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July 21, 2003 Issue of PRWeek

WellPoint offers tips on discussing obesity

THOUSAND OAKS, CA: WellPoint, working in partnership with the American Dietetic Association (ADA), has developed a print and web-based guide to facilitate communication between healthcare ...

San Diego to be branded life-science hub

SAN DIEGO: Biocom, a trade association for the life-sciences industry, has named Townsend its agency of record.

Oil giant Pertamina taps Ruder Finn for corporate comms

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Pertamina, Indonesia's state-owned oil company, has hired Ruder Finn to develop and implement an international corporate communications program.

Medialive pitching value of Comdex to tech agencies

LOS ANGELES: Hi-tech PR agencies are finding themselves on the receiving end of a pitch, as Medialive International is sitting down with firms to preach ...

H&K tech practice to help clients with analyst relations

SAN FRANCISCO: With more clients asking for strategic corporate positioning, Hill & Knowlton's tech practice has created a position to help hi-tech companies strengthen analyst ...

Election campaigns brewing for CA race

LOS ANGELES: A recall effort against California Governor Gray Davis that only months ago seemed unlikely is now moving toward becoming a reality, leaving both ...

Public's opinion of media remains low since Blair ordeal

Washington: A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that the public's opinion toward the press has gone largely unchanged since the Jayson Blair ...

Wright brought in to build in-house PR group at Leiner

CARSON, CA: Leiner Health Products, maker of private-label pharmaceuticals and vitamins, has lured Crystal Wright from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) to ...

Rhino to begin reputation branding effort

San Diego: Concerned that its brand is becoming a generic term in the trucking world, Rhino Linings USA has begun a PR effort to remind ...

OutSmart nets job to help sell US on Mexican shrimp

San Diego: A group formed to promote American consumption of Mexican shrimp has hired OutSmart, a full-service marketing firm, to develop a PR campaign in ...

Alcatraz attracts attention by selling pieces of prison

SAN FRANCISCO: Recent visitors to Alcatraz have been leaving with a more interesting souvenir than the traditional "I escaped from Alcatraz" T-shirt. As part of ...

News Briefs

Red Sox ramping up PR to boost their local prestige

BOSTON: The Boston Red Sox have extended their contract with agency of record The Rasky/Baerlein Group, which aided the current owners in their bid to ...

People magazine brings in Valentino for top PR position

NEW YORK: People magazine has hired Nancy Valentino, a former marketing and business-development executive at the auction house Christie's, to fill its top PR post, ...

Netflix parts ways with Edelman, taps Fleishman-Hillard

LOS GATOS, CA: Netflix has dropped Edelman as its PR agency, and has handed its PR account to Fleishman-Hillard.

Local gatherings get press for Meetup.com

WASHINGTON: Reports earlier this month that dark-horse Presidential candidate Howard Dean had raised $7.5 million in a single quarter with the help of the barely ...

PR plans for ID technology slammed by privacy group

Boston: A privacy group is blasting a unit of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for its PR plans for a controversial product-ID technology and other ...

IBM offers its three PR firms two-year contract extension

ARMONK, NY: Nearly two years after IBM consolidated its PR with Text 100, OneBlue, and Magnet Communications, it is renewing its contracts with those three ...

Spam vs. PR issue rises after e-mail blast from website

NEW YORK: Freekobe.com, a website launched after Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant was arrested in Colorado under suspicion of sexual assault, broached an important question ...

Wright brought in to build in-house PR group at Leiner

CARSON, CA: Leiner Health Products, maker of private-label pharmaceuticals and vitamins, has lured Crystal Wright from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) to ...

Rhino to begin reputation branding effort

San Diego: Concerned that its brand is becoming a generic term in the trucking world, Rhino Linings USA has begun a PR effort to remind ...

OutSmart nets job to help sell US on Mexican shrimp

San Diego: A group formed to promote American consumption of Mexican shrimp has hired OutSmart, a full-service marketing firm, to develop a PR campaign in ...

Alcatraz attracts attention by selling pieces of prison

SAN FRANCISCO: Recent visitors to Alcatraz have been leaving with a more interesting souvenir than the traditional "I escaped from Alcatraz" T-shirt. As part of ...

Kinko's names WS AOR to help attract corporate clients

DALLAS: Weber Shandwick will support Kinko's drive to attract corporate customers and consumers as the company's new agency of record.

Franklin Mint uses Sitrick as row with Diana memorial fund continues

LONDON: The Franklin Mint has been working with California-based crisis PR firm Sitrick & Company in its lawsuit against the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial ...

CoreBrand-BNY pact incorporates brand equity into stock valuation

NEW YORK: Brand consultancy CoreBrand has entered into a deal with The Bank of New York to distribute stock research that uses brand reputation as ...

GE taps PR head Comstock as its first CMO in a decade

FAIRFIELD, CT: General Electric has named Beth Comstock, most recently its VP of corporate communications, as its first CMO in over ten years.

EDITORIAL: From measurement to local involvement, PR firms are committed to international growth

Everyone seemed to be talking global some 18 months ago, but the rhetoric has diminished somewhat as economic turmoil and international unrest continues to confound ...

OP-ED: Facing SARS threat: a firm's firsthand account

While many initially dismissed SARS as nothing more than a bad cold, the disease transformed life in Beijing and business in China overall.

OP-ED: Evaluating the White House's crisis PR conundrum

You can't help but marvel at White House efforts to stop the controversy over its mistaken claim, as the President declared in his State of ...

ANALYSIS: Studios downplay effect of new Oscar campaign rules

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences distributed new rules for Oscar campaigns, but the studios aren't likely to tone down their efforts.

PAUL HOLMES: From both a legal and PR view, The Franklin Mint's frivolous lawsuit is a no-win situation

If you had a choice, would you prefer to be known as the company that borrowed Princess Diana's image without getting permission, or as the ...

CORPORATE CASE STUDY: Integration paves the PR road for Harley-Davidson

After years of inconsistent, uncoordinated messaging, Harley-Davidson has created a streamlined comms operation to handle the PR challenges for its 100th anniversary and beyond.

MEDIA WATCH: Arrest of clean-cut Kobe surprises media on numerous levels

Details were scarce when news broke that NBA superstar Kobe Bryant had been arrested in Vail, CO on charges of sexual assault. The media reports ...

MEDIA ROUNDUP: Boomers, not youth, drive trends in audio coverage

The rise of the mp3 has pulled away much of the young audience, shifting coverage of audio to older consumers interested in home theater. So ...

MEDIA PROFILE: Stories on how the news is delivered interest PaidContent.org

PaidContent.org is a free news site for media outlets that deliver online content. But it looks at ideas on content delivery and who's behind them ...

PROFILE: Lalli brings mass-market insight to custom pubs

Howard Lalli has bounced between the big national glossies and local outlets, but now he's between the marketing and editorial worlds in his custom-publishing role ...

REGIONAL FOCUS: Dark side of the boom

Despite its relative proximity to the make-believe world of Hollywood, the San Diego/Orange County region found 2002 was more like a hard dose of reality ...

PR TECHNIQUE: Pooling resources requires a firm understanding

As partnering among agencies of all sizes becomes more common, some guidelines must be followed to ensure such unions work for all sides.

CAMPAIGN: Targeted outreach is wise investment for OptionsXpress

PR Team: Scanlon Corporate Communications (Chicago) and OptionsXpress (Chicago) Campaign: OptionsXpress: Giving Investors More Options Time Frame: August 2001-ongoing Budget: Under $100,000/year

CAMPAIGN: Sitcom spots help Inada chairs enjoy standout US debut

PR Team: Family Inada (Japan) and Slay PR (Richmond, VA and New York) Campaign: Inada Chair Holiday Media Relations Campaign Time Frame: October 2002 - December 2002 Budget: ...

CAMPAIGN: Fur Ball secures a grand opening for SPCA's new facility

PR Team: Richmond SPCA and Slay PR (Richmond, VA) Campaign: Celebrating the Fur Ball Time Frame: September-October 2002 Budget: $35,000

THE PUBLICIST: Milwaukee sausage scandal adds sizzle to film's publicity

Working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry, one is sometimes exposed to the kind of ugliness one would rather not see. Petty jealousies, abhorrent ...

PR PLAY OF THE WEEK: Times' timing apt in Keller appointment

New York: Upon taking over the job he failed to get two years ago, Bill Keller, the new executive editor of The New York Times, ...

TOY BOX: VectorLite will have its users beaming

The VectorLite's (model VEC-118) packaging says it beams 1,500,000 candlepower, which I assume means the light it emits is equivalent to burning 1.5 million candles ...

BOOK REVIEW: Book doesn't heed its own solid advice

James Haggerty has included good information about handling PR during a lawsuit. For example, toward the end of his tome, he writes, "Whatever the final ...