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April 21, 2003 Issue of PRWeek

TOY BOX: All eyes must be on the QuickCam Pro

Logitech's QuickCam Pro 4000 sits on top of your computer monitor, but it's unobtrusive, and also has a handy snapshot button on top so you ...

THE PUBLICIST: Disneyland press director is the happiest PR pro on Earth

Hey, John Q! You've lost your job, your country's at war, and your portfolio is in the toilet. What are you going to do now? ...

PR PLAY OF THE WEEK: Brooks finds PR savvy is all in the cards

DOHA, QATAR: "There are jokers in this deck, no doubt about that," quipped the usually ultra-sober Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks as he stood before the ...

BOOK REVIEW: Ailes delivers a very strong message

As Fox News continues to best its rivals in the cable news wars, maybe it's worth looking back at how the channel's architect thinks media ...

CAMPAIGNS: Rheingold adjusts its strategy to tap into hipper crowd

PR Team: Rheingold Brewing Co. (New York), LaForce & Stevens (New York) and Marisa Brickman (New York) Campaign: Miss Rheingold 2003 Time Frame: January 2003 - ...

CAMPAIGNS: Danger rewarded for handing Hiptop story to the media

PR Team: Danger (Palo Alto, CA) and Fleishman-Hillard (San Francisco) Campaign: Danger's Hiptop review push Time Frame: September - December 2002 Budget: $60,000

PR TECHNIQUE: Getting the most out of webcasting

Companies are increasingly using webcasts to reach target groups, but they must be tailored to the audience's needs and capabilities.

MARKET FOCUS: Painful measures

Cash-strapped states must push tax hikes or program cuts.

Hi-tech focus gets back to the future

Tech PR is determined to face the future, raise the bar, measure its worth, and earn the respect of execs. Andrew Gordon hosts the latest ...

MEDIA PROFILE: Even Parents sometimes needs help finding new information

Parents magazine provides all the ins and outs of raising kids, but not every pitch on parenting will work. However, you can't go wrong if ...

MEDIA ROUNDUP: Deal-obsessed readers seek more than low prices

Hunting for bargains has been a big media topic since the '70s, and is seeing a surge in the current economy. But pitching the cheap ...

MEDIA WATCH: Coverage focuses on criticism - not creation - of CAPPS II

In late February, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) awarded Lockheed Martin a $12.8 million contract to develop a new database that will better screen passengers ...

CORPORATE CASE STUDY: Microsoft adjusts its game plan to market the Xbox

With fierce competition in the video game world and in the unfamiliar position of not being the dominant player in the market, Microsoft is altering ...

PAUL HOLMES: Petroskey commits a litany of PR errors by politicizing recent Hall of Fame celebration

Dale Petroskey is a former White House press spokesman, having served in that role during the Reagan administration. He is also, at least for now, ...

ANALYSIS: PR practitioners rank the effect of Sarbanes-Oxley

Last July's signing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has significantly changed how PR firms are ranked. Andrew Gordon speaks to top PR pros to survey the ...

OP-ED: The Council is a voice for PR, with or without rankings

Each year, PR firms submit financial information so that they may be "ranked" among their competitors. It is a way to benchmark change and track ...

OP-ED: Like war reports, Sarbanes-Oxley doesn't help us see the big picture

One of the lessons we've learned from having journalists embedded in the field during the war in Iraq is that the center of the war ...

EDITORIAL: Employee comms is the name of the game when changing the letters on your shingle

What's in a name change? As WorldCom turns into MCI, and everyone adjusts to saying Altria instead of Philip Morris, one can't help but think ...

Ecco hires Cone in efforts to kick up its US presence

LONDONDERRY, NH: Ecco Footwear has picked PR firm Cone to handle consumer marketing as the Danish brand expands its US market presence.

West Glen to offer Cymfony analytic software package

NEW YORK: West Glen Communications has entered an exclusive agreement with Cymfony. The partnership makes West Glen the sole broadcast PR company capable of offering ...

NYSE backs down on plan to forbid media interviews with analysts

NEW YORK: In the face of widespread criticism, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has dropped a plan to forbid stock analysts from being interviewed ...

DeVries picked by Hellmann's to bring out new products

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ: Hellmann's/Best Foods has signed DeVries Public Relations as its agency of record while it ramps up some new product launches.

Wall Street Journal to offer daily online coverage of media

NEW YORK: The Wall Street Journal is planning to launch a daily online edition designed to beef up its coverage of the media and marketing ...

Starz Encore taps cable TV guru to be new VP of comms

ENGLEWOOD, CO: Thomas Southwick has been appointed VP of corporate communications for Starz Encore Group.

Sikhs consider lawsuit after Miramax snub

LOS ANGELES: A national Sikh advocacy group has threatened legal action against Miramax over a new comedy that it claims unfairly links Sikhs with Muslim ...

Marquette wins big in Final Four PR play

MILWAUKEE: Marquette University used a quickly crafted PR push to raise $4.7 million during its final week in the NCAA men's basketball tournament in late ...

Keurig names Ruder Finn as its first AOR

WAKEFIELD, MA: Keurig Premium Coffee Systems, which markets a system that brews individual cups of coffee, has hired Ruder Finn as its PR agency of ...

Columbia brings in Kiser to head up investor relations

PORTLAND, OR: David Kiser has been named IR manager for outdoor apparel and footwear giant Columbia Sportswear Company.

Burson teams with top NZ firm to buoy Asia-Pacific status

AUCKLAND, NZ: Burson-Marsteller is strengthening its presence down under by partnering with the Acumen Group, one of New Zealand's top PR firms.

WorldCom rebrands as MCI to highlight recovery effort

ASHBURN, VA: As SVP of corporate communications, Brad Burns wants to make sure everyone knows WorldCom's ambitious reorganization is more than skin-deep.

WS tapped to help sell Westerners on cotton from Egypt

WASHINGTON: Weber Shandwick is launching a campaign on behalf of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Trade to promote Egyptian cotton in America and Europe, while ...

Tutwiler to work in Iraq before taking over Beers' old job

WASHINGTON: The Bush administration may want Margaret Tutwiler back in Washington, but it has decided that Iraq needs her first.

Media buzzing as Radar fills void left by Brown title Talk

NEW YORK: The most-anticipated magazine launch of the year takes place this week as Radar enters a media world that's been chattering since Talk magazine ...

Western president Pforzheimer opts to leave Edelman

PALO ALTO, CA: Harry Pforzheimer, president of Edelman's Western region and GM of its Silicon Valley office, has quit the agency with no job to ...

Intel begins governance push as proxy vote looms

SANTA CLARA, CA: Intel is strengthening its commitment to corporate governance in an effort to dissuade shareholders from urging the company to begin expensing options.

Carlyle Group opens up as tell-all hits stands

WASHINGTON: The famously secretive Carlyle Group is implementing a self-described "glasnost" policy just in time to fend off accusations put forth in a new book ...

PRSA's turnaround complete with two years in the black

NEW YORK: The PRSA continued its financial comeback in 2002, operating in the black for the second consecutive year.

Klores turns spotlight from Tim Robbins to Hall of Fame

NEW YORK: When the Baseball Hall of Fame cancelled an event because of his antiwar views, actor Tim Robbins hired Dan Klores Communications to turn ...

UK gets closer to creating CSR academy

LONDON: The launch of the UK's first CSR academy moved a step closer this week, following recommendations from a Government-led consultation group.

Ad Council seeks PR firm in push for healthy living

NEW YORK: The Ad Council, in partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is in search of a PR agency to ...

News Briefs

Pfizer's purchase of Pharmacia prompts PR department shake-up

NEW YORK and PEAPACK, NJ: Pfizer's acquisition of Pharmacia was made official last week, scattering Pharmacia's communications department in a variety of directions, while plans ...

ICCO, PRWeek join to organize 2003 Germany summit

NEW YORK: The International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO) is holding its global summit in Berlin, Germany, and for the first time, the meeting is being ...

Fuji holds first agency review in 21 years

ELMSFORD, NY: Fuji Photo Film USA is launching its first agency review since Edelman began working with the company as its AOR 21 years ago.

Clear Channel taps Dollinger for head global comms job

SAN ANTONIO: Clear Channel Communications, a perpetual media-critic target, has named Lisa Dollinger its new SVP, global corporate communications.

Diamond to assume wider reign over IPG PR holdings

NEW YORK: The Interpublic Group has confirmed that Harris Diamond, Weber Shandwick CEO, is to assume oversight of most of the marketing company's PR holdings. ...