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August 04, 2003 Issue of PRWeek

Former Gore aide to head Northeast unit for Mindshare

BOSTON: Washington, DC-based online public affairs shop Mindshare Internet Campaigns has tapped a former aide to Vice President Al Gore, Brian Reich, to head its ...

Manugistics drops Ogilvy as AOR and brings in Edelman

ROCKVILLE, MD: Supply-chain management-software company Manugistics has tapped Edelman as its US agency of record, dropping Ogilvy PR Worldwide after three years with the agency.

New casino draws workers with $200k research effort

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ: The Borgata, which opened its doors in early July as Atlantic City's first new casino in 13 years, enlisted New Jersey PR ...

Neutral website sets record straight on Allied death toll in Iraq war

DECATUR, GA: One man's dissatisfaction with conflicting press reports over Allied deaths in Iraq has led to him to create a web site that has ...

Southwest signs on for new reality show

DALLAS: A&E made Southwest Airlines a PR offer it couldn't resist: a starring role in a realty TV show.

Kia picks PR21 as its new agency in American market

Irvine, CA: Kia Motors America has picked PR21 as its new PR agency in the US. The assignment should generate annual fees for the firm ...

Both sides in SUV war launch PR efforts

Detroit: The PR war over SUVs is heating up with both pro-SUV and anti-SUV forces launching new initiatives to take their cases to the public.

Funeral directors to stage education push

Brookfield, WI: The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is launching its first-ever national PR campaign, which is designed to improve the public's image of funeral ...

Top appointments named at FD after MBO from Cordiant

NEW YORK: Three weeks removed from an MBO that separated London-based Financial Dynamics (FD) from its struggling parent firm Cordiant, the US-based operations of FD, ...

Continental hits the road to show its role in car safety

Thompsonville, MI: A major auto supplier plans to spend more than $1 million on a PR campaign to convince consumers they should ask for electronic ...

Belkin chosen for new VP of comms position at PhRMA

WASHINGTON: The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has named Ed Belkin VP of communications. The former SVP for Hill & Knowlton will report ...

Marx, Sprung add IRG to their portfolio

NEW YORK: Independent Research Group (IRG), a wholly owned subsidiary of financial news website TheStreet.com, has hired Marx Communications and Sprung PR as a joint ...

Ketchum creates leading role for its entertainment unit

NEW YORK: Ketchum last week named SVP Mark Malinowski to the newly created role of director of entertainment marketing for the agency's network.

Fuji picks Text 100 to take over for Edelman as AOR

ELMSFORD, NY: Fuji Photo Film USA has picked Text 100 as its new AOR after a three-month review that came down to Text 100 and ...

CBS report shows value of catering to older audience

LOS ANGELES: When CBS released findings two weeks ago that showed that the 25-54 age demographic is the most important to media buyers, it seemed ...

News briefs

Veritas hunting for agency of record to replace Applied

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA: Storage software company Veritas is issuing an RFP for a new AOR. The search will be handled in-house.

Richardson hosts senators in NM for second TX escape

ALBUQUERQUE, NM: Texas' ongoing congressional redistricting fracas took a left turn to Albuquerque last week. That is where Democratic state senators fled to block a ...

Telecoms open fire on MCI as new allegations surface

ASHBURN, VA: MCI's reputation - and now perhaps its existence - is once again on the line, this time due to allegations that the company ...

Ketchum, IDC team up to evaluate channel comms

CHICAGO: One year after Ketchum and International Data (IDC) teamed up to offer ChannelEdge, they are ready to unveil the next stage of that offering: ...

KeepMedia launches with low-key PR plan

REDWOOD SHORES, CA: Louis Borders last week launched his first business venture since the collapse of Webvan, the online grocery store whose saga was one ...

GM picks new AOR to handle Hispanic marketing efforts

Detroit: General Motors has hired C/I Hispana as its agency of record for the Hispanic community.

New website looks to help coordinate flash-mob events

SAN FRANCISCO: In a bizarre summer trend, flash mobs have started to appear in cities across America - and earlier this month, a website was ...

Cox hires Jimenez as new director of corporate comms

ATLANTA: Cox Enterprises has named Robert Jimenez its director of corporate communications. The move is effective August 18.

Omnicom optimistic as its PR agencies show top-line improvement

NEW YORK: The senior management of Omnicom Group, which owns several of the world's largest PR agencies, last week gave a cautiously optimistic outlook for ...

Pentagon makes moves to contain complaints from US troops in Iraq

WASHINGTON: After several troops made some highly publicized negative comments to the media about the war effort in Iraq, the Pentagon has taken steps to ...

CA reputation impacted as recall media frenzy grows

SACRAMENTO: The media frenzy surrounding the attempt to recall Gov. Gray Davis (D-CA) has left both sides scrambling to gain advantage heading into the expected ...

EDITORIAL: Surveying PR's general standing among major corporations as it looks for a 'seat at the table'

PR professionals routinely use terms like "seat at the table" to denote strategic input at the highest level of an organization. Perhaps that phrase is ...

OP-ED: Widespread scrutiny necessitates better corporate PR management

These are the most challenging times in recent memory for today's corporate communications executives.

OP-ED: Talent strategy is key to a firm's business prospects

It's a truism that a PR agency's most important assets leave the building each night and return the next morning. If so, then every smart ...

ANALYSIS: Old brands find new life by appealing to young crowd

Since 20-somethings don't like to be marketed to, getting them to embrace an old brand involves a careful use of key influencers, not a big ...

PAUL HOLMES: Kobe Bryant would be well advised to save his best spin moves for the basketball court

One of the things about spin is that it should not be too transparent.

ORGANIZATION CASE STUDY: Williamsburg's progressive PR is steeped in history

Even though Colonial Williamsburg is all about history and the old way of doing things, its PR efforts are forward-looking and inventive in a time ...

MEDIA WATCH: Corvette declared American icon upon reaching 50th birthday

In late June, General Motors' Chevrolet division celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Corvette with a birthday party in Nashville, TN, the nearest big city ...

MEDIA ROUNDUP: Auto racing is cruising toward media acceptance

Though motor sports enjoy enormous popularity, mainstream outlets have been slow to provide coverage. But once they catch on, they tend to get more involved ...

MEDIA PROFILE: MBA Jungle shows the fun side of life in the white-collar world

MBA Jungle, soon to be known simply as Jungle, eschews stock advice and other serious subjects for an entertaining look at what it takes to ...

PROFILE: Harris' world of PR experience fits the Ducks' bill

With a PR career that has taken him from southern California to Israel and back, Charles Harris proves that sometimes the most fruitful journeys land ...

Strategy by numbers

Up-front research doesn't yet have a permanent place in PR.

MARKET FOCUS: Talent count

As the industry demands greater intellectual capital, employers are taking it upon themselves to train new hires.

PR TECHNIQUE: Inside story: The role of employee newsletters

Once dominated by syrupy stories, employee newsletters have become multimedia forums explaining the relevant impact of company events on staffers.

CAMPAIGNS: Nordyne deal with recognized brand hits homeowners

PR Team: Vandiver Group (St. Louis) Campaign: Maytag heating and cooling equipment launch for Nordyne (O'Fallon, MO) Time Frame: June-December 2002 Budget: About $30,000

CAMPAIGNS: Classic-era tours recapture storied past of train travel

PR Team: Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell (Orlando, Fla.) Campaign: Reliving the Golden Era of Rail Travel Time Frame: May 1, 2002-ongoing Budget: $84,000 annually

CAMPAIGNS: Media effort helps terrorist victim tap into federal funds

PR Team: Shearman & Sterling (New York) Campaign: September 11 and recognizing common law marriage in New York State Time Frame: January-July 2002 Budget: $3,000

THE PUBLICIST: Production can sometimes be a bigger hit than the film itself

Anytime I watch a film I've worked on, a flood of memories comes back, good and bad. Sitting in a half-empty theater with requisite M&Ms ...

PR PLAY OF THE WEEK: Art center wins big press with $150 raffle

LOS ANGELES: How much would you pay for an ocean-view mansion in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in southern California? How about $150?

TOY BOX: ViewSonic's V35 displays itself proudly

ViewSonic's V35 Pocket PC is a highly functional and economical PDA choice for PC users. The crisp, full-color display also looks great on the 3.5" ...

BOOK REVIEW: A look inside the world of US diplomacy

The United States Information Agency (USIA) grew out of President Woodrow Wilson's efforts to influence world opinion during WWI. For most of the 20th century, ...