explaining the program in more detail to the many publics involved. All other airlines who are implementing this plan should consider preparing a statement in the event of a similar situation. Doing so would ensure a smooth landing in a PR crisis.

Be Kind to Your Behind

2008-03-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Recently the widely-known brand Cottonelle launched a new national campaign. The slogan for the campaign is "Be Kind to Your Behind." The theme behind it is to create awareness and discussion about "cottonelle" becoming a luxury choice. The launch was yesterday, March 20, in New York where there was a bus designed to imitate the brand mascot (a labrador retriever). The bus included comfort and product stations. The launch was led by actress, Judy Greer, a lab puppy and fitness expert Ary Nunez, who demonstrated exercises and relaxation techniques, along with a team of massage therapists. The goal over the next year is to target regional experts for Philidelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. In addition to this media relations effort, Cottonelle also launched a sweepstakes on their homepage website, www.cottonelle.com/sweepstakes.aspx, where site visitors who pledge to be "kind to their behinds" can have the chance to win a vacation. "This campaign is about challenging consumers to think in a new way," said Mark Worden, Cottonelle brand manager, whose target demographic is generally women 25 and older. "We want to talk about an area that's been overlooked for too long."

There are advertisements as well that you may recognize that are put on by this campaign as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxr6TWAl1Bw

The PR effort is announcing a new campaign. They do this through the launch of the bus/mobile campaign and website sweepstakes. To declare whether or not the campaign/pr effort was effective is something that only time will tell. The campaign was just launched yesterday. I find this to be a very odd and unimportant campaign, personally, but results will soon be observable. I don't believe that through the given information that the effort will be effective because a bus can only be at one place at one time, so the target audience and reach is very very limited. To better implement their strategy of the bus, I think they could make several of them and launch them in several cities as opposed to just New York. As far as the website is concerned, how are people supposed to know to go there? Therefore, I do not think the PR for the launch of the campaign is going to be effective.

Association leads to Assimilation?

2008-03-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

According to recent reports, association may lead to assimilation. Academy Award winner Will Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith are in the news once again, this time, the focus is on religion. In the caption above, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are seen sitting by actor Tom Cruise and wife, Katie Holmes Feb.21.
Will Smith denies the allegations of being a scientologist, stating, ""You don't have to be Jewish to be a friend of Steven Spielberg. You don't have to be a Muslim to be a friend of Muhammad Ali. And you don't have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise.”
According to Smith, as quoted in the New York Daily News, he leads a Christian household where he himself “is a student of all religions.” Radar Magazine reported that these well-known actors are an essential part of the church’s attempts to target the African-American audience in efforts to gain more diverse members.
The updates we hear about celebrities are not from sales people or advertisements. In many cases, it begins with a journalist’s observation. The journalist who relayed this information is considered a knowledgeable source to the public. Therefore, he/she is trusted by many. News travels fast through outlets such as the press, television and radio.
This is a prime example of how media relations work. However, the main source of news is still word of mouth. As we can see, one person’s opinion about a celebrity can affect a large audience. In this case, because Will Smith has been seen with Tom Cruise at a celebrity function, it is automatically assumed by the press that he is indeed a “new convert.” For Will Smith’s public relation’s team, this may not be considered positive media coverage. Despite this fact, it is what it is: Celebrity News.

MARCH MADNESS

2008-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

For all you basketball fans; this is your month to show your real spirit towards your teams. This month is March Madness. "IHSA's March Madness is the premier high school sporting event in the nation." (www.marchmadness.com) March Madness was born in the great state of Illinois. The yearly tournament of high school boys basketball teams, sponsored by the Illinois High School Association, grew from a small invitational affair in 1908 to a statewide institution with over 900 schools competing by the late 1930's.The IHSA tournaments continued to grow and develop. In 1963, the tournament moved to the huge new Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois and fans witnessed the most famous finish in history, when Chicago Carver beat Centralia on a last-second shot by a substitute named Anthony Smedley.

Today's March Madness is different from the way it used to be portrayed. Nowadays an "Elite Eight" of teams advances to the state finals, but there are four tournaments — a Class A (small school) and Class AA (large school) version for both boys and s, played in Peoria and Normal. "The Happening," a thrilling contest featuring the state's best three-point shooters and dunkers, is now a part of these tournaments as well. And starting in 1996, the "March Madness Experience," an exhibition hall full of fun, games, and good times, has allowed fans of Illinois high school basketball to join in the exciting action.

It is a great opportunity to join this crazy pool, because these fees of "March Madness" and "America's Original March Madness" are used to fund college scholarships for Illinois high school boys and s. What is meant by "joining the pool" is that if you really think you know the sport of basketball and know the teams that can play it you are allowed to register and vote for the team you think has the most potential at the end. According to the Dallas Morning News, "March Madness phenomenon sweeps the world of NCAA Basketball, people from all around the world are signing up for a chance to win a BIG Prize".So what are you waiting for? Sign up, and help yourself while helping others in the great state of Illinois this month by tagging up with March Madness!!!

Radiohead

2008-03-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

The band Radiohead is at it again attempting to revamp the music industry. They were in the spotlight earlier this year for making their latest album, In Rainbows, up for digital download, allowing fans to set the price for their album. This really did change the way people thought about albums and buying music. Although not many other artists have followed suit, they have set the stage for change in the industry.

Now Radiohead, is taking it a step further by allowing fans to create their newest video, from any track on In Rainbows. Fans then get to vote for the best video who will win $10,000 to produce a full length video. The fans then dictate what the next video is; giving the fans control over the cost of the album and videos as well.

So is Radiohead trying to change the industry or are they just letting their fans make their next video to keep them in the news? I think its a mixture of the two. They are trying to give the fans what they want: control over the price of music and control over the next video. However, I don't think they were blind to the fact that these radically different appraoches of selling albums would generate so much publicity. In the end they are trying to get their music out and promote an album. Smart move Radiohead!

Hilary Clinton on SNL

2008-03-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

Hilary Clinton appeared on Saturday Night Live this past weekend in efforts to get more public attention. She has recently been down in the polls and has felt the need to boost her like appeal. Because of a recent debate that turned sour she felt blamed some of the scrutiny on an unfair press conference. She urged supporters to watch the recent stint on SNL in order to show the public that she has a lighter side. "People are starting to say, 'Hey, you know, we've hot two candidates. We've been a little more focused on one than the other in terms of asking hard questions. Let's start looking at both of them. the voters of this country deserve to have a real elections."' Hilary said. She is trying to find new places to take her campaign appeal as she also appeared on Comedy Central last week.

80th Annual Oscars Brings In Low Ratings

2008-02-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

The 80th anniversary of the Academy Awards has been marked as the least watched Oscar telecast ever. This past Sunday's broadcast, hosted by Jon Stewart, drew in about 32 millions viewers, this number being small compared to other Oscar telecasts. Prior to this year, the lowest ranked Oscars was in 2003, right after the U.S. led invasion of Iraq had just begun.

To most people, there was no surprise that the Oscars brought in such a small audience. Many films that were being showcased were ones that had received great critical reviews, but, still, they were not box office hits.

For example, "No Country For Old Men," which won four awards including best picture, brought in a respectable $64 million at the North American box office. The only film that was nominated for best picture, and crossed the $100 million mark at the box office was the comedy "Juno," which, in the end, only received one win.

Another reason of such low television ratings is that not only were there no box office blockbusters showcased, but many of the acting awards were given to European actors that the American audience may not even have heard about.

Also, this year's low ratings can also due to the recently ended writers strike, which had threatened the Oscars, and also forced a cutback in the Golden Globes.

Schwarzenegger Rewards Children with Army Tank?

2008-02-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

On February 19, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had an Austrian army tank shipped into Los Angeles as an effort to encourage students to stay in school. The tank could previously be found in Groveport, Ohio at the Motts Military Museum, owned by Warren Motts, who says "I'm pleased we had the opportunity to have it and let people see it. It was neat to have a Hollywood connection."

Schwarzenegger has chosen to allow the students of an inner-city Los Angeles school the chance to ride in this tank that he drove during his military service in Austria. He believes that this offer will encourage the children to work hard in school and steer clear of drugs.

I was not aware of army tanks being the new alternative to drug usage and to skipping school; if Schwarzenegger thinks he can pull it off then it would be rewarding in more ways than one. Although it may seem like a good idea to him, I'm sure there are better ways to keep children off the streets and in classrooms. The army tank may be an exciting reward at first, but children will soon get bored and go back to their usual ways.

Famous News Sight Feeling the Heat?

2008-02-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

There has been a news website that has been rising as one of the main news websites in the country. The website is called the Drudge Report.(www.drudgereport.com) The Drudge Report is notorious for breaking stories that may not be in the main media. The website has broken many stories on the Presidential Campaigns. In recent days it has been thrown in the spot light as a credible news source. The main news media like CNN, and MSNBC have acknowledge it as a website where they go for information.

Some people have called the website controversial. I say reporting news events in a credible manner is not controversial. Most stories they report are controversial only in the manner of it shedding a negative light on someone. Most of the cries have come from the people it has hurt in public opinion.

On February 28th the Drudge Report released a story about Prince Harry. The Prince Harry that is 3rd in line to the throne of England. The story reported that Prince Harry was fighting on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan. Sounds like innocent information, Right? Except for the fact the British Government had kept it a secret for the protection of not only Prince Harry, but also for the protection of the troops around him. The Drudge Report has taken some fire from many people for exposing this information. They are the only news source that had done this. British media had even skipped over the story to keep Prince Harry safe. Some Media in Britain found out by Drudge Report.

Many news outlets came on the air to put the information to people across the world today. Now Prince Harry is probably already back home after being exposed on the front lines. Reports had him in Afghanistan since December. He was suppose to stay until April. Is right to release information that will put people who are considered allies in danger? to the credit of Drudge Report, an Australian newspaper broke the story in January. The story just never made it to one of the most media covered countries in the world. Should have the Drudge Report have known it was to be kept under wraps for the greater good? I just hope this wasn't a stunt to make a website famous, because I believe Drudge Report was well on its way to being a top news source.

2008-02-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

It is to my surprise that some people that live in Austin don't know what South by Southwest (SXSW) is. We all know that Austin, TX is definitely the "Live Music Capital of the World." South by Southwest (SXSW, Inc.) is a private company based in Austin, Texas, with a year-round staff of professionals dedicated to building and delivering conference and festival events for entertainment and related media industry professionals. Since 1987, SXSW has produced the internationally recognized Music and Media Conference and Festival.

There are 3 parts to SXSW, the first is Interactive Festival, the second is Film Conference and Festival, and the third is Music Conference and Festival.This year the Interactive Festival with run from March 7-11, the Film Conference and Festival will run from March 7-15, and the Music Conference and Festival will run from March 12-16.

The SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of exciting panel content and amazing parties. Attracting digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs, the event celebrates the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology. Whether you are a hard-core geek, a dedicated content creator, a new media entrepreneur, or just someone who likes being around an extremely creative community, SXSW Interactive is for you!

For nine days in March, the SXSW Film Festival screens the best in new independent film from around the world. SXSW has gained accolades for the quality of our programming, which focuses on both emerging talent and cinematic greats. With over 180 films, including innovative narrative and documentary features; narrative, documentary, animated, and experimental shorts; music videos; and midnight films, there’s plenty to satisfy every film lover. Here is a link so you can see the screening of the films for this year.

http://2008.sxsw.com/film/screenings/date/2008-03-07.html

SXSW Music Conference and Festival is one of the largest, most influential, and most anticipated music events of the year. Artists, agents, promoters, and talent buyers mix and mingle with hundreds of media representatives, managers, legal experts, and other professionals to hear amazing music of every genre and conduct crucial business. Careers are launched, deals are struck, advice is shared, fans are created, and media around the world fill TV screens, airwaves, magazine pages, and websites with daily reviews and reports. Here is a link to get a taste of what's going to be seen this year.
http://2008.sxsw.com/music/showcases/date/2008-03-12.html

If you plan on attending SXSW, you should register in order to receive a badge to attend one or all of the three Festivals. Although this year you must enter a local Austin address in order to receive your badge. Here is a link to register http://2008.sxsw.com/register_to_attend/

Whole Foods CEO Illegally Blogging?

2008-02-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

This past year, Whole Foods, the Austin based organic food company, was set to merge with its largest rival Wild Oats. That is until the CEO of Whole Foods was caught blogging under an alias undermining the credibility of Wild Oats. To some it was not a big deal, too the majority it was a CEO trying to lower the value of the competitors stock before the potential of a huge merger. In the world of finance, mergers, and of course the FTC, this was a major PR crisis.

On top of the already embarrassing discovery, John Mackey, Whole Foods CEO was quoted as telling board members that the merger would "eliminate forever" a company that could compete in the natural foods industry, adding that it would also help to "avoid nasty price wars." This is where the real problem began. It was in these two remarks that Mackey opened the door to the FTC for investigation into potential antitrust law issues.

One would think that a CEO who is trying to acquire its main competitor would immediately get on TV or online and send out an apology, but not Mackey. Mackey instead decided a better idea would be to justify his comments by counterattacking the FTC investigation. Mackey was quoted as saying, "If eliminating a competitor is inherently 'bad' or 'wrong' then the FTC should probably never allow any mergers to ever occur, because most mergers necessarily mean the elimination of a competitor from the marketplace."

The only apology Mackey ever made was in regards to the blogging incident. The company on the other hand did not stick by their CEO and instead, said it was the personal thoughts of Mackey and not the greater Whole Foods company. Not the most eloquent CEO but one must give him props for sticking with his guns.

In the world of PR this was a disaster. A CEO who is breaking antitrust laws, as well as writing statements on Yahoo financial blog imitating a customer. A crisis to say the least that this company, in general did not do much to handle. It seemed almost as if it merely disappeared, but was never resolved. There were many crisis management firms called in to help in the disaster, all of which had no impact on the outspoken CEO.

In my eyes the company did not handle this is a good manner. They should have immediately acted on what he had done, made serious comments, and made them public. The CEO especially should have contributed to damage control of his own doings. Although this was not a HUGE public scandal, to those who really invest time in this, it was. This was a good example of PR gone bad.

Can Clinton stop Obama's momentum?

2008-02-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

Not if she keeps losing key endorsements. On June 15, the Clinton Campaign released a media release which lauded TX State Representative Senfronia Thompson as a "leading Texan" in its list of representative endorsing Clinton. However, today, Rep. and superdelegate Thompson has switched and endorsed Senator Obama for President. Political blog Burnt Orange Report writes that,
[quote]

Combined with John Lewis' official switch today, Thompson's move makes for a bad PR day for Hillary Clinton, especially in Texas. Thompson isn't as important as Lewis on a national level, but as one of the longest serving Democratic state representatives and a candidate for Speaker of the House -- Thompson is symbolically as important in Texas.

[/quote]

Can Clinton revive her campaign with strong showings in Texas and Ohio March 4th? Will this poor publicity significantly affect her campaign?

Pet Food recall scare

2008-02-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

If anyone has a pet they can remember back to 2007 when most of the pet foods that you normally purchased were all being recalled because of potential melamine contamination. On March 15, 2007, the FDA learned that certain pet foods were sickening and killing cats and dogs. They found contaminants in vegetable proteins imported into the United States from China and used as ingredients in pet food. The result was the death of numerous dogs and cats and it was even found in some fish food.

Here is a link to USAToday where you can read some more information about which brands were actually recalled USA Today.

As a result of FDA and USDA's comprehensive investigation, on February 6, 2008, FDA announced that two Chinese nationals and the businesses they operate, along with a U.S. company and its president and chief executive officer, were indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a scheme to import products purported to be wheat gluten into the United States that were contaminated with melamine.
Other forms of help came from animal lovers such as the ASPCA who compiled lists of the recalled foods and posted them on their website to help get the word out to pet owners of what pet foods were infected.
The FDA has an ongoing pet food investigation and is still working to make sure that all pet foods are once again safe to feed our loved ones!

Five for Fighting donate money for Autism Speaks foundation

2008-02-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

Alternative band Five for Fighting teamed up with the website whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com in order to raise money for charities. Autism Speaks is one of these charities that has benefited most from this website. For every view from the autism videos posted (there are 133 to chose from), Five for Fighting donates $0.49 to the Autism Speaks foundation to help researchers find a cure for autism. Five for Fighting's goal is to have 10,000 views, but that doesn't mean their donations will stop there. As long as this campaign goes on, no matter how many views the videos receive, the donation from them will still be made.

Had I not been involved with the local Special Olympics delegation back home, I would not have received an email telling me of this amazing PR campaign. People do not realize how hard it is having someone with Autism in your family. I, personally, don't have anyone with autism in my family, but have worked with autistic children for many years. To learn more about autism and just what families have to fight for each day, click on the above link. I wanted to post one of the videos here on the page, but their is not an embedded link or url for me to include.

To learn more about Autism Speaks and other ways you can make a difference, click here

What kind of President do you want?

2008-02-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know how I feel about an African American President, but I also do not know if all my thoughts and pride go out to a women either. Last Thursday, February 21, 2008 Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama spoke here in Austin at the University of Texas in front of a large group of people, and the debate was also aired on CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/21/texas.debate/

The debate was important locally because it really got not only young people to get involved, but everyone in Austin. It was a good opportunity to really see what kind of changes could be made. Great topics were discussed and both democrats brought up excellent points; such as health care. Some proponents say that Universal health care is a must in America for the citizens and Clinton and Obama agreed to disagree with this specific topic.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/111811

This is our generation, and we need to make a smart, long decision to better our country. Don't forget to vote, and lets try to work at this together to make The United States a safer more reliable place. The debate was a big deal and we were lucky to have them come here to our city of Austin.

Yao Ming Out for Session and maybe Olympics

2008-02-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

Houston Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming is out for the rest of the session due to a stress fracture in his left foot. According to Houston Rocket general manger Daryl Morey, Yao has had the stress fractured for almost two weeks now. Last Wednesday, February 27, 2008, Yao set a press release conference to talk about what has happened. Yao Ming is devastative over the injury. This injury is not a injury that happened right away but took several weeks, maybe years for a stress fracture to happen. Yao Ming put a lot of stress in his feet because the Rockets did not have a suitable back-up center for a couple of months. According to the Houston Chronicle, "Doctor blamed the injury on accumulated stress on the bone rather than any single incident. Titan said the true cause was the Rockets' failure to provide a reliable substitute for Yao, forcing him into too much game time." The city of Houston is also in distort because of this situation. The Rockets have had a 12 game winning streak with Yao, and without Yao they do not know how long the streak will continue. On the other side of the world, China, has been upset too. China biggest, tallest star is injured. Yao is probably and most likely the hugest star in China. This also might hurt China in the Olympics as well. "When we heard about Yao's injury, we felt shocked and concerned just like all the basketball fans in China, "Bai Ximin, manager of the national men's team told a packed news conference. "We can totally understand how he feels right now, and we hope he'll remain positive and optimistic while receiving treatment." Yao is expected to be okay during the middle of June but we have no idea if the injury will heal at that time. There is a small percentage that China might be missing their biggest star during the Olympics. If you are interested in reading more about this new release the web link is: Yao Out.
This is a very good press release. I feel like it has touched based on what is important here. That is Yao Ming health and how his country is still supportive of the 7'6 center for the Houston Rockets. Yao Ming is a international icon, especially in Beijing where he is from. The lead of the press release was well developed on the Houston Chronicle website, where I found the new release. I feel like the news release was well developed because it informed the audience about the reality of the injury. Right now, I feel bad for the City of Houston and China. The Rockets have been doing so well lately with 13-0 run. They are the hottest team right now in the NBA (National Basketball Association). I hope that everything works out in the end for Yao Ming and the Rockets and the Olympic team for China. In this blog I am illustrating an effective crisis. The reason why I am doing this is because this is bad for the Houston Rockets and the country of China. Losing a star player is key especially being so close to the playoff and the Olympics. The press release was well done and was immediately out in the media.
Below is the press conference for Yao Ming:

Georgetown High School Students Interview Iraq Soldiers in Teleconference

2008-02-28T13:32:00.001-08:00

Here in Central Texas, Georgetown high school students crossed the 7,300 miles between their campus and Baghdad, Iraq using an Internet teleconferencing system to speak live with an Iraqi soldiers. The school set up a giant screen in the library allowing students to speak in real time with soldiers on the other side of the world. The US Army and Williamson County Commissioner Valerie Covey set up the teleconference.
This is a great practice being performed because it allows for lots of interviews in a limited amount of time. With the new technology there does not have to be a camera crew and reporter to establish an interview. It allows for the audience to interact with someone in actual time. The most beneficial aspect is that the audience is affected much more when they have a real interaction with a soldier overseas explaining the current conflict.
Now that the war has been going on for a few years, the recent and current high school students across America have become more interested in the Army. There are interview with soldiers in Iraq but reporters getting paid do them. They see the commercials and other forms of advertising everywhere but don’t get the chance to talk to soldiers in service. That is why it was a great idea to set up a large-scale teleconference with an appropriate audience.

The only real problems with the teleconference were that the screen in the library often became fuzzy and hard to see the soldiers. The audio worked well which was the most important part but there was an eight second delay between the students and the soldiers. These are all easy problems to solve in the future and should be used more frequently with students. It is a great way to really influence young adults instead of just advertising.

Whole Foods, this is Emeril. Emeril, this is Whole Foods!

2008-02-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

Celebrities go crazy. Celebrity Chefs go organic!
At least this is true for Emeril Lagasse, who is currently working on a new cooking show entitled Emeril Green which will be featured on an up and coming television network Planet Green, produced by Discovery Communications.

Emeril acting coy

This dynamic new show will feature Emeril preparing innovative signature recipes just as in the past, however he will be working in a Whole Foods Market, incorporating Whole Foods ingredients and products. This seems a very fitting marriage for the two culinary dynasties.
Not only does this serve as a cross-promotional act, it seems Emeril is taking the idea to heart, as he states, "I try a little harder every day to think greener and be respectful of our environment and our resources. On 'Emeril Green' we'll unearth how easy and fun it is to cook with what's fresh, tasty and in-season and find smart ways to make each day a little greener for you and your family."

The Whole Foods Crest

The new Planet Green network from Discovery will cover topical issues of concern for the more modern and progressive television viewer, who is ultimately interested in sustainable foods and a reversion to simpler living. This hypothetical demographic is already expected to shop at Whole Foods and possibly have some interest in culinary arts. It is a wise and profitable three-way marriage for all investors.
For green gossip about the new television show, http://www.ecorazzi.com/2008/02/28/emeril-lagasse-bringing-some-green-cooking-to-discovery-channel/

The NFL and Apple Teamup.

2008-02-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well it's finally happened, we have reached a period in time where Apple inc. seems to be taking over our technological world. The National Football League (NFL) and Apple® today announced that they will bring 2006 NFL regular season action to the iTunes® Store. itunes® is now offering NFL lovers a chance see all their favorite game highlights. itunes® will offer downloads of highlights from any and all football games for $1.99 per game, or you can follow one team by paying a season pass of $24.99, which includes automatic updates and downloads. The NFL Vice President of Media Strategies states "We’re convinced offering NFL highlights produced by Emmy Award-winning NFL Films and NFL Network’s GameDay on iTunes® is a great way for fans to not only follow their team but also experience the NFL as they never have before.”

I think this is a very effective strategy for Apple® to gain a larger number of subscribers. They use an ethical persuasive appeal by trying to appeal to a different group of individuals, NFL fans. Apple® is persuading NFL fans by offering them something that has never been done, the opportunity to download any game highlights and watch them when ever you want. Before now itunes® seemed to target more towards youthful music lovers.

The NFL is the largest national sports league with the largest number of fans, which is why I believe Apple® is interested in them. No other online source has this deal with the NFL therefore it is exclusively found on itunes® . Apple with defiantly gain new business simply through sports fans who don't have the expensive NFL Network, or through sport fans who are constantly on the go and who don't watch much television.

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/sep/12nfl.html

Bridgestone/Firestone Tire Recall Crisis Communication

2008-02-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

In August of 2000, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced a voluntary recall from defected tires. Defective tires included Firestone Radial ATX and Radial ATX II tires in size P235/75R15 produced in North America, Mexico, and Wilderness AT tires in size P235/75R15 produced at the Decatur, Illinois plant. All the owners of vehicles with defective tires were contacted by mail for replacement of tires. Gary Crigger the Executive Vice President of Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced the recall, out of the 14.4 million tires produced 6.5 million tires were recalled. In response to this PR crisis, Crigger announced that
"We felt we must take this extraordinary step as a precaution to ensure consumer safety and consumer confidence in our brands. So, no matter how old the tires, no matter how many miles they have on them, we will replace them with new tires…Throughout this process, we have been working very closely with Ford Motor Company and NHTSA to determine the cause of the accidents involving vehicles with these tires. While we have not determined what, if any, problem there may be with these tires, our review of the data suggests three things…We will inspect each customer’s tires for damage or excessive wear, while checking to make sure the tires are inflated to the level specified by the vehicle's manufacturer….We extend our condolences to families that have lost loved ones in accidents. We also apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this recall causes and we ask for their patience," --Crigger
Crigger handled the Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. tire recall quite well by using effective crises communication in his statements. Criggger used concern, clarity, control, confidence, and competence in his statements to the public which was a positive PR image for his company.
CNN article about tire recall

The Bonnaroo Press Release: One little letter makes a big difference

2008-02-28T12:04:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month when a press release was sent out by the organizers of the annual Bonnaroo Music Festival announcing this year's lineup, many people in the music industry thought the rumors of a Led Zeppelin reunion had been confirmed. However, the release did not say "Led Zeppelin" but rather "Lez Zeppelin," which is definitely not the same band. Lez Zeppelin is an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band, but was placed relatively high up in the lineup announcement, right after headliners Pearl Jam, Metallica, Jack Johnson, Kanye West and Willie Nelson. If not scrutinized too closely, one might think that the real Led Zeppelin was performing, which is what many newspapers and websites did think (Associated Press, NME Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times).

There had been rumors of Led Zeppelin's U.S. reunion taking place at this year's Bonnaroo Festival, so perhaps the Bonnaroo PR people decided to draw more attention to the festival by listing Lez Zeppelin high on the announcement to make people initially believe that Led Zeppelin was indeed playing. Technically, its not deceitful; Lez Zeppelin is a real band that is confirmed to play the festival, and they WERE listed after bands that Led Zeppelin would have dwarfed in popularity, notoriety, and audience-draw. Even Robert Plant & Alison Krauss is listed before Lez Zeppelin, which should have tipped anyone writing for a music magazine, music section of a newspaper, or music website should have seen from a mile away. Press Release below:

BONNAROO MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2008 LINEUP FEATURING: PEARL JAM, METALLICA, JACK JOHNSON, KANYE WEST, ALISON KRAUSS & ROBERT PLANT, MY MORNING JACKET, WILLIE NELSON, PHIL LESH & FRIENDS, B.B. KING, SIGUR ROS, THE RACONTEURS, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

LEZ ZEPPELIN CONFIRMED

COMEDY TENT TO HOST ZACH GALIFIANAKIS, JANEANE GAROFALO, JIM NORTON, MIKE BIRBIGLIA AND LATE NIGHT LIVE TALK SHOW WITH DAVID CROSS

EXCLUSIVE 2008 FESTIVAL COMMEMORATIVE DVD AVAILABLE TO FANS WHEN PURCHASING TICKETS

New York, NY. Wednesday, February 6th, 2008: Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are proud to annousnce the initial lineup for the 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The seventh annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 12-15 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2008 lineup will total over 100 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Tickets go on sale exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com on Saturday, February 16 at 12:00 PM EDT.

The largest and most revered music and camping event in the country, Bonnaroo has elevated the American rock festival to an unprecedented level. As the only round-the-clock major U.S. music festival, Bonnaroo packs an unparalleled amount of entertainment options into its four days. The event offers attendees the amenities and community spirit of a small city, with 24 hours of activities including a comedy theater, cinema festival, jazz club, silent disco, arcade, Internet cafés, restaurants, yoga classes and hundreds of high quality craft vendors. Since its inception in 2002, Bonnaroo has swiftly earned its status as the country's premier music and arts event. According to the New York Times, "Bonnaroo has revolutionized the modern rock festival." The event is famous for the incredible energy that emerges from its crowds, who make the Bonnaroo pilgrimage to immerse themselves in its unique camping community and witness four days of historical music moments. Honoring the festival's unique spirit, Rolling Stone called Bonnaroo "one of the 50 moments to change the history of rock and roll."

2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Confirmed Artists:

Pearl Jam
Metallica
Jack Johnson
Kanye West
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Phil Lesh & Friends
My Morning Jacket
The Allman Brothers Band
The Raconteurs
Willie Nelson
Death Cab for Cutie
B.B. King
Sigur Ros
Levon Helm and the Ramble on the Road
Ben Folds
O.A.R.
The Bluegrass Allstars Feat. Luke Bulla, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Bryan Sutton
M.I.A.
Umphrey's McGee
Iron & Wine
Yonder Mountain String Band
Swell Season
Talib Kweli
Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi's Soul Stew Revival
Gogol Bordello
Broken Social Scene
Robert Randolph's Revival
Rilo Kiley
Mastodon
Lupe Fiasco
Against Me!
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
Pat Green
Ozomatli
Tegan & Sara
Solomon Burke
Drive-By Truckers
!!!
The Avett Brothers
Israel Vibration
Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck
Phil Lesh / Larry Campbell / Jackie Greene
Aimee Mann
Ladytron
The Fiery Furnaces
Orchestra Baobab
Ghostland Observatory
Jose Gonzalez
Dark Star Orchestra
Minus the Bear
Donavon Frankenreiter
Lez Zeppelin <--------------------
State Radio
Battles
Jakob Dylan
Two Gallants
The Sword
Vampire Weekend
Little Feat
Nicole Atkins
The Felice Brothers
Mason Jennings
MGMT
The Lee Boys
Black Kids

Jessica & Tony Publicity Stunt

2008-02-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

Jessica Simpson and current Dallas Cowboy's Quarterback boyfriend,Tony Romo were in US Weekly magazine this past week. US Weekly claimed they had an exclusive story on the couple's plans to get married. OK! magazine contacted Simpson's rep who neither denied the story or made any attempt to play down the rumor, therefore it is believed that the whole stunt was done intentionally. Supposedly the news is nothing but a rumor and sources close to Simpson claim that she is known for leaking false information about her love life in order to get back in the spotlight or in this case on the cover of the latest tabloid magazine.

To be honest I think this is a great publicity stunt. If Simpson did give out this information in order to "spark up talk" about herself, she definitely accomplished what she intended to accomplish. Simpson and Romo have not really had much attention since the ruckus she caused for attending the Dallas Cowboys games to support Romo when Cowboys fans blamed Simpson for their loss in the playoffs. Therefore, Simpson probably felt like it was time for the two to be talked about by the public again. If Simpson was this desperate to remain in the spotlight I think she knew exactly how to do it because the public is obviously interested in her and Romo's relationship. Especially considering Simpson is supposed to drop her new country album soon which has not received much attention and is not highly anticipated, she definitely needed this boost to stay on the minds of the public if she wants people to know about her new album. I give props to Simpson, just goes to show that if you use publicity correctly it can definitely help your career.

Maxim Shoots Down Black Crowes

2008-02-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

Maxim magazine recently butted heads with American rock band, the Black Crowes, over an unjust attempt at reviewing the bands latest album, "Warpaint" in the magazine's March 2008 issue. According to the Crowes' manager, Pete Angelus, justice was not served on their end of the issue and further states on the Black Crowes' website, “Maxim's actions seem to completely lack journalistic integrity and intentionally mislead their readership."

However, in Maxim's defense to the allegations held against them, they stated that the magazine was only previewing the CD and not reviewing it based off the one single "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution." The magazine does admit their mistake in relation to rating the Crowes' with only giving the band two and a half stars out of five after hearing only one track off the album. Furthermore, Maxim editorial director, James Kaninsky states: "It is Maxim's editorial policy to assign star ratings only to those albums that have been heard in their entirety. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in the March 2008 issue of our magazine and we apologize to our readers."

Though Maxim magazine has publicly apologized to both the readers and the Black Crowes, Angelus cannot convey his trust and respect back within the magazine. In a statement posted on the bands website he states, "In my opinion, it’s a disgrace to the arts, journalism, critics, the publication itself and the public. What’s next--Maxim's concert reviews of shows they never attended, book reviews of books never read and film reviews of films never seen?”

FOX cuts Montel for cutting loose

2008-02-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Montel Williams lost his job for speaking his mind on a Fox news broadcast. Montel addressed the issue that to much airtime was being focused on the death of famous actor Heath Ledger, and not enough time on the 28 people that have died in the war in Iraq. Montel was asked to join Fox news for a special, and instead of agreeing with the hosts of the show, he shocked them. Montel exposes the "news" shows and american culture by saying that they have both become shallow and greedy. After being cut off, Montel did not return after the commercial break. Four days later, key FOX owned stations decided not to renew his show for the 2008-2009 season. Montel has been a television host for 17 years and now is being let down by the media for trying to help out the soldiers of the U.S. military. Montel is now being backed by american troops around the world, and FOX might have a PR crisis on their hand. Having this event happen on FOX news (a station that has done more harm to the U.S. military than any other) makes their image worse, and thats why so many troops are backing Montel up on his decision.

"Montel Williams is an American patriot. Though he left the military years ago, he has never forgotten “his” troops."- Brandon Friedman

Reality TV Star Fired From Day Job

2008-02-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Recently Adam Jasinski, a star on the CBS reality television series "Big Brother" made a comment on the air calling autistic children "retards." Jasinki, who worked for the United Autism Foundation as a PR manager no less, later said that he could call these children with autism whatever he wanted because he worked with them. The show "Big Brother" involves grouping people together in a house with absolutely no contact from the outside world and filming them, so Jasinski really would have no idea that his comments caused an outcry or, were even noticed at all. Unfortunately for Jasinski this was no idle comment unheard by the masses watching. Apparently at least one advertiser "pulled out of the show," and several austism groups have called for CBS to cancel "Big Brother".

This is a good example of PR Crisis Management. Apparently, it was well known to other stars of the show as well as viewers that Jasinski worked for the United Autism Foundation. Therefore, Jasinski is somewhat of a representative for the foundation while he is on the show. A comment like that is bound to offend many people, and action would have to be taken in order to show that the United Autism Foundation does not use that kind of language or terminology for those they work with, and do not approve of those that do. The crisis was effectively managed by the UNIAF firing Jasinski, as it was announced on their website. However, due to the sequestered nature of the stars of "Big Brother", Jasinski won't even know he's been fired until he is finished with the show.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02272008/tv/big_brother_star_fired_for_retard_commen_99458.htm

Too Sexy to Fly

2008-02-28T08:32:00.000-08:00

I'm sure everyone heard the buzz when Southwest airlines asked a girl not to fly because her outfit was "too revealing" . When 23-year-old Kyla Ebbert got on the plane in a denim skirt, tank top and sweater, she was told she needed to change or get off the plane. Ebbert did not have a carry on bag and could not change so she was escorted off of the plane. She was told by a man who worked for Southwest that her outfit was too provacative for a family airline. Ebbert got back onto the plane and wrapped herself in a blanket for the remainder of the flight.

Southwest Chief Executive Gary Kelly did publically apologize to Ebbert shorty after. This is a good example of crisis PR. Kelly did act very quickly in attept to resolve the issue, however, it was not immediately successful.

When that was not a success, the airline made a joke of the situation by referring back to their image in the 1970s as "The love airline" because their stewardesses were required by dresscode to wear hot pants. Colleen Barrett, company president, then took a different approach when she anounced a miniskirts-and-hot pants fare sale. Kelly then makes fun of his own airline by talking about the changed they have made since the hot pants days of Southwest Airlines. Part of their crises method was focused on the customers. Kelly said they need to "lean towards customers" rather than these silly types of things.

Press Release:
Southwest Airlines Apologizes to Woman Told to Cover Up, Announces 'Skimpy' Fare Sale
Saturday, September 15, 2007

E-MAIL STORY
PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines Co. says it is apologizing to a young California woman who was told her outfit was too skimpy to fly, and it's using the brouhaha as a marketing ploy — announcing a "miniskirt fare sale."

The aggrieved woman, Kyla Ebbert, took her case Friday to "The Dr. Phil Show." Host Phil McGraw read an apology from Southwest Chief Executive Gary Kelly during the show, which is scheduled to air Tuesday.

Ebbert said she was on a Southwest plane ready to take off from San Diego on July 3 when an airline employee asked her to change her miniskirt, top and sweater or get off.

In a compromise, the 23-year-old was allowed to stay on the flight to Tucson, Ariz., after pulling her skirt down and her top up.

Kelly said the airline apologized to Ebbert in August and thought the affair was over. But in the past two weeks, Ebbert went on NBC's "Today Show" and then "The Dr. Phil Show."

Ebbert's account, and a similar one by another young California woman this week, led to unfavorable press coverage and Internet chatter about Dallas-based Southwest. Newspaper columnists and bloggers derided the airline — which put its stewardesses in hot pants and called itself "The love airline" in the 1970s — as prudish.

Related
Stories
Another Woman Claims Southwest Airlines Forced Her to Cover Up on Flight
Southwest Flight Attendant Tries to Boot Hooters Waitress From Plane Over Clothing

So Kelly decided to change the tone Friday by issuing another apology to Ebbert — company President Colleen Barrett was dispatched to phone her — and announce a miniskirts-and-hot pants fare sale.

"It is quite humorous, given that we were born with hot pants," Kelly said. "We're trying to be good-humored about all this."

Kelly declined to give his opinion of Ebbert's July 3 outfit, and said the airline needs to "lean towards the customer."

"We don't have a dress code at Southwest Airlines, and we don't want to put our employees in the position of being the fashion police," he said, "but there's a fine line you walk sometimes in not offending other passengers."

Kelly said Ebbert is a regular customer of Southwest and he hopes to keep it that way.

On Friday, the airline offered Ebbert two free round-trip tickets, and it issued a double entendre-laced press release announcing "skimpy" sale fares of $49 to $109 each way, available for 10 days.

Efforts to reach Ebbert were unsuccessful.

Airline officials said they hadn't contacted another woman, Setara Qassim, who told a TV interviewer this week that a Southwest employee made her wrap a blanket over her short dress with plunging neckline. Southwest officials said they had no record of Qassim, 21, filing a complaint.

For Ebbert's Today Show interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lthoHbTo3Ck

Mary Kate and Ashley Sell Out Even More

2008-02-28T01:06:00.001-08:00

In their latest efforts to make their billion dollar fortune even larger, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are about to release a coffee table book. Why? You ask. Well, why not, they might reply. These two have sold everything from movies to an entertainment empire, so as they grow older, why not please crowds their own age, all while ripping them off. The book will be called "Influence" and should be released this Fall. Supposedly, by purchasing this book you will get an inside look into the lives of the twins, through unseen photographs and interviews of those close to them. "Mary-Kate and I have filled `Influence' with the most interesting, challenging, creative people we know — the ones who helped pave the way for us and our generation," Ashley Olsen said in a statement. Not only will this book help the twin's wads of cash grow, but allowing them to be seen in a more professional and mature light will allow an older audience to view them differently, which could in turn give birth to new career areas to explore.

The Wonderful World of Brands: WWF/WWE

2008-02-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

When people think of professional wrestling, they immediately think of World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, but it isn’t the only brand of pro wrestling that ever existed. Through the brand-building scheme of Consumer Public Relations, the WWE was able to become synonymous with pro wrestling, even putting its two major competitors out of business. The two other brands of pro wrestling during the 1990s were World Championship Wrestling, or WCW, and Extreme Championship Wrestling, or ECW, and they both went out of business in 2001.
www.wwe.com

By definition, a brand is “a label that seeks to add perceived value to a consumer product by generating loyalty or preference (Tench 422).” During the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, the WWE, or the WWF as it was known at the time, crossed into mainstream pop culture. Many people who weren’t wrestling fans knew the likes of Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan. Wrestling became widely popular, but at one point in the late 1990s, the WWE didn’t have either loyalty or preference from wrestling fans. The WWE responded to low ratings against WCW in the late 1990s by launching The Attitude Era, which showcased Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. In contrast to WCW, the Attitude Era presented “edgy” storylines aimed at adults. With advent of The Attitude Era, WCW drastically suffered. The final straw was when the WWE was able to have Mike Tyson appear on its Monday Night Raw show after the infamous ear incident with Evander Holyfield. When people tuned in to see Mike Tyson, they were fascinated with the show as a whole. From there, the WWE brand was able to build upon itself.
http://prowrestling.about.com/od/thepromotions/a/historywwe.htm

According to the text, a brand must comply with four conditions (Tench 423):
1) “Something that has a buyer and a seller.”
In regards to “a buyer and a seller,” the WWE holds a 3 hour pay-per-view every month and it sells merchandise from its website, www.wweshop.com. Fans will pay $40 a month to see matches that have been extensively hyped up during their regular programming. They’ll also pay $25 for a t-shirt with the image of their favorite wrestler.
2) “Something that has a differentiating name, symbol, or trademark. Moreover, it is differentiated from other similar products around it for reasons other than its name or trademark.”
The WWE, formerly known as the WWF, has had many trademark designs over the years. Its logo looks like a scribbled W with another W on top of it, and an F hanging off the side. Since becoming the WWE, the hanging F has been removed.

3) Something that has positive or negative assocications in consumers’ minds for reasons other than its literal product characteristics.”
The positive associations with the WWE are Wrestlemania, a wrestling pay-per-view known as “the grandaddy of the them all,” which has showcased appearances from figures in pop culture. The first Wrestlemania had an appearance by Mr. T, and the most recent event had an appearance by Donald Trump. The negative associations are “wrestling is fake” and steroid use (which it doesn’t legally allow).

4) “Something that has been created, rather than is naturally occurring.”
The WWE developed originally from the National Wrestling Alliance, or NWA. Then, in 1963 the World Wide Wrestling Federation, or WWWF, branched from the NWA In 1976, the WWWF was renamed the World Wrestling Federation, or WWF. However, the brand lost its rights to the acronym to the World Wildlife Fund in 2002, thus becoming the WWE.
http://prowrestling.about.com/od/thepromotions/a/historywwe.htm

Brands have an emotional power, and the WWE is no exception. The pro-wrestling company allows a special connection with its fans through its history. Many fans were introduced to wrestling by their fathers, providing a bonding experience. Fans have memories of their favorite childhood wrestlers and the fun they had cheering for him or her. The WWE also provides three separate shows on three separate days of the week, 52 weeks of the year with no re-runs. The WWE is successful because of innovative ideas complete with brand building. The text explains:

Given the emotional capital that is invested in some-if not all-purchasing decisions, public relations can be used to deomstrate that a brand empathises with the worries, needs and aspirations of particular groups of people, allowing it connect and align itself with consumers in an indirect but powerful association (Tench 423).

To make my point, has anyone ever heard of TNA?

Will the points be in or out? Heidi Klum teams up with My coke rewards

2008-02-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

So, I am sure all of you watched the Oscars. Right? Yes? No? Well Heidi Klum wore a GORGEOUS red dress by John Galiano.. Here's a recap: ------------------->

there you go. Well, not only is this a gorgeous dress, it could be yours for the right amount of points! My coke rewards points, that is. Heidi Klum teamed up with the Coca-Cola Company and their my rewards program. They are auctioning off this beautiful dress for the highest bidder. Every 3 points equals $1. Their goal is $250,000. Their proceeds will go towards the Foundation of the National Institu tes of Health in Bethesda, MD.

I really love this PR tool. Everyone loves Coca-Cola ( I am biased, so this is my opinion) and everyone loves Heidi Klum (again my opinion). I think Heidi Klum will drive more people to the My coke rewards website and some might begin the program. I, myself, am a devout point saver and a proud Diet Coke addict. I have 3300 points so far and I am saving to 5300 to get this sweet XM player. Pretty cool huh!?

Heidi Klum and Coca-Cola will act as Good Samaritans for the month. This is a good cause benefit. It looks great on both parties involved. Will I bid on Heidi Klum's dress? Probably not, seeing she is a size -2.

My Coke Rewards is a great promotional tool, itself. Yet, Heidi Klum's participation has really helped it out a lot.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Translation: Jay-Z knows Hip-Hoppers Don't Dance into Cell Phone Stores

2008-02-27T20:40:00.001-08:00

Knowing your publics is top priority in the advertising business as well as the PR business. However, it is well known that advertising companies are sometimes disconnected from communities that are not of the mainstream.

Well, hip-hop mogul Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z, wishes to change this. Last week, Carter purchased a 51% stake in New-York based Translation advertising and will be acting as chairman. The ad agency is part of Stoute’s Translation Consultation and Brand Imaging company. According to Carter, Translation advertising will do its best to dispel myths about several key publics, specifically the hip-hop community.

Talking to reporters, Carter expressed his desire to "talk to corporate America and have them understand our voice, really. Not any satire or any type of way like that."

Correctly identifying the best way to communicate to a specific public will undoubtedly put Jay-Z ahead of the pack.