Agent Provocateur is the latest example of a company extending its advertising message with dramatic, film-like videos to add buzz.

Pope Benedict XVI'S visit last month marked only the fourth time a sitting pope has made a trip to New York. Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, had to make sense of the hysteria generated by the unique event.

While the pundits debate the current state of the economy and whether it fits the formal definition of a recession, we continue to see high gas prices, consumer spending is sluggish, the dollar is weak, healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and the housing crisis is affecting everyone from Bear Stearns to the average citizen.

This year, PRWeek will visit eight cities where an industry close to that respective region will be discussed. For each event, leading PR pros from a variety of firms, companies, and other organizations will gather in a roundtable discussion about the issues affecting them and their peers. Keith O'Brien and Tonya Garcia were in New York to discuss financial communications.

The National Association of Home Builders works to portray the industry positively in a 'meltdown'

The Pope's visit to the US, combined with the major presidential candidates being quizzed on faith-related issues, has put religion coverage front and center in recent weeks

Profound changes in the way that advocacy groups interact with mainstream media outlets is on the horizon, yet most organizations have not restructured to take advantage of this new frontier.

Mark Penn needs no introduction. Worldwide CEO of Burson-Marsteller and former chief strategist for Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, he has been making a lot of news lately - most of it negative

The New York Philharmonic's historic trip to North Korea required an extraordinary level of coordination by the comms team

When agencies help their consumer-facing companies select a celebrity spokesperson to promote a product or event, all that's usually required is smooth skin or an engaging personality. Yet for public affairs campaigns, the bar is a bit higher.