Mobile Version Subscribe Issue Archive Contact Us About Us Advertise

RSS | Login | Register

January 27, 2003 Issue of PRWeek

Homeland Security Department prioritizes education in its PR plans

WASHINGTON: The era of homeland security has introduced a slew of new PR challenges to the federal government.

Culp to leave Sears after a 10-year stint at its PR helm

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL: Ron Culp, Sears Roebuck's VP of PR and government affairs, has announced his resignation after 10 years at the giant retailer.

Dell selects GCI for corporate PR task

AUSTIN, TX: More than a year after Dell issued an RFP for corporate communications work, the computer company has handed the task to GCI Group.

Lehane to lead comms in Kerry's 2004 bid

WASHINGTON: Chris Lehane, former Al Gore spokesman and prolific, high-level crisis consultant, will lead the communications team for Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) 2004 White House ...

IPG feels heat from latest SEC upgrade

NEW YORK: Interpublic Group's recent accounting woes reared their head again last week when the marketing giant announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission has ...

Microsoft claims top spot in latest reputation survey

NORWALK, CT: Microsoft has jumped from fourth place to pole position in Delahaye Medialink's third annual media reputation index (MRi) survey.

MediaMap opts for Cymfony over Biz360

WATERTOWN, MA: MediaMap has ended its nine-month partnership with Biz360, and named Cymfony the engine behind its Performa Analytics application.

HUD hires Equals Three in $1.5m minority initiative

WASHINGTON: The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has tapped Equals Three Communications to conduct a one-year, $1.5 million campaign encouraging home ownership ...

NEC brings in Voce following merger of business units

SACRAMENTO: NEC Solutions America has hired Voce Communications as its AOR to help the company reposition itself.

NEWS IN BRIEF: Edelman European president leaves

LONDON: Rosanna D'Antona, Edelman's European president, is leaving the firm after 12 years. Alison Canning, president of Edelman's international operations, will now additionally assume direct ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Forrester to purchase Giga

CAMBRIDGE, MA: Hi-tech analyst Forrester Research has offered to purchase rival Giga Information Group, and expects to acquire the firm by the end of March. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Levi Strauss picks Golin/Harris

SAN FRANCISCO: Levi Strauss has picked Golin/Harris International to develop PR campaigns surrounding the company's 150th anniversary. PR will focus on the history and heritage ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Magnet grows with additions

SAN FRANCISCO: Magnet Communications' wine practice has grown with the addition of three new clients. Magnet's new wine clients are Ecowinefest, an international organic wine ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: PreCache chooses Antenna

BRIDGEWATER, NJ: PreCache has chosen the Antenna Group to provide PR services. PreCache licenses a patent-pending, distributed publishing and subscription messaging technology for infrastructure, solution, ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Momentum merges with Citigate DVL Smith

LONDON: Momentum Research Group is merging with Citigate DVL Smith, expanding the latter consultancy's research capabilities and giving it a base for increasing its services ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Terpin Group launches CHANNELmatchTM

MARINA DEL REY, CA: The Terpin Group has launched CHANNELmatchTM, a new channel-services division that will create and manage retail distribution partnerships for consumer-electronics makers ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Edelman hires Lourdes de la Torriente

MIAMI: Edelman has hired Lourdes de la Torriente, formerly with WSW, as VP in its diversity solutions practice. De la Torriente will assist in managing ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: HMA PR adds Clubs to roster

PHOENIX: HMA PR has added the Boys and Girls Clubs of Scottsdale to its client roster. HMA will implement a proactive media relations strategy on ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Bailey Gardiner signs Partnership

SAN DIEGO: Bailey Gardiner has signed the Downtown San Diego Partnership, a collective of residential developers dedicated to promoting the downtown area, as a new ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Teletrax adopted by NBC News

CHARLOTTE, NC: Teletrax, Medialink's video-monitoring technology, has been adopted by NBC News Channel as its method of tracking content usage. Under the agreement, over 100 ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Summus selects Calysto

RALEIGH, NC: Summus, a developer of applications and information-processing tools for wireless multimedia, has selected Calysto Communications to promote its wireless applications and platforms.

NEWS IN BRIEF: Steelman and Gaunt hires Kupper Parker

JEFFERSON CITY, MO: Law firm Steelman and Gaunt has hired St. Louis-based Kupper Parker Communications for media consulting and PR. The firm handles personal injury, ...

Siebel switches its agency deal from Access to PR.com

SAN MATEO, CA: Siebel Systems has ended its four-year relationship with Access Communications, selecting PR.com as its new US agency of record.

Pentagon unveils plan for safe media access to war

WASHINGTON: As preparations for a possible invasion of Iraq reach their final hours at the Pentagon, so too do plans to give American media the ...

Bank One lures in Nortel's global PR director for VP job

WILMINGTON, DE: David Chamberlin has left Nortel Networks, where he was director of global communications, to join Bank One as VP of PR in its ...

Belo gears up for Spanish-language daily paper launch

DALLAS: A new Spanish-language newspaper planned for the Dallas/Fort Worth area will count itself among a mere handful published daily in the US.

Tyson kicks off $100m rebranding effort

SPRINGDALE, AK: Tyson Foods is planning a $100 million rebranding effort for a variety of its beef and pork product lines.

OBITUARY: Cincinnati firm HSR loses young talent in car crash

CINCINNATI: Three PR people from agency HSR Business to Business died in a car crash while on their way to a client meeting on January ...

Hollywood gets together to lobby FCC for rule changes

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood's creative communities have formed two separate but related lobbying coalitions in response to the FCC's decision to review media ownership rules.

Northlich PR head Miller promoted to president's office

CINCINNATI: Rick Miller, the former EVP and head of PR at Northlich, has become president of the integrated firm. In his new role, he'll oversee ...

Kraft Foods on the hunt for new VP of PR

NORTHFIELD, IL: Kraft Foods is searching for a VP of public relations, a new position in its PR department.

Cardinal taps Ketchum for $20m branding campaign

DUBLIN, OH: Embarking on a $20 million brand-awareness initiative, Cardinal Health has picked Ketchum as its first-ever agency of record.

Paving the road to a better year for the entire industry

Don't look back; it's not a pretty sight. 2002 was a difficult year in general, but many PR firms found it even more challenging than ...

Ex-Edelman head opens corporate reputation office

BELLEVUE, WA: Former Edelman EVP Jerry Hendin has launched his own firm called Alliance Public Relations, focusing on corporate-reputation management.

SEC's new pro-forma edict will impact IR practitioners

WASHINGTON: The Securities and Exchange Commission delivered its final decision on the use of so-called "pro forma" earnings and several other disclosure topics in a ...

Aprilia seeks out Brandware to rev up coverage in US

ATLANTA: Italian motorcycle maker Aprilia wants to boost the attention it gets in the US.

EDITORIAL: Before work can start, both agency and client have to understand the rules of engagement

Relationships are tough, including those between companies and agencies. PR firms are at a disadvantage in this buyer's market. But they still must consider who ...

EDITORIAL: Smart firm heads allow staffers their say

PRWeek's recent news story about Edelman working with Viacom to promote AIDS/HIV awareness across its media vehicles was edifying.

OP-ED: PR pros who grasp branding will avoid getting burned

There is a debate raging right now in the Midwest over the branding of cattle. Animal rights activists, along with some restaurant chains, have indicated ...

ANALYSIS: Industries in image trouble must face all their critics

The coal industry wants to improve its image, and in looking at similar turnaround efforts, John N. Frank discovers that a one-size-fits-all PR campaign won't ...

PAUL HOLMES: Companies that feel immune to recent crisis history are likely doomed to become part of it

To paraphrase Michael Corleone, if history has taught us anything, it is that a crisis can happen to any company at any time. Apparently, however, ...

CORPORATE CASE STUDY: PR is well connected to all calls Motorola PCS makes

Motorola PCS is the number-two cell-phone company. As it looks to reach the top and fend off competitors, PR, armed with top-brass support, plays as ...

MEDIA WATCH: Media concurs as Case admits that he'd become a PR liability

Earlier this month, on the third birthday of the company he had boldly created, Steve Case announced his intention to resign as chairman of AOL ...

MEDIA ROUNDUP: Media feeds off buzz created by home entertainment

Getting coverage for the latest consumer electronics isn't hard, though it differs for the hardware and software sides of the business. But for both, reviews ...

MEDIA PROFILE: Fitness draws big numbers by helping readers find balance

Fitness magazine is true to its name, but it isn't designed to reach the hard core, so a pitch needs to be fine-tuned. And it ...

PROFILE: Zellers eye big time after string of indie-film PR hits

After scoring publicity hits with numerous indie films, most notably My Big Fat Greek Wedding, brothers Steve and Todd Zeller have reason to believe that ...

Must the show go on?

Hi-tech events still draw, but bigger is no longer always better.

REGIONAL FOCUS: Southeast: a revival of sorts

A surge in late 2002 has the Southeast's PR firms optimistic about the year ahead.

PR TECHNIQUE: Multicultural campaigns: the sum of the parts

You can't reach numerous ethnic groups with one message. The real path to effective multicultural PR, finds Anita Chabria, is a number of smaller, targeted ...

CAMPAIGNS: GP's initiative helps give Brawny brand an eminent facelift

PR Team: Georgia-Pacific (Atlanta) and Edelman (Atlanta) Campaign: Search for The Brawny Man 2002 Time Frame: February through November 2002 Budget: $500,000

CAMPAIGNS: Lavalife cultivates solid relationship with singles in US

PR Team: Lavalife (Toronto) and Mansfield Communications (New York) Campaign: "Where singles click" Time Frame: March through November 2002 Budget: over $2 million

THE PUBLICIST: DVDs have placed behind-the-scenes crews front and center

I've mentioned before how irresistible it is for those working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry to occasionally take a bow in the spotlight ...