NEW YORK: Burson-Marsteller worldwide CEO and president Mark Penn said the recent appointment of longtime Bush confidante Karen Hughes as vice chair marks the start of an effort by the agency to create a worldwide "bipartisan braintrust."

WASHINGTON: In August, the US Army National Guard will launch a mobile marketing campaign, supported by outreach to local media, to sign up recruits at various music festivals and other outdoor events.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormon Church, has taken steps to distinguish itself from the controversial Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, following an April raid on the latter's polygamist YFZ Ranch in Texas.

WASHINGTON: Organizations working to prevent teenage pregnancy stepped up their PR and media outreach in the wake of recent teen pregnancy scandals, including the rumored pregnancy pact among a group of 17 girls in Gloucester, MA, and the June birth of a daughter by 17-year-old, former Nickelodeon star, Jamie Lynn Spears.

WASHINGTON: The nonprofit Sabin Vaccine Institute hired Hyde Park Communications to develop new branding for the organization as well as provide strategic communications counsel and media relations.

WASHINGTON: The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) launched a new PR and ad campaign to battle what it calls "myths" and "inaccuracies" in the media about the use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in foods.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA: The city of West Hollywood hopes a new PR campaign will catapult the roughly 37,000-person town into an international wedding destination for gay couples.

SANTA MONICA, CA: The City of Santa Monica awarded a $150,000 contract recently to Southard Communications to create an integrated PR campaign that will raise public awareness about the city's smoking restrictions.

ROCHESTER, NY: Corporate image continues to slide in the eyes of the American public, but firms with an effective overall reputation management program climb ahead, according to the recently released Harris Interactive Reputation Quotient (RQ) survey.

WASHINGTON: The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) launched a new PR and advertising campaign to battle what it calls "myths" and "inaccuracies" in the media about the use of high fructose corn syrup (HRCS) in foods.