B.L. Ochman has some suggestions for pr flaks who want her to pay attention to their story. What's Next's Pitching Rules for Flaks Publicists, please paste these to your refrigerator or filing cabinet 1. don't pretend you're not a publicist 2. don't lie 3. if you forget rule 2, refer to rule 1 4. provide an email address from your company, not hotmail, yahoo, or gmail; and a phone number in case I have a question. 5. …
Hey Boss, Back Away From The Camera
International Herald Tribune: According to a survey by Edelman public relations in New York, conducted recently in 11 countries, chief executives no longer command the trust they used to among consumers, and generally should not be pressed into service as media spokesmen. Edelman said the survey findings were consistent with other indications of a democratization of the business and media spheres, as the internet …
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People Don’t Talk Like That
Stiff formality: Another press release no-no. "We're delighted to be expanding our presence at Sundance, as we know that the Stella Artois drinker is one who appreciates creative risk-taking, diversity, and aesthetic innovation characteristic of the films debuted at the Festival," said Victor Melendez, director of marketing of European Brands, InBev USA. …
Alaska Airlines Debacle Made Worse By Attack Dogs
Jeremy Hermanns of Tribal DDB was on Alaska flight #536 from Seattle to L.A. when twenty minutes after take off the MD-80 airplane tore a hole in it’s fuselage at 30K feet. Jeremy writes about it on his blog. It's an interesting account, but what is hard to understand are comments on his blog like this one: You come up with some very imaginative terms to describe the smell and what was happening. Can you explain to …
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Does Big Business Have A PR Problem?
From today's New York Times: More than ever, Americans do not trust business or the people who run it. Pollsters, researchers, even many corporate chiefs themselves say that business is under attack by a majority of the public, which believes that executives are bent on destroying the environment, cooking the books and lining their own pockets. Many executives, while acknowledging the public antipathy, adamantly …
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HP Takes Responsibility But Not Credit
Internet News is running an article about the greening of HP. The piece draws attention to HP's efforts to recycle approximately 140 million pounds of hardware and HP print cartridges globally, an increase of over 17 percent from the prior year. It also highlights the difficulty HP has historically had in claiming PR wins around this issue. "If HP invented sushi they would have called it 'cold, dead fish,' " said Amy …
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Lazarian Roundup
Lewis Lazare shares some worthwhile tidbits today in his Chicago Sun Times advertising column. • The Joffrey Ballet and Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop are teaming up to promote Joffrey's 50th anniversary and Ghirardelli's 10th year in Chicago. Ghirardelli has unveiled a new shop window display with Joffrey costumes, the first time anything but chocolate will have been featured there. • Dunkin' Brands is …
“Fills You With Volcanicity” Takes On Whole New Meaning
From a public relations perspective, a blog can be a great tool to help manage a brand crisis. Too bad Volvic doesn't have one in place. Yahoo News: French food and drink group Danone said it was investigating a report in Britain that a potentially harmful chemical had been detected in bottles of Volvic, one of its leading brands of mineral water. Danone said it was "actively investigating the exact cause of this …
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