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December 16, 2002 Issue of PRWeek

Generic-drug body ramps up comms efforts with top in-house hires

WASHINGTON: The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) made its first move towards formalizing an in-house communications team on Wednesday.

UAL works with a quartet of firms amid Chapter 11 woes

CHICAGO: UAL is working with four PR agencies as the stricken company struggles to pull out of a financial tailspin under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

DC shops prepare pitches as Hong Kong seeks to lure US business

WASHINGTON: The government of Hong Kong will soon hear proposals from DC agencies hoping to take over its campaign to lure America's confidence and its ...

Fleishman puts its Hispanic force into standalone agency

MIAMI: Fleishman-Hillard is launching a new agency, FH Hispania, to target PR opportunities in the US Hispanic market.

Golin lands AOR status with Coors following work in UK

GOLDEN, CO: Eight months after signing up Coors Brewing's newly purchased UK subsidiary as a client, Golin/Harris International has inked an agency-of-record contract with the ...

BP Cubed takes on Hispanic PR job in CA

SACRAMENTO: The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has hired BP Cubed as its first agency of record.

Text 100 plans for tech recovery with new offices set up

SAN FRANCISCO: Text 100 is opening up new offices, and creating practice groups to position itself ahead of the hi-tech recovery curve.

Survey shows execs lack interest in crisis planning

WASHINGTON: The 2002 State of Corporate Public Affairs Survey suggests that CEOs have grasped the importance of getting politically involved after September 11, though many ...

NEWS BRIEFS: FDMW promotes Anton Nicholas

NEW YORK: FD Morgen-Walke (FDMW) has promoted Anton Nicholas to a newly created CEO role. He had been COO. FDMW also appointed head of FD ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Edelman appoints Gustavo Bernhoeft

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL: Edelman has appointed Gustavo Bernhoeft to lead its Rio de Janeiro, Brazil subsidiary. Bernhoeft, who joined Edelman's Sao Paulo office in 1999 ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Jeff Pulver leaves Epiphany

SAN MATEO, CA: Due to a restructuring in Epiphany's marketing department, EVP of marketing Jeff Pulver has left the company. The communications and PR staff ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Topaz Partners named as PR agency

BOSTON: The Massachusetts Software and Internet Council has named Topaz Partners as its PR agency. Topaz Partners will provide media relations and other PR support ...

NEWS BRIEFS: United Technologies names VP of communications

HARTFORD, CT: United Technologies has named George Jamison III as VP of communications. Jamison previously served as VP of communications at Hughes Electronics, and VP ...

NEWS BRIEFS: MEMC Electronic Materials selects agency

ST. PETERS, MO: MEMC Electronic Materials has selected the Loomis Group as its PR agency. Loomis will help raise awareness of MEMC's products and services ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Amkor Technology chooses Positio Investor & PR

WEST CHESTER, PA: Amkor Technology has chosen Positio Investor & Public Relations as its global AOR. Positio will develop positioning and other communications for the ...

NEWS BRIEFS: The Ruder Finn Group adds new clients

SAN FRANCISCO: The Ruder Finn Group has added two new clients to its consumer technology practice. Ceiva Logic develops digital photo receivers, and Confoti creates ...

NEWS BRIEFS: FutureWorks adds to client roster

SAN JOSE, CA: Hi-tech PR firm FutureWorks has added 3ware and AG Neovo to its client roster. 3ware specializes in switched RAID storage services. AG ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Greenough Communications launches new group

BOSTON: Greenough Communications has launched a new digital communications group, which offers webcast and video productions, website extensions, and interactive e-mail marketing programs, giving clients ...

NEWS BRIEFS: MediaMap launches Performa

WATERTOWN, MA: MediaMap has launched Performa, a web-based application that allows companies to manage media relationships, distribute messages, and measure the results of their activities. ...

NEWS BRIEFS: The Ruth Group adds six new clients

NEW YORK: The Ruth Group has added six new clients to its healthcare practice. The latest wins include Covalent Group, a contract research organization; Bone ...

Founders of Direct Impact make way for new CEO Veith

WASHINGTON: Direct Impact, Burson-Marsteller's grassroots campaign agency, welcomed Craig Veith as its new CEO last week and made chairmen of its two founding partners.

HP vying to stake its claim as tech leader

PALO ALTO, CA: Prior to Hewlett-Packard's tumultuous merger with Compaq, many observers viewed the move as nothing more than the marriage of a printer company ...

Bush opponents team up to further Iraq war debate

LOS ANGELES: A Washington, DC nonprofit group opposed to President Bush's policy on Iraq is coordinating a PR program comprising celebrities and high-profile organizations to ...

ABC medical guru trades TV spot for product role at J&J

LOS ANGELES: Johnson & Johnson has hired an ABC medical correspondent to act as a communications liaison and advisor both internally and externally across product ...

Sard and Frank take sides in mall tussle

NEW YORK: Citigate Sard Verbinnen and Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher are in the middle of a shopping-mall stand-off that has nothing to do with ...

Blue Spoon offers integrated service in pharma sector

NEW YORK: A new integrated communications service, designed initially to focus on the pharmaceutical industry, has been launched by Blue Spoon Consulting.

$30b budget hole leaves CA firms anxious

SACRAMENTO: California's multibillion-dollar budget woes are creating uncertainty for PR and public affairs firms in the state capital.

America not earning praise in other lands

WASHINGTON: International attitudes toward America and its policies continue to decline despite the uptick in US public diplomacy efforts following September 11, 2001, according to ...

ET offers instant news through ticker

LOS ANGELES: Entertainment Tonight, the number-one syndicated entertainment newsmagazine, has launched at 24-7 desktop newswire targeting consumers who need to know the latest celebrity happenings.

Royals get new PR head after Walker moves to Reuters

LONDON: This week, Buckingham Palace confirmed that press secretary Penny Russell-Smith has taken over the top Royal PR post. The news follows the announcement that ...

Biogen taps Schwartz for corporate task

WALTHAM, MA: Biogen has hired Schwartz Communications to handle its media relations, corporate messaging, and branding.

Everyday heroes help drive Volvo's public-service effort

NEW YORK: At a news conference last week, Volvo Cars of North America CEO Vic Doolan unveiled a multiyear public-service program called the Volvo For ...

Ketchum Atlanta's restructuring puts Rafferty in top role

ATLANTA: Ketchum has made management changes in its Atlanta office and global marketing practice.

Ex-Aventis head joins MS&L healthcare

NEW YORK: MS&L has attracted pharma giant Aventis' former director of global product communications, Doug Stokke, to its healthcare practice.

New Rolls-Royce PR head to stress product support

CHANTILLY, VA: Rolls-Royce North America has hired Benet Wilson as senior manager, corporate communications. Wilson will oversee all communications for Rolls' civil aerospace business in ...

Ad Council and UN turn to PR in campaign to boost AIDS awareness

NEW YORK: The Ad Council has turned to PR to boost its recently launched AIDS-awareness campaign. The initiative, developed in partnership with the United Nations ...

Magnet taps Klein to take over firm's Bay Area outpost

SAN FRANCISCO: Magnet Communications has selected Karen Klein as the new GM of its Bay Area office.

Fleishman helps LA mayor on Asia economic mission

LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles office of Fleishman-Hillard was tapped by the mayor's office to spearhead communications for an economic stimulus mission to Asia last ...

Nautilus brings in agencies to build PR and IR muscle

VANCOUVER, WA: The Nautilus Group, the fitness company behind such brands as Bowflex, Schwinn, and StairMaster, has hired a PR firm and an IR firm ...

THOUGHT LEADER: The industry needs a ruling in favor of truth, not Nike

Rare is the court decision that has the power to create credibility for an entire profession. Yet that is precisely what happened in May when ...

EDITORIAL: PR's resilience of 2002 has it well-prepared for unknown challenges of the coming year

PR practitioners have every reason to feel optimistic about 2003. Do I detect a collective snort of disbelief? Nonetheless, it's true.

EDITORIAL: CSR takes rightful place in PR hierarchy

The conversation took place in June. PRWeek editors were discussing whether readers would understand the abbreviation in a headline. "If our readers don't know what ...

ANALYSIS: Saudis rethink PR as $3m 15-month campaign stalls

As US skepticism persists - despite a long and expensive PR initiative - the Saudis are determined to show Americans they are an ally that ...

PAUL HOLMES: Though met with much skepticism, lawsuits against McDonald's do have PR meat to them

Five years from now, every McDonald's burger will come wrapped in paper that carries a health warning from the Surgeon General.

Book of Lists 2002

PRWeek's editorial team looks back at some of the highs and lows of an eventful year in PR.

CAMPAIGNS: MPP's marijuana legalization push goes up in smoke

PR Team: Marijuana Policy Project (Washington, DC) Campaign: Getting Question 9 onto the ballot and into the law books Time Frame: Spring 2002-November 5, 2002 Budget: $2 million

CAMPAIGNS: Dice begins to roll following brand's recent makeover

PR Team: Dice (New York) and FD Morgen-Walke (New York) Campaign: Dice rebranding Time Frame: Spring 2001-spring 2002 Budget: Over $100,000

CAMPAIGNS: Trident revises PR strategy to rebuild its consumer base

PR Team: Trident Microsystems (Sunnyvale, CA) and Gelphman Associates (San Jose, CA) Campaign: High-performance graphics for Main Street Time Frame: May-August 2002 Budget: $25,000

THE PUBLICIST: Gathering the entire crew for a photo is rarely a pretty picture

One of the obligatory tasks of a set publicist is arranging a group photo of the entire film crew. It's a necessary ritual on every ...

PR PLAY OF THE WEEK: Snow avoids the heat by leaving Augusta

WASHINGTON: For John Snow, the newly anointed nominee for the top Treasury post, the first order of business was not a new round of tax ...

TOY BOX: A hot gift item for waffling shoppers

Given the icy economy, many may find coal instead of bonuses in their Christmas stockings. But they can still take comfort in the ultimate comfort ...

BOOK REVIEW: Outsiders allowed inside Wall Street

Take on the Street is primarily a book for the individual investor who seeks better armor against the confusing, proprietary, and often deceptive way Wall ...