In certain quarters, there's a lot of talk about the death of advertising. Frankly, I find it hard to take seriously. I'm willing to grant that the industry has a head cold. And I'm willing to grant that blogs and other new media delivery systems can make it better, when properly administered. As far as death goes, I think not. Here's my pitch to students and others interested in a career in advertising: To really …
Wal-Mart Acknowledges Critics. Responds With Traditional P.R. Onslaught.
Wal-Mart is many things to many people. For many, Wal-Mart is simply an affordable place to shop. And what could be wrong with that? For others, Wal-Mart represents all that is wrong with our out-sourced economy. Still others argue that Wal-Mart deteriorates the very infrastructure of a town center, and they vigorously fight the mega-retailer on land-use, zoning and economic fronts. USA TODAY says: The world's …
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Lay’s Legal Team Turns To P.R. Campaign (They Can Afford It)
from Houston Chronicle: Ken Lay is a 21st century defendant, and he's willing to pay up to 12 cents every time somebody figures that out. Not only is he telling his side of things on his own Web site, but he's paying to make sure major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and AOL list his site first when you search for his name, Enron and related terms. The former chairman's computer-literate litigation team is …
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Dirt Devil Burning Up The Rug
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The maker of the Dirt Devil is recalling about 20,000 Sweeper Vac battery-powered upright vacuums because they can overheat and start a fire. No injuries have been reported, Royal Appliance Mfg. Co. said Tuesday. The recalled vacuums were made in China and have "Dirt Devil" and "Sweeper Vac" printed on the front and model number M083000 and plant Code J printed on a silver plate on the back. They …
Retail Cat Killers Take Teamwork Too Far
from Chicago Tribune: EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Two Wal-Mart employees who police say followed a manager's orders to shoot and kill a stray cat have been charged with federal animal cruelty. The men, both assistant managers at the Supercenter, were arrested and released after a court appearance Wednesday. Christopher Anderson, 29, and Jeffrey Hardin, 21, told police the store's manager ordered them to get rid of the animal …
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Market Segmentation Creates Agency Fragmentation
from Lewis Lazare: Convinced the gay and lesbian market is one of the largest untapped audiences in the communications marketplace, public relations giant Fleishman-Hillard on Monday announced it is launching FH Out Front, a dedicated practice aimed at that community. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered audience is estimated to encompass as much as 10 percent of the United States population with an estimated …
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Tonight At Nine
from the PBS web site: FRONTLINE takes an in-depth look at the multibillion-dollar "persuasion industries" of advertising and public relations and how marketers have developed new ways of integrating their messages deeper into the fabric of our lives. Through sophisticated market research methods to better understand consumers and by turning to the little-understood techniques of public relations to make sure their …
