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?

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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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
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Pope comes to US to talk about sex scandal

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

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"

"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'!

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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 Dove 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

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.