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June 17, 2002 Issue of PRWeek

Nike corporate social responsibility in limbo as public affairs takes precedence

WASHINGTON - Last week, Nike awarded a widely sought-after contract for what was supposed to be a corporate social responsibility campaign to APCO Worldwide.

Amazon's agency search stalled as marketing vice-president leaves

SEATTLE - Amazon.com is conducting a search for one or more PR agencies to handle corporate and retail work for the online company.

Nike CSR in limbo as APCO wins the work

WASHINGTON: Last week, Nike awarded a widely sought-after contract for what was supposed to be a corporate social responsibility campaign to APCO Worldwide. But in the ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Ogilvy PR appoints senior vice president

NEW YORK: Ogilvy PR has appointed Cheryl Overton as senior vice president and group director of marketing. Overton, who reports to Paul Hicks, managing director of ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Aigner Associates adds new clients to its roster

BOSTON: Aigner Associates Strategic Marketing and Public Relations has added six new clients to its roster, including the Pinehills, an environmentally sensitive planned community in Plymouth, ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Chuck Taylor joins DynCorp

RESTON, VA: Chuck Taylor has joined DynCorp as director of corporate communications. Most recently, he was SVP at Edelman PR. Taylor also spent 11 years at ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Dallas Center for the Performing Arts selects PR agency

DALLAS: The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation has selected Levenson Public Relations for strategic communications, community relations, and media relations. The Foundation is looking ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Durazo Communications adds three new clients

LOS ANGELES: Durazo Communications has added three new clients to its roster: American Honda, the US Department of the Treasury, and advertising start-up Drivertise. Durazo will ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Exerstrider Products selects PR agency

TUCSON, AZ: Exerstrider Products, the Wisconsin-based manufacturer of globally distributed fitness walking poles, has selected Arizona's Russell Public Affairs Group to direct its national PR efforts. Highlighting ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: PR Newswire's websites enhanced

NEW YORK: PR Newswire's public and media-only websites have beenenhanced with the addition of Thomson Financial stock marketcommentaries. The commentaries are compiled daily by analysts ...

Koretz pulls no punches in fight to raise age limit on buying cigarettes

LOS ANGELES: In promoting his bill to raise California's age limit to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21, State Assemblyman Paul Koretz is not interested in ...

PWC Consulting to be called Monday after summer IPO

NEW YORK: PWC Consulting, the business consulting unit of accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, will rebrand itself as Monday after its IPO.

Comms circus ensues as Catholic bishops convene

DALLAS: When the US Conference of Catholic Bishops assembled last week in Dallas, the approximately 300 attending members of the clergy were met with hundreds of ...

Amazon's agency search stalled by marketing VP exit

SEATTLE: Amazon.com is conducting a search for one or more PR agencies to handle corporate and retail work for the online company.

Analysts find 20% of UK PR agencies in financial straits

LONDON: One in five UK PR firms is in financial peril, with increasing debts and low margins, according to a study by financial analysts Plimsoll Publishing.

K Street lobby list causes Dems and GOP to butt heads

WASHINGTON: Top Republicans are delving into the backgrounds of lobbyists and association executives in DC, compiling information on who is loyal to the GOP and who ...

Omnicom shares fall after WSJ story

NEW YORK: Omnicom shares tumbled over 30% last week after a front-page Wall Street Journal article implied that the ad and communications giant had used aggressive ...

PR21's CIS unit set to operate on own

CHICAGO: As of July 1, PR21 will rebrand its competitive intelligence services (CIS) offering as an independent business unit.

Trust is the new watchword in the media

CHICAGO: According to a new study by Golin/Harris International, major media outlets are increasingly focusing on stories that involve trust across a broad spectrum of business, ...

CBS and Viacom to raise awareness of public healthcare for kids

LOS ANGELES: The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation has teamed with CBS and Viacom Outdoor Group for a year-long educational campaign to increase parents' awareness of low-cost ...

Burson builds up public affairs unit with two NYC hires

NEW YORK: Burson-Marsteller has added two top names to its New York public affairs roster.

Delay unveils grassroots plan to boost voter turnout

WASHINGTON: House Majority Whip Tom Delay is taking it upon himself to get Republicans up and voting this year.

Grey partnership to get music onto clients' websites

ATLANTA: Grey Global's Atlanta Group has proposed a public relations and marketing campaign that brings together two flagging media industries in hopes that each can give ...

IABC CHICAGO 2002: Keeping the CEO connected is the PR pro's main job

CHICAGO: A corporate PR person's major duty to a CEO is to serve as the link between the chief executive and the realities of the marketplace ...

Kmart looks to familiar face to repair employee comms

TROY, MI: At a time when Kmart is beset with problems stemming from leaked memos and talks of fraudulent accounting practices, the retailer is bringing back ...

IABC CHICAGO 2002: Corporate leaders stress value of employee comms

CHICAGO: Hewlett-Packard has found a direct link between employee performance and effective manager communication.

IABC CHICAGO 2002: Best Buy boss urges, 'measure everything'

CHICAGO: Retailer Best Buy values employee communications so much, that twice a year it undertakes a massive survey process, polling each of its 90,000 employees to ...

IABC CHICAGO 2002: IABC anticipates breaking even by end of fiscal year

CHICAGO: The International Association of Business Communicators expects to move from a $750,000 budget deficit last year to breaking even in its current fiscal year.

EDITORIAL: CEOs must allow PR to build their new brands

We hear increasing talk of corporate communicators and senior agency folk sidling into the C-suite, but there is still limited evidence - and certainly limited signing ...

THOUGHT LEADER: PR techniques can help sales forces understand client pain and avoid their own

Chances are you've seen a disastrous interview on TV; one in which the executive being interviewed looks like a deer in headlights. Doesn't it seem like ...

ANALYSIS: Corporate Branding - To win branding game, you must be in the right ballpark

Money can win a company the right to put its name on a stadium. But a lot can be lost if the deal is made ...

PAUL HOLMES: Short-term fixation on pleasing the Street can cause long-term angst for corporate America

Few things thwart the practice of good PR more than the short-termism that infects so many publicly traded companies. The focus on quarterly earnings militates against ...

ANALYSIS: Corporate Case Study - Signature staying healthy by shedding start-up image

Signature BioSciences is relying on PR to position itself as a drug-discovery firm. It's a hard sell, but the media and investors are buying Signature's focus ...

MEDIA WATCH: FBI's increased power prompts a surge of media skepticism

Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller recently announced an overhaul in the mandate of the FBI and in the ways it will be ...

MEDIA: SELF-IMPROVEMENT - Media Roundup. Self-help's broad appeal strengthens media interest

Top business and lifestyle outlets are now showing uncynical fascination with self-improvement stories. But that doesn't mean PR pros don't need a hook to sell pieces ...

Rieses' upcoming book extols PR's power

NEW YORK: September will see the publication of The Fall of Advertising and The Rise of PR, a new book from the father-daughter duo Al and ...

MEDIA PROFILE: Keep it exclusive to reap rewards of New York's sexiest page

PR pitches are the lifeblood of Page Six, and its legendary reputation makes it an effective place to be seen. However, it has high standards, and ...

PROFILE: Clark is all business when it comes to teaching IR

Cynthia Clark is working to make Boston University's PR program more business-oriented, as well as bring discussion of corporate America's financial scandals into her IR class. ...

THE FEEL-GOOD FACTOR: Pro bono work can be so fulfilling and educational to the PR pros that take part, it might even keep them out of the job market

Pro bono work is as much a part of public relations as pitching and passing out business cards. Every agency with an inkling of insight about ...

REGIONAL FOCUS: NEW JERSEY - How does the Garden State grow? Eric Arnold discovers local PR agencies rule in a market of major corporations

In Woody Allen's 1985 film The Purple Rose of Cairo, a man walks out of a New Jersey theater screen and into the audience - ...

PR TECHNIQUE: ANRs - Getting a hit on the radio

Still underutilized by PR pros, radio can be a prime vehicle for pitching news releases. But, as Sara Calabro finds, you can't just take a VNR ...

CAMPAIGNS: Brand Positioning - Immersion finds model of success

CAMPAIGNS: Community Outreach - DPS clears the air in latest initiative

CAMPAIGNS: Branding - Hobart uses web to prove ubiquity

CAREERS: Pandora's Problem Page

Q: I work in the consumer practice of a mid-size agency and was recently promoted. As part of my new job, I am expected to ...

CAREERS: My Big Break - Christina Cal, a SAE for RBB Public Relations in Coral Gables, FL

I only took one PR class throughout my college career, and quite frankly, I didn't think too much of it. I never expected to work ...

F-H helps US pharmacists in public awareness push

WASHINGTON: The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), with the help of Fleishman-Hillard's Washington, DC healthcare practice, has launched a public awareness campaign to educate ...

CAREERS: Where I Work - Melissa Wicinski, Account executive, BrownFlynn Communications

How long have you been working there? Six years.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Erika Koopman - Her biggest regret was stopping ballet classes, and the most daring thing she's ever done is ski. Meet the charmed and charming director of Harrison & Shriftman's Miami office, Erika Koopman

Describe the company you work for. Harrison %26 Shriftman is a publicity, special events, and marketing company that builds brands in the fashion, lifestyle, film, publishing ...