The Flack

I ran in to Richard Strauss at Bulldog Reporter's recent Media Relations Conference in New York. Strauss's DC and NY firm, Strauss Radio Strategies, focuses exclusively on the terrestrial, satellite and digital audio opportunities available to members of the PR profession. He's a good guy who really knows the space.

For the dedication of the National World War II Memorial, we had retained his firm to capture veterans' impressions of the prominent new structure on the Mall for feeding back to their hometown radio stations. Over two days, dozens upon dozens of octogenarians generously shared their views with the millions of Americans unable to attend the historic ceremonies.

Mr. Strauss now finds himself in a proverbial political pickle. One of his clients, General Motors, seeking to build public support for its employee buyout plan, had Strauss approach former Labor Secretary Robert Reich for an audio sound bite backing the plan. Apparently, and it's unclear from the article, a suggestion of an honorarium arose to which Mr. Reich bristled and blew the whistle on his "friend" and fellow Dem.

Here we go again -- pay for play. Whether Mr. Strauss intended his "offer" as a quid pro quo is not as relevant to us as the stringent new rules for eliciting third-party support in the media for an issue, product or service. I certainly understand the ethical breach when a journalist crosses the line by accepting payment for delivering positive news coverage. And the same goes for working politicians who nonetheless accept payment in a less overt (though legal) manner.

I just wonder whether this ethical uproar occurred because this is a politically divisive issue, Mr. Reich believes his current role as an academic prohibits such behavior, or we simply find ourselves in an anti-paid spokesperson environment. It seems hypocritical for a national scandal to break out over a four-figure honorarium when politicians accept millions every day in PAC money.

Why no scandal when Charlton Heston is paid to flack for the gun lobby, Brooke Shields for the makers of a post-partum drug, and Catherine Zeta-Jones for T-Mobile, a company that has more than a few dealings with federal legislators and regulators?

Ironically, had Mr. Reich truly believed in GM's position on the issue, he might very well have agreed to speak out simply for the media exposure a PR firm would have engendered on his behalf. Furthermore, I have learned that GM continues to have Strauss Radio on board to help the company get its point of view across.

Smart, since Strauss is a firm with great integrity, and I don't believe this story(for which Mr. Reich was never actually interviewed) merited the Times's attention. What's wrong with asking Mr. Reich what his fee might be? This is standard operating procedure for soliciting high-profile third-party support for an issue. After all, isn't Mr. Reich already extremely handsomely compensated on the speaker's circuit?

PR Robert Reich journalism public relations media Pay-for-play GM

First it loses the Miss America Pageant, and now Atlantic City may lose its nostalgic presence on the Monopoly board. That's 250 million units sold since 1950. Where's Donald Trump when you need him?

In a scheme vaguely reminiscent of New Coke, the marketing minds at Hasbro are considering replacing Park Place, Baltic, Ventnor, Atlantic, Boardwalk and the other iconic squares with a "here and now" version voted on by...you and me! Holy blue M&M! Here comes Cleveland and Seattle.

The new version would let consumers vote to fill the 22 spots on the board. Atlantic City's blighted real estate apparently is not among the choices.

"Sure, put in the Statue of Liberty and Disney World and other places," said Jeffrey Vassar, executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, which has a "Help Keep Atlantic City on the Board" petition on the city's Web site. "But it's a slight to not have the Atlantic City Boardwalk as one of the stops," he added.

Will Atlantic City be able to propel the public to protect Park Place? Will The Donald get fired...up? Will the nostalgia police prevail in Pawtucket? Don't bet on it.

PR Monopoly public relations Atlantic City Donald Trump

I was on vacation back in February when I started to pen an item on President Bush's ill-fated decision to support the takeover of America's largest ports by a company based in Dubai. The item never was posted because my blogging consigliere Jeremy Pepper advised me to relax and enjoy my week off. The item started like this:

Like it or not, many clients still measure a PR pro's stature by the number of editors, producers and reporters in his or her Rolodex, Treo or Outlook address book. Too few recognize that the quality of the story, not the quality of the relationship, will almost always determine its prospects for pick-up.

The most seasoned PR pros, however, have honed their instincts to know how a piece of news will play out -- for better or worse. In looking at President Bush's steadfast support for an Arab company taking over six U.S. ports, many in our profession immediately recognized its inherent folly:

"This is a private transaction," said Bush, speaking to reporters gathered on the White House lawn. "This transaction does not jeopardize in any way the security of the country. People who are responsible in the government have reviewed this transaction. This transaction should go forward, in my judgment."

My PR instincts tell me this deal is doomed to failure. Even Sen. Frist has qualms with it. Ironically, the Administration's consistent use of terrorist alerts to keep Americans on edge (and presumably politically supportive) actually work against it in this situation.

Ultimately, the public uproar over this deal caused it to fall through big time. It was then that I began to seriously question the fabled wisdom of those advising Mr. Bush. How could they not recognize how dopey this idea was?

Flash forward to today when we learn that Mr. Bush has approved a second Dubai company to take over some U.S. manufacturing facilities, including those that produce parts for U.S. fighter jets.

Am I dreaming here? What are they thinking (drinking?) at 1600 Pensylvania Avenue???

PR Dubai public relations media

So Bill, tell us what you really think about PR people!

Rather than just link to his caustic take on PR professionals, I thought Chief Executive editor Bill Holstein's jaded observations (March 28 issue) merited a full re-post...and perhaps a little soul searching on our part. (Thanks to Kathleen Hatfield for the lead and belatedly to Phil Gomes and to Flackette's Marie Williams for jumping on this early):





Bill Holstein

The six things CEOs don't understand about PR people

There's a huge gulf between chief executive officers and their public relations people, whether on staff or at an outside agency. The vast majority of CEOs don't understand what PR people actually do. As a business journalist, I'm now going to spill the beans.

No. 1: PR people don't like to talk to the media. When we call them, we usually get the runaround. The worst one is the voice mail message that goes like this: Hi, it's John Q. Flack. I'm not here right now, but your call is very important to me. For immediate assistance, dial 456 to reach Michele. Only when you dial Michele, she's not there, either. The reporter leaves a message. No one calls back. That can go on for days.

No. 2: Top PR people hire children, the little Jasons and Jennifers, as we call them, to do most of the talking with reporters. They don't know anything, which usually irritates the reporter. But if something goes wrong in how a reporter covers your organization and you get angry, the children can be sacrificed. The SVPs and EVPs for Corporate Communications evade all responsibility. It's called job security.

No. 3: PR people go on so many offsite training sessions because they want to hide from both senior management and the media at the same time. It's their only escape from the crossfire. They feel safe when they're together.

No. 4: PR people don't really understand your business. If they did, they wouldn't be PR people.

No. 5: PR people waste a lot of time and money. One of their favorite pastimes is calling up reporters and asking them a bunch of questions so that they can "update our database" or "update our mailing list." We journalists don't want to be in those databases or on those mailing lists. We're already so overwhelmed with junk emails that many journalists have dummy email accounts where they direct all communications from PR people. And they never check those accounts.

No. 6: When you tell your PR people to put out a press release, they''ll do it, of course. But the vast majority of press releases are awful. Editors and journalists don't want to see them. It may actually hurt you more than help you. Here's the lead of the worst one we at Chief Executive have received lately:

[MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Feb. 27, 2006] -- ASURYSTM and RFID4UTM have recently partnered to offer CompTIA RFID certification training. There is an increasing need for education and certification around RFID technology, but most training companies have put their certification training on-hold until CompTIA's new RFID certification exam is released this spring. ASURYS and RFID4U are offering this certification training in spite of the exam closure

Got that? I rest my case.

What are your thoughts?

Email him at bholstein@chiefexecutive.net or post your comments here. I will forward them, as appropriate, en masse. (Maybe we can wipe that smile off his face? He certainly has wiped the one off mine.)

PR chief executive public relations William Holstein

This little item appears in today's New York Daily News:

Snark Attack

I'm quite sure that Kevin Goldman, vice president of CNBC public relations, outranks an ink-stained gossip columnist. So who can blame him for hanging up on Lowdown - twice - when asked why CNBC superstar Michael Eisner, the deposed CEO of Disney who gets astronomical ratings of almost 100,000 viewers, was a no-show on yesterday's "Live With Regis and Kelly" - which, after all, gets only a measly 5 million viewers. "I'm not talking to you guys!" Goldman barked. Excellent promotional work, Mr. G!

Those of us who have worked with Mr. Goldman, as a PR executive, author, and reporter for Newsday, Variety and the Wall Street Journal, would be hard-pressed to find anything negative to say about him. He's smart, charming, chatty, funny and a real "mensch."

Still, one would have to wonder (admire?) what he was thinking when he totally dissed the reporter for Lloyd Grove's column in The New York Daily News. (I'm sure many of you have fantasized about telling a reporter to "take a flying...") But we usually don't. We PR types tend to be obsessive about preserving these "bread and butter" editorial relationships, with nominal regard to where they fall on the media pecking order.

Of course, if one represents a hot story or personality, the requirement to be suppliant to a member of the fourth estate may not be as apparent, i.e., "they need me more than I need them." For now, that is. But when your next client (or job) is of the B-list newsmaking variety, you may very well regret burning that bridge.

Anyway, I had to chuckle after seeing the item today since I have vivid memories of Mr. Goldman (aka Wall Street Journal Advertising columnist) giving me the proverbial heave-ho as my best pitch fell flat. Click! (He denies it to this day.) I chalked it up to the pitfalls of the job. The net affect of using this tactic from the other side of the dance floor remains to be seen.

PR media public relations CNBC Lloyd Grove

"Page Six" reports that the namesake of Wenner Media personally interceded in pulling a bait & switch on Jessica Simpson's ex Nick Lachey. The reality TV star wound up on the cover of US when he allegedly was promised a cover of Rolling Stone.

Mr. Lachey recently swapped his Hollywood PR firm, Baker Winokur Ryder (the fun side of Ogilvy PR, which is part of WPP Group), for Ken Sunshine , a former NYC political PR operative who has toiled for the likes of Streisand, Pitt/Jolie, and other sometimes A-listers.

According to the confusing item, Mr. Sunshine's minions inherited negotiations for a Rolling Stone cover, but were angered when Jann Wenner allegedly decided to migrate the piece to the cover of his less esteemed sibling US Magazine. (Some media types would call this brand synergy.) The reason: the hunky star didn't dish deep enough on his ex-wife.

There's something fishy here. It's hard to believe that this switch would have been made without some cognizance on the part of the PR firm orchestrating the interview. It's like if you arranged an interview with TIME, and it ended up in People. (Indulge me on the Wenner Media - Time Inc. analogy.)

Free-lance journalists often recycle celebrity interviews, travel pieces, etc. for sale to smaller or foreign publications, but rare is the day when a hot celebrity's handlers lose sight (or get snookered) like this. Perhaps Mr. Lachey should re-think his switch of agencies? I bet there's more to this story than met Page Six's eye.

PR public relations media Nick Lachey Jann Wenner US Magazine Rolling Stone

Word has it that Tony Snow, Fox News anchor, has been asked by the new White House chief of staff to replace the perennially beleaguered Scott McClellan in this rock-and-a-hard-place position.

Makes sense. After all, in addition to the speechwriting duties Mr. Snow performed for George H.W. Bush, he's been well-prepared in his current position as a spokesperson for this administration. One outlet reports that "Neither Snow nor the White House would comment." Not surprising.

PR Scott McClellan journalism public relations media Tony Snow

This smile-and-dial item appears in today's New York Post:

April 24, 2006 -- THAT our favorite publicist screw-up of all time was revealed this week with an e-mail that said, "Sorry for my mix-up, but I don't have Angie Dickinson, however, I do have Janice Dickenson available for interviews on behalf of 'Wassup Rockers.' Please let me know if you are interested in Janice"

Doesn't this blog work hard every day to earn its name?

PR celebrity public relations Page Six Janice Dickenson Angie Dickinson

That's it! As soon as it's feasible, I am trashing Google Blogger and migrating to a more functional and reliable blogging platform.

My posting Saturday on the Cornell students' efforts to rebrand the university prompted one of the leaders of the image campaign to drop me an e-mail to provide more texture to the item. I amended the post and hit "publish." Nothing. Blogger just hung there at 0% over and over.

Apparently I'm not alone. How many thousands of Blogger users woke up this Monday morning to learn of this glitch in Google's hosting software?

From a PR perspective, one would think that someone at the vaunted search engine monopoly would be reading its own message boards to learn that something went awry (again). Not the case. Nor can one find an explanatory message or apology from the company. (Wake up you sleepyheads in California!)

Since Blogger is free, I guess you get what you pay for. Look for an upgrade of this blog in the next couple of weeks.

PR weblogs Google public relations Blogger blogging software

Of the seven colleges and universities that comprise the Ivy League, it appears that Ithaca, NY-based Cornell has the biggest inferiority complex. So much so that a number of students from the institution, frustrated by the administration's lethargic pace, took it upon themselves to form an "image committee".

Its mission: "to press the university into marketing and branding itself more aggressively, and to help it climb higher" in the hyper-important U.S. News & World Report rankings, according to today's New York Times.

The committee's first move? Have the bookstore create and sell more vintage hats and logo-emblazoned stuff. Hmmm. Other image-enhancing initiatives included a re-vamp of the university's website and a look at ways to reduce the school's average class size, a factor used to determine one's standing in the rankings.

Does today's Times feature story help or hurt the efforts to bolster the school's image? After all, the piece does re-hash the shortcomings that led to the formation of an image committee in the first place. I think most alums will believe the story and what it says are net positives, i.e., "at least something is being done." Also, to the committee's credit, the piece did make mention of the strides the university has made in the selectivity department.

Finally, and not surprisingly, we learn of the committee's dissection of the U.S. News report itself -- a requisite undertaking in the college marketing biz today. Hats off to Big Red.

image Ivy League public relations Cornell U.S. News & World Report marketing

Maybe it's just my imagination, but yesterday morning I posted an item on the shenanigans that pass for good PR practice in the White House press office. The posting, titled The Falun Gong Show, looked at the PR gaffes surrounding the Chinese Premier's visit here.

In reading Maureen Dowd's column today in The New York Times, I couldn't help but notice how closely she echoed the themes I explored yesterday. Granted, the recent machinations of the Bush administration played perfectly to Ms. Dowd's editorial sensibilities. Still, with Technorati tags like "Rumsfleld," "Falun Gong," "Press Office," etc., I just have to wonder whether her researcher stumbled across and perhaps was inspired by this particular blog posting.

You decide: My posting and Maureen Dowd's column (TimesSelect required).

The take-away for PR types: blogospheric content often spills into the mainstream media...hat tip or not. Or then again, maybe hundreds of others posted something similar?

PR Falun Gong journalism public relations media Maureeen Dowd Press Office

For the longest time, many industry observers have looked to the rigor of the White House's press office as a paradigm for "command & control" PR tactics. They cite Rove & company's success in filling the national news hole with the administration's daily story lines, no matter how incredulous they may be.

When six esteemed generals appeared in words and images on the front page of The New York Times renouncing Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, the communications czars prepared and distributed a one-page briefing document to dozens of other "talking head" generals with instructions to go out and propagate.

Mr. Bush stepped in line by commandeering his weekly radio address to endorse his beleaguered Defense chief. To put the nail in the coffin, the Admin's new Chief of Staff vanquished the story from the headlines altogether with a much ballyhooed staff shake-up announcement -- whose only real victim was the lowly messenger, not the message makers.

Is the White House press office as sophisticated as many believe? When I learned that it opportunistically pitched the rabidly anti-Bush Vanity Fair and its PR antagonistic writer Michael Wolff for a feature on Scott McClellan, I scratched my head. (This likely paled in comparison to Mr. McClellan's reaction upon seeing the highly unflattering piece.

Yesterday, we learn of two other derelictions of PR duties. Who let the Falun Gong activist posing as a journalist into the Bush-Hu presser? Aren't media credentials checked and double-checked? I mean it's one thing to let a conservative blogger (and gay prostitute) into the mixer. At least you'll know (and control) what he intends to write. But, any cursory check of The Epoch Times would have revealed its association with this group that the Chinese Government, for whatever reason, abhors and actively persecutes.

Then there was the gaffe at the outset of the ceremony wherein the announcer, in introducing the Chinese Premier, called China "the Republic of China" (i.e., Taiwan) not The People's Republic of China. Geesh. Talk about diplomatic suicide! I'm not convinced the crack Press Office is all it's cracked up to be.

PR Falun Gong journalism public relations media Rumsfeld Press Office

What if her nasty fall from the top of the celebrity wall actually helped her climb back to even greater heights? Guy Trebay, writing in The New York Times today, examines super-waif Kate Moss's new-found luster following her notorious coke-snorting tumble that quickly permeated the world media.

Mr. Trebay astutely notes that Ms. Moss's visit to celebrity purgatory was surprisingly short-lived, i.e., the incident happened just seven months ago. Today she enjoys unprecedented demand for lucrative new commercial assignments and glossy magazine spreads -- much more than she (or anyone) could have imagined.

As I've opined on these pages previously, getting arrested perhaps should be just another gig orchestrated by an agent to help client accelerate a stalled career and then some. Certainly, today's culture points up many examples of misbehaving syncophants who've reaped untold financial and career benefits from these periodic, anti-social setbacks. (Well maybe not everyone, Courtney and Whitney.)

In fact, I understand that Courtney, Lindsay and Kate are set to holiday together in Hawaii. Shades of Elvis in Hawaii ? Highly unlikely.

PR celebrity public relations media Kate Moss celebrity

The spectacle of tens of thousands of runners gathering in the pre-dawn hours atop one of the world's longest span bridges is enough to garner global headlines year after year. With that inherently newsworthy setting, corporate America set about the task of leveraging the New York City Marathon for its products, services and hospitality opportunities. Think...ING.

I remember one year our client, a famous carpet brand, cut a swatch of a deal with the Marathon organizers, New York Road Runners Club, wherein the company received permission to bathe the medal grates of the 59th Street Bridge with a long red carpet (giving new meaning to the word "runner"). It was laid in the race where the runners first arrived on the island of Manhattan.

How fortuitous for me since my apartment had floor-to-ceiling windows directly opposite the spot where the bridge flowed onto First Avenue. In fact, our annual marathon party had front row seats to the spectacle. Peter Mehlman, an old friend who was a writer for Howard Cosell's radio show, and who later went on to write and produce episodes for Seinfeld, showed up one year. I was reminded of this when one Seinfeld episode depicted a marathon party overlooking the bridge. Coincidence?

Anyway, I digress. The point of this item lies in the challenge PR folks face in maintaining media relevance for these perennial news events. I mean parading the elephants through the Midtown Tunnel year after year to promote the Barnum & Bailey circus, while effective, is getting a little tired...as are the pachydermic PR ploys. Events like the Grammy's, Oscars and Emmys have sufficient people power to draw the media gaggle so for them it's more an issue of managing the message than creating one.

Adding a face-recognizable celebrity to the mix -- especially one of the A-list variety -- always freshens the media outlook. This is especially true if the face in question is out of his or her element. Today we learn that cycling god Lance Armstrong will run in the NYC Marathon! Need I say more, Diddy?

PR public relations media Lance Armstrong NYC Marathon Seinfeld

Huffington, Calacanis, Battelle, Gillmor, Denton, Hauslaib... These are some of the trailblazers who have sought or are seeking to monetize the medium in which you at this moment find yourself.

Some have succeeded through generous funding from VC/angel investors or acceding to corporate buy-outs. Others have built respectable ad revenue streams. One or two have thrown in the towel.

The debate over blogging's revenue-producing potential is framed in lively WSJ Online dialogue where Weblogs Inc's Jason Calacanis and JupiterMedia's Alan Meckler have it out -- in a collegial kind of way.

Net net: some A-listers will make it work, while the long tail, (e.g., everyone else) will have to settle with better writing skills and a periodic back pat of peer recognition.

Do the limited prospects for generatng revenue render one's daily blogging routine worthless? No, especially in the PR field where immersion in this medium is the best way to wrap one's arms around a dynamic that is redefining how we think about and protect our clients' interests. However, if your blogging goal is to reap a financial windfall, I'd say fuggetaboutit!

PR weblogs Calacanis public relations Meckler

I wonder what Michael Wolff is thinking at this moment? Do you think the pugnacious media pundit and Vanity Fair contributor's ego is sufficiently sizable to take credit for Scott McClellan's resignation today?

After all, his eviscerating profile of the 30-something White House spokesman from Texas certainly wasn't what Mr. McClellan's communications colleagues had in mind when they proposed the feature story.

What's clear is that the relentless criticism from the White House press corps and many others, didn't bolster Mr. McClellan's career. After all, you have to co-exist with, and be trusted by reporters to have any hope of delivering a credible assessment of your boss's take on current affairs.

Mr. McClellan was caught between a rock and a hard place. He had two masters - Mr. Rove and the press gaggle -- neither of whom he appears to have mastered. Now I guess he'll follow in Ari's footsteps to capitalize with a book and a lucrative presence on the lecture circuit. PRSA, you listening? Scott, my advice, head back to the ranch for a spell.

PR Scott McClellan journalism public relations media Vanity Fair

The Date: August 8, 1974
The Location: Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey
The Event: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in Concert
The Significance: The Day President Nixon Resigned

We took the hour-long drive to the dilapidated stadium, now long demolished, to catch one of the most popular and politically active musical acts of an era that was filled with politically active entertainers. CSN&Y's "Ohio", "Almost Cut My Hair," "Teach Your Children" and many others were anthems for America's youth, I among them.

After years of the mega-group denouncing Mr. Nixon at protest rallies, concerts, in their music and media interviews, this night was different. During a break between songs, Graham Nash approached the microphone to proclaim that the nation's nemesis had announced his resignation. Someone in the front of the stage waved an American flag. Mr. Nash leaned over to collect it and then carefully drape it over the piano as if to say it was OK to love our country again.

The Times reports today that one of the iconic members of that band, Neil Young, is "rushing an album" into release "ruminating on the war in Iraq and directly calling for the impeachment of President Bush." Unlike six retired generals calling into question Secretary Rumsfeld's leadership (or lack thereof), the administration will be hard-pressed to message and mobilize its "talking heads" to counter this rock legend's point of view. (David Byrne wouldn't go for it anyway.) Maybe they can media train and enlist Jessica Simpson?

In either case, the power of celebrities to generate public awareness...and media coverage endures to this day. It's unfortunate that these legendary and still active bands aren't afforded the "airtime" they once commanded. Perhaps we need a few more Kanye Wests?

PR public relations media Neil Young politics Kanye West

Paul Krugman, the always entertaining and frequently maligned (by the right) New York Times Op-Ed columnist, today takes a critical look at retired Exxon Mobil chief Lee Raymond's environmental legacy, or lack thereof. As this blog has reported, Mr. Raymond during his reign has done more to undermine the scientific basis that correlates human activity with global warming than just about any other business executive.

In the column, Mr. Krugman makes a couple of observations worth noting by PR pros. He alludes to the Global Climate Coalition, the honorable-sounding consortium of big oil and auto industry companies that banded together to debunk any scientific theories that could potentially undermine their profit margins. Lord Browne of BP bravely broke with the group in the early 90's to acknowledge humankind's probable contributions to climate change.

Mr. Krugman also talks about balance in journalism, and how news organizations, in their sometimes quixotic quest for "fairness," give equal billing to both sides of an issue, in spite of the speciousness of one side's proof points. It happened with big tobacco and big oil, and is happening with big pharma, big politics, etc. Mr. Krugman writes:

"The people and institutions Exxon Mobil supports aren't actually engaged in climate research. They're the real-world equivalents of the Academy of Tobacco Studies in the movie 'Thank You for Smoking,' whose purpose is to fail to find evidence of harmful effects. But the fake research works for its sponsors, partly because it gets picked up by right-wing pundits, but mainly because it plays perfectly into the he-said-she-said conventions of "balanced" journalism."

I remember working the communications front for the proposed World War II Memorial, which, if you remember, endured its share of criticism. The group that led the anti-Memorial crusade was called Save the Mall and, at every turning point, trotted out for interviews a couple of WW II vets it had in its pocket. Meanwhile, every veterans organization in the nation, representing millions, wholeheartedly supported the Memorial.

Did it matter? No. The news media took pains to equally present both sides of the issue in spite of the relative paucity of anti's and questionable veracity of their arguments. Doesn't good journalism allow for an imbalanced, but nonetheless accurate report on an issue without allegations of journalistic bias? Do 100 Palestinian protesters amidst a sea of hundreds of thousands of pro-Israel marchers merit equal space and time?

What does it mean for the PR profession? Can sophisticated and more aggressive practitioners muscle their messages into the nation's news holes at the expense of docile, yet more firmly grounded opponents? On a day when journalism's best are honored, let's contemplate their true essence and value in a modern society. Let's also think about the relationship and responsibility we have to them as a profession.

PR climate change public relations journalism Krugman Pulitzer

Over the weekend, I caught a "Marketwatch" segment on NewsRadio 88 concerning Wal-Mart's plans to "go green." The giant retailer's environmental conscience has suddenly emerged with plans to test hundreds of organic products in select stores.

This news follows by a week the national media pop of Wal-Mart's decision to stop selling guns in some of its stores, which in turn followed news of its surprising fortitude in the face of the American Family Association's efforts to thwart sales of the DVD release of "Brokeback Mountain." The AFA, which represents many in the retailer's core customer "base," objected to the in-store signage for the acclaimed film.

What gives? Do these seemingly disparate events constitute a coincidence or concerted campaign? If Wal-Mart's efforts are truly earnest, who can argue with the cumlative role they might play in the company's efforts to remake its battered image?

In fact, tomorrow the Arkansas retailer will opens its usually closed kimona to journalists for a two-day gathering that will "focus on the customer" (as opposed to its own employees). From CNNMoney.com: "...industry observers caution that Wal-Mart's efforts to get warm and fuzzy with the media are simply a means to protect its image amidst damaging public relations setbacks..."

Are these PR ploys to gloss over the giant retailer's reputational woes -- as some have suggested -- or has Wal-Mart turned a new leaf? My guess is that by holding the two-day media event in Rogers, Arkansas (as opposed to Vegas), its organizers are hoping that what happens there doesn't stay there.

PR Wal-Mart public relations media

Standard operating procedure for enterprises facing bad news mandates that management informs internal audiences and key constituents before the news enters the public domain. This is especially true when such news directly impacts employees, whose sense of well-being and connection with the organization should always take precedence.

Conversely, the same holds true when trying to re-make a damaged brand or inculcate employees with a new company-wide vision. In fact, organizational communications, for lack of a better term, may be the fastest and most potent area of growth for the PR profession. (Also, just think of all the new social networking applications that could be put to good use in this area.)

Management at Hachette-Filipacchi USA, home to such glam glossies as Elle, Elle Decor and Metropolitan Home, not to mention Road & Track, Car & Driver, Woman's Day, Premiere and others, apparently missed class that day. The much-respected Jack Kliger, former Conde Nast EVP who heads Hachette U.S., informed his department heads, but they neglected to tell the rank-and-file their heads may roll under Hachette's hatchet.

Layoffs always make news, and the most plugged-in publishing reporter around, Keith Kelly, picked up on the story today -- much to the surprise and chagrin of the magazine company's workforce. So much for Good Friday.

PR public relations media Hachette organizational communications

As if teeing off in space wasn't enough, how about presumed A-lister Tom Cruise pulling a Dirty Harry (or is it the chase scene in French Connection?) on the streets of New York to drum up some benignly positive press for his next film?

It seems that the film's handlers have convinced Scientology's poster boy to subject himself to a myriad Manhattan moving photo ops in advance of the film's May opening. (Wouldn't a single helicopter landing garner the same amount of space?)

Mr. Cruise's "Mission Impossible III" tour of the big city tour will take him by motorcycle, speedboat, taxicab, helicopter, sports car and subway all around the town two days before the opening. (Let's hope this once-abused Dad-to-be doesn't abuse too many jostled straphangers on the #6 during rush hour.)

I'm curious to learn how a press person or paparazzi, for that matter, can jump on this logistical nightmare of a junket. If Paramount PR pulls it off, the film will have earned its title.

PR movies entertainment Tom Cruise Mission Impossible III public relations

How incongruous were those fab tete a tete shots of one of the finest actors of our generation, Meryl Streep, with Lindsay Lohan, one of the flakiest and most misbehaved poseurs of the next generation?

Who's borrowing from whom here? Could it be that Meryl wants to freshen her image with some of that US Magazine buzz, or is it Lindsay who derives the bigger reputational boost, after two mysterious hospitalizations, excessive promiscuity and the famous lapdance at Scores with that other model of good behavior Kate Moss?

Ironically, as the young Ms. Lohan sets out to cast away the negativity she's brought upon herself, today we're greeted with news of her mother behaving badly. It seems the senior Ms. Lohan and a female friend were stalled in the stall of the ladies room at a New York City club, or so reports the Post. When bladders in the queue were about to burst, someone demanded she part from her porcelain perch to which she reportedly threatened to have the person "fired." From what? I don't know.

The Lohans should perhaps consider getting in touch with Jared, so that their sordid nocturnal tales of debauchery fall below Page Six's radar. Let's hope the Robert Altman-directed movie that brought Ms. Streep and Ms. Lohan together in the first place does more justice to Mr. Keillor's wonderful book, Prairie Home Companion, than the gossip columns have to one of its stars.

PR public relations media Lohan Page Six Streep

Don't you love those PR brainstorm sessions where the high-energy facilitator, in an effort to get the creative juices flowing, proclaims at the outset: "No Negatives!" "Anything Goes!" "Think Out of the Box!" "No Idea is a Bad Idea!" Geesh.

I remember one such session some years ago for Coke USA. I thought to myself, "Perhaps they'd go for it this time?" I waited patiently so as to not squash the unwashed idea of the assistant account executive.

The moment finally came and I blurted out: "Why don't we project the Coca-Cola logo onto the face of a full moon???" Huge pregnant pause from my supposed friends and colleagues. A couple of harumphs, and the facilitator, in a moment of kindness, tasked me to undertake a feasibility study.

Today, NASA is considering a request by a golf club manufacturer to allow a Russian cosmonaut to tee off from the space station. John Daly, step off the tee box and grab a Tang! This will be the longest drive in the history of...well, in history!

Element 21 Golf paid the Russian space agency "an undisclosed amount...to publicize its new line of golf clubs and commemorate the 35th anniversary of the time astronaut Alan Shepard hit golf balls on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission."

Great idea, especially if NASA agrees. As far as seeing the Coke logo anytime soon on the moon, I was very close to finding a company that said it had the technology to make it happen. The idea fizzled in Atlanta, so I guess I'll take a mulligan to the next round.

PR golf
public relations NASA

The Magazine Publishers of America used to hold day-long symposiums for those charged with promoting, publicizing and primping its members' content, ad page growth, circulation strides, etc. Due to budget constraints, the trade group ceased holding these annual gabfests.

I remember one particular session that featured Vanity Fair contributing writer Michael Wolff, a steely-eyed media "pundit" who then toiled as a columnist for New York magazine (where he honed his menacing media machismo).

There he was on the dais with other ink-stained pioneers of the media dissection game including Steve Brill (Brill's Content), New York Times ace-du-jour Alex Kuczynski, and the pre-Timesman Lorne Manley. The room was packed with youthful, exuberant magazine PR types who sat there stoically as Mr. Wolff proceeded to condescend to them about their inane and misguided pitches, paucity of intelligence, blah blah blah, the usual.

I therefore found his current VF feature eviscerating White House press secretary Scott McClellan -- no stranger to this blog -- a must read for those in the biz. My first question concerns the White House's wisdom (or lack thereof) in even agreeing to subject Mr. McClellan to the PR-antagonistic Mr. Wolff. Couple that with the knowledge (or lack thereof) of this particular magazine's monthly crusade against the Bush administration.

Then we learn that this story did not result as a response to an interview request by Mr. Wolff, but rather one that the White House's (confused) communications team actually pitched to the pugnacious writer! Talk about a recipe for disaster.

Mr. Wolff mwas no doubt pleased to be greeted by a Federal stenographer with tape recorder (an increasingly common PR tactic ploy to protect Mr. McClellan from being quoted out of context). A lot of good that did. In his piece, Mr. Wolff astutely recognized at least one core PR competency lacking in Mr. McClellan:

"His lack of verbal acumen, his lack of dexterity with a subordinate clause, becomes another part of the way to control the White House message in a White House obsessed with such control. He wouldn't be able to cozy up to the press. That requires a serving-two-masters deftness. A special tonal range. A wink. A nod. An emphasis. A surgical use of modifiers, so that I say what I have to say in such a way that we all understand what I mean to say. A little Kabukiness. This is not just sophistry, something else that straight shooters don't practice; it's verbal athleticism. Language is the game. You need to have a gift for it."

Mr. Wolff is a keen media observer and forceful writer whose prose in the current issue of Vanity Fair hits some notes worth thinking about...in spite of his general disdain for the profession.

PR Scott McClellan journalism public relations media Vanity Fair

The moment I saw the Daily News gleefully blast on its cover* and first two pages of its news hole the scandalous news about its uptown (and a little east) rival, I sensed there would be some fodder for this blogger in there somewhere...eventually. So I've been following it a bit, and there it was tonight -- a PR angle.

For the disconnected crowd, this is the story of former "Page Six" staffer (and now contributor) Jared Paul Stern's alleged extortion attempt of supermarket mogul Ron Burkle. Mr. Stern demanded $100 grand and $10K a month in exchange for spiking anything negative being published in the premier gossip column about the big Democratic contributor and Hollywood man-about-town. The whole affair has prompted an FBI investigation.

The story ripened for this blog when ABC "World News This Weekend" (of all places!) interviewed Mr. Stern's celebrity lawyer Ed Hayes (didn't he rep 15-minute famer Andy Warhol and recently lose the mob cop case?) who calmly explained that his client was simply offering Mr. Burkle his services as a publicist.

Huh? Did I hear that correctly? Mr. Stern intends to use the "It was a PR new biz presentation" defense??? (It's not online just yet.)

Now even if Mr. Stern was looking to jump over to the dark side, as some media types like to characterize the move from journalism to PR, would any PR person in his or her right mind make the guarantee he made? Moreover, who'd have the audacity to demand a hundred thousand and 10 grand a month to provide "protection" from a single, albeit media catalytic outlet? Talk about value billing!

Ed, I wish you well with Mr. Stern's legal defense. But somehow I'm not so sure this tactic will fly.

* True to form, the New York Post, home to "Page Six," claims to have scooped its downtown (and a little west) rival by posting news of (this) Stern first on its website.

PR public relations media Jared Paul Stern Page Six Ron Burkle

Jim Sinkinson and the folks at Infocom Group will be holding one of their fab media relations confabs in New York City starting Monday. This blogger will be there (for the 4th time) alongside Porter-Novelli's media maven Dan Beeson on a panel about some old (and new) fashioned top-tier "media placement" strategies at 4:30pm on that day.

Of all the media relations industry events, this is perhaps the biggest and best attended with a good mix of agency and corporate practitioners. Neither Dan nor I expect a big turnout for our talk, however, given its time slot opposite Howard J. Rubenstein, but, hey, with his boldfaced-named clients, how hard could his job be?

While in the house, I agreed to do a podcast with The Spinfluencer, Eric Schwartzman. (Constantin gave him a thumbs up, so I guess it's cool.) Anyway, if you're at the conference late Monday, swing by to say hi.

PR public relations media relations

There's one major flaw in industry antagonist PR Watch's big news conference today calling for an end to the video news release industry: all the VNR's I've ever seen clearly identify the enterprise or institution funding the production.

So does the fault lie with the PR profession or with the local TV news producers and assignment editors who choose to air the video without appropriate attribution?

Listen, Center for Media and Democracy. I know you have a hard-on for what we do in the profession, but VNR's, B-Roll, Podcasts and Blogs are no different in my mind than a paper news release -- like the one your organization issued today. The information communicated is simply produced in the medium in which it ultimately will be used. You say:

"Although the accompanying information sent to TV stations identifies the clients behind the VNRs, nothing in the material for broadcast does. Without strong disclosure requirements and the attention and action of TV station personnel, viewers cannot know when the news segment they're watching was bought and paid for by the very subjects of that 'report.'"

You are correct for highlighting the problem of misleading news video, but other than placing a chyron over the video - rendering it useless -- what more can the profession do that it's not already doing?

Rather than call for a halt to the practice of corporate video production for news consumption, you should redirect your criticism to where the malpractice really takes place -- in the TV newsroom. It is the editorial responsibility of these broadcast and cable journalists to identify the source of the video. The PR profession already fulfills its disclosure obligation.

PR media VNR public relations

My Bay area brother, a would-be scratch golfer, phoned the other night to share the big news: he got his hands on a couple of ducats to The Masters, a tournament that some determined duffers wait two decades to spend a bucket full of dollars to attend. It opens today.

He was almost in tears with excitement as he breathlessly explained what it took to land the tix. I told him to wear his multi-colored Afro wig so I can catch him on TV standing behind the green. He said he couldn't as the tickets came with specific instructions on dress and decorum.

He went on to explain how the host club, being private, was immune to all the requirements of modern society. It could discriminate at will, especially after its decision to forego the TV revenue from advertisers so it wouldn't have to deal with boycotts, etc. How about corporate sponsorships?

Enter the corporate king of un-PC, ExxonMobil, a company posting the biggest profits in the history of companies; one that staunchly denies that global warming is a man-made problem, or any problem at all; and one of a number of big oil companies lobbying the U.S. government to avoid paying tens of millions in taxes that were created to spur exploration when gas prices were low.

This week we learn that some ExxonMobil shareholders (e.g., those not invited to the company's lavish hospitality tent) are none too pleased about the sponsorship. (Where were they when the company's former CEO thumbed his nose at the global environmental movement?) The Masters' other august corporate sponsors include IBM and AT&T.

Without the TV advertising element, however, the PR problems associated with a sponsorship of a discriminatory event venue will likely not get mired in the sand trap. (I worked with the PGA of America on the Shoal Creek controversy some years back, wherein in the advertising/TV revenue piece drove much of the news.)

Still, the L.A. Times already has holed out with this editorial titled "Masters of Discrimination." Expect a smattering of others.

PR Masters
public relations sponsorship

"Like an icepick to an aging sexpot's career..." is how today's New York Post characterized Sharon Stone's "comeback."

The roller coaster ride of celebrity has always fascinated me. One day you're on top of the mountain, the next, in the gutter with spit on your face. What can we PR types do to manage the highs and lows, or better yet, sustain the highs?

For the longest time, perennial A-lister Tom Cruise could do no wrong. He commanded and controlled his way to the top of the list. Then all of a sudden, derailment.

Paris Hilton had a reasonably long ride after emerging from a viral porn gig to land a prime-time reality show, ample ink and airtime and six-figure public appearances. Today, she's desperately holding on in spite of her next faux gig: playing the role of Mother Theresa in a foreign film. Geesh!

Let's look at Sharon Stone. Just a few weeks ago, she was America's comeback sweetheart. Which media outlet didn't fawn over this estrogen (and everything) replacement queen? She was the poster child for all sexually active women at or near the half-century mark. Today's she's suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. This sort of behavior , as reported in "Page Six," doesn't much help either.

Kurt Anderson has a worthwhile take on America's waning celebrity obsession in a piece called "Celebrity Death Watch." I have a simple theory. Too much exposure backfires. It doesn't matter if it's in the top tier tabs or glossy mags.

Some months back, I derided Jennifer Aniston's publicist for malpractically overexposing his A-list client -- a talented, sexy, girl-next-door actress who had it all...before being hyped to death. Fortunately, she found Vince to help breathe some life back into her celebrity.

Let's admit it. It's hard for PR people to rebuff the lure of magazine covers, newspaper profiles and network talk show stints for their bold-faced named clients. But, we must. Extreme selectivity and moderation always pays off over the long run. There's a reason Jodie Foster, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, and many media-"shy" stars have become mega stars. They avoid the hype machine and its inevitable Newtonian backlash. Their body of work, not the work of their bodies, speaks for itself.

PR movies
public relations Sharon Stone

Lots of media news today. Where to begin? Conde Nast's astute editorial bundling of its bridal books online or Time Inc's bundling of its ad sales departments at its business books?

What about Ms. Couric's presumed ascendancy to Dan and Walter's pedestal. (My prediction: she may get to sleep later, but when word's out on the size of the deal, a ratings miracle will be necessary to avoid the harsh media spotlight. I give it less than a year.)

I think I'll take a look at Christopher Byron's caustic take on the SEC's zealous crusade against journalists wherein he likens The Financial Follies to the sleazy workings of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The Follies, if you didn't know, is the fundraising dinner and show hosted by the New York Financial Writers Association. The monies raised go to journalism scholarships. (Attendees take special glee in perusing the program to see which agency took the most tables -- an indication of the firm's fiscal health that year.)

It's a chance for the financial PR community to rub elbows with business reporters, editors, producers and on-air personalities, while feasting on rubber chicken, drinking profusely and watching a B-grade variety show, featuring the likes of Business Week's Peter Coy (pictured), veteran writer Len (Elliot's Dad) Sloane, and other ink-stained scribes stretching their vocal chords. It's no different than DC's annual Gridiron Dinner. Mr. Byron notes:

"Soon enough, all such events could come under the disruptive and skeptical gaze of the regulators. It seems a bit odd to think of the New York Financial Writers' annual black-tie event - known as the Financial Follies - as an institutionalized form of sell-side market rigging. But what else is it really?

This year's Follies will be held in October at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, where companies and investment firms alike will pay $3,000 per table in order to schmooze up their guests for the evening.

By tradition, those guests, attending free of charge, will be the financial writers covering the activities of their corporate hosts for the rest of the year. (An arrangement that could make even Jack Abramoff blush.)"

It's all fun, and in the eight or nine times I've attended over the last decade, there has never been the slightest semblance of a quid pro quo between the partying PR people who purchased tables, and their journalist guests. All I've ever observed were a handful of very strange, but very short-lived couplings.

PR Couric journalism public relations media SEC

Trolling through the various newsfeeds and my RSS reader this morning, I was looking for something to post to this blog before heading in to the city. Should it be the re-vamp of The Times website? What about Al Jazeera taking aim at CNN and Fox with a U.S. cable news entry? Maybe Peter Johnson of USA Today's take on the separation of news and opinion, which in turn, was prompted by a Michael Kinsley piece in Slate? Nah. I already wrote about this.

Voila. In comes an e-mail from a PR acquaintance in Arizona named Thom Brodeur. (I never quite figured out whether he's part of the high tech agency that bears his name.) Anyway, Thom wanted me to know that his client Market Wire has been acquired by a Canadian wire service called CCN/Matthews. Why me? Because, he reasoned, MarketWire "is the third largest newswire in the business, and is one you've been following closely."

Sure, perhaps too closely. I've posted several items on how some of the paid wire services, Market Wire among them, have been exploited, if not party to, insidious e-mail scammers who use their releases to pump up penny stocks. I called it spamwire, and wondered whether these wires are aware of the practice and bare any responsibility for its proliferation. I guess in Market Wire's case, it's Canada's problem now. Thom, please wish Jim McGovern well, and thanks for the tip.

PR media SEC public relations penny stocks wire service spam