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December 08, 2003 Issue of PRWeek

F-H taps Kundred as head of West Coast

SAN FRANCISCO: Fleishman-Hillard has named Curt Kundred as West Coast president. He will oversee the San Francisco, LA, Portland, San Diego, and Sacramento offices.

Expedia conducts review for agency as sector crowds

BELLEVUE, WA: Travel website Expedia.com is in the midst of a search for a PR agency, and is hoping to make a selection by the ...

Edelman brings in Merrill to take over for Rafkin-Sax

NEW YORK: Edelman has named Andrew Merrill, a former managing director at Abernathy MacGregor Group, as global MD of its financial practice. He fills the ...

Bloggers indicate desire for PR pitches over advertising

NEW YORK: Almost three-quarters of bloggers would be open to PR pitches if contacted, according to a recent survey of more than 600 people who ...

News Briefs

Wilkinson returns to White House in new job under Rice

WASHINGTON: Jim Wilkinson, the well-traveled utility man for the Bush administration's PR team, is returning to the White House.

Telemarketers tap The MWW Group as member list grows

WASHINGTON: The American Teleservices Association, a telemarketers' organization that represents about 650 companies, has enlisted The MWW Group for public affairs and PR work. Dan ...

Ketchum chooses Higgins to head up Europe operation

LONDON: Ketchum has promoted partner Jon Higgins from CEO of the agency's London office to CEO of Ketchum's European operations. Higgins will report to Ketchum ...

Hollinger hires UK firm as Telegraph's future unsure

LONDON: Hollinger International has hired Bell Pottinger Communications, a London-based crisis and public affairs firm, in an attempt to calm fevered media speculation over the ...

DOC readies $50m RFP in plan to lure tourists to US soil

WASHINGTON: The Department of Commerce (DOC) is preparing to issue an RFP for a $50 million integrated campaign aimed at raising America's profile as a ...

Sitrick involved in Disney media tug-of-war

LOS ANGELES: Roy Disney and Stanley Gold - the two directors who resigned from Disney's board last week while vocally expressing their desire for the ...

CEO departure kicks Boeing comms unit into high gear

CHICAGO: Boeing's PR department sprang into action last week in the wake of CEO Phil Condit's sudden resignation December 1 and the subsequent naming of ...

Stephens quits HP after four months as VP of global PR

PALO ALTO, CA: Suzette Stephens has quit Hewlett-Packard, just four months after being named VP of global communications.

P&G convenes its PR and ad teams in consumer-marketing rethink

CINCINNATI: Procter & Gamble has asked its PR and ad agencies to take a closer look at how the consumer-goods company can use key influencers ...

DKC to help Progress push radio network

NEW YORK: Dan Klores Communications (DKC) is helping to introduce Progress Media's plans for a liberal radio network to an intensely interested, but highly skeptical ...

Bacon's purchases MediaMap in latest data-service union

CHICAGO: Bacon's Information last week purchased competitor MediaMap in a $23 million transaction that seems to underscore the trend of further consolidation in the communication ...

EDITORIAL: Boeing can keep its 7E7 plans on track if it truly communicates as Downey described in PRWeek

A few weeks ago, we published a Corporate Case Study on Boeing's commercial-aircraft unit, only days before the dismissal of CFO Michael Sears and another ...

OP-ED: Opportunities for firms and clients abound if we stick to our principles

In remarks I delivered at last month's PRSA international conference, I had occasion to remind listeners of something I told them at the 2001 gathering: ...

OP-ED: Localization strategies are key in good times and bad

Operating in the Middle East poses many challenges and opportunities in how we communicate. PR in a post-September-11 environment and the strategies we implement have ...

ANALYSIS: Rising economy could be sign of hiring in year ahead

Signs of economic improvement abound, and hiring new people in PR jobs has now become more a question of when rather than if.

PAUL HOLMES: AARP is fooling only itself by misrepresenting facts about the GOP Medicare bill to members

One of the ways to identify an organization that has lost its ethical compass is to look for signs of intellectual dishonesty in its communications. ...

ORGANIZATION CASE STUDY: Neutrality helps Sixth Floor Museum continue legacy

While accuracy and impartiality are the cornerstones of the Sixth Floor Museum, creative PR - crafted by an unbudgeted, one-person staff - is key in ...

THE AGENCY BUSINESS: Placing account execs on-site can bolster client relationships

There are several advantages to having someone from the agency working on-site with the client, but the costs can go up considerably. Paul Cordasco weighs ...

MEDIA ROUNDUP: Health supplements are mixed bag

Vitamins and supplements get spotty coverage, as very few outlets are knowledgeable on the topic. So finding hard facts and in-the-know reporters is crucial.

JOURNALIST Q&A: Stephen Wildstrom

As tech columnist for one of the nation's most prestigious business publications, Stephen Wildstrom gets a lot of pitches. And he's seen enough bad ones ...

MEDIA WATCH: Bush's quotas raise trade-war concerns

Quotas placed on Chinese textile imports on November 18 prompted the media to question President Bush's commitment to free trade. Most stories expressed fears that ...

MEDIA BRANDS: Washington, not a trigger-happy media, is at fault for inaccurate military reports from Iraq

The phrase "the fog of war" is typically trotted out to describe the inherently chaotic nature of battle that leads to friendly fire accidents as ...

PROFILE: From the police to JP Morgan, it's all advocacy to Hill

Fred Hill's early career was spent on the police force, then at a Pittsburgh law firm. Now, he's JP Morgan Chase's comms head. The one ...

Opening doors

Matthew Creamer discovers that an emerging market offers many PR challenges - and opportunities.

PR TECHNIQUE: Global expansion requires local familiarity

Whether you open your own office, team with a local affiliate, or buy an existing firm, research and a solid, realistic plan are global-expansion keys.

CAMPAIGNS: Bold initiative nets propitious start for Freedom Tobacco

PR Team: Freedom Tobacco (New York) and Vorticom (New York) Campaign: Launch of Legal cigarettes Time Frame: March-August 2003 Budget: $25,000 for the five-month project

CAMPAIGNS: Inviting approach helps Amstel Intl. kick up awareness

PR Team: Amstel International (Amsterdam) and TBWA/PR Company (Amsterdam) Campaign: "Amstel's Giant Living Room" at the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final Time Frame: May 2003 Budget: €70,000

CAMPAIGNS: SM&A is rewarded for putting stock in improved comms

PR Team: SM&A (Newport Beach, CA) and Financial Dynamics (San Francisco) Campaign: Investor relations to enhance stock value Time Frame: August 2002 - present Budget: $125,000

THE PUBLICIST: Secret visit to Baghdad shines light on President's PR prowess

Things were quiet in Hollywood during the Thanksgiving break, so I turned to my favorite alternative source of PR news, Washington, to sniff out a ...

PR PLAY OF THE WEEK: ING Direct takes Bay Area for a free ride

SAN FRANCISCO: ING Direct recently took Bay Area commuters for a ride - a free one.

TOY BOX: You can do without this Companion

The Executive Desk Companion, made by Franklin, is a combination speller, thesaurus, calculator, and clock. It's navigated via three buttons on the front or by ...

BOOK REVIEW: Making Rain has long-term benefits

Making Rain shows how to separate oneself from the crowd by building deeper, more personal relationships with clients. Sobel tells how "going the extra mile" ...

Regional Roundtable: Texas

Leading PR professionals from a variety of agencies, corporations, and nonprofits participate in a roundtable discussion about the PR issues that affect them and their ...

Cisco ends six-month AOR hunt with Weber Shandwick

SAN JOSE, CA: After spending six months on a highly competitive RFP that many PR firms viewed as 2003's ultimate technology account, Cisco Systems has ...