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May 12, 2003 Issue of PRWeek

Tilia seals deal with Walker to pitch FoodSaver to outdoors crowd

San Francisco: Tilia, which makes FoodSaver home vacuum-packaging systems, has hired The Walker Agency to handle PR directed at the outdoors, hunting, and fishing markets.

Sterling Hager now named Shift after owner's departure

BOSTON, MA: Tech firm Sterling Hager has been reborn as Shift Communications following the departure of owner Sterling Hager Jr.

Giant taps Ogilvy to build its brand among bikers in US

NEWBURY PARK, CA: Giant Bicycles is not a boastful brand name. The Taiwanese company is the largest manufacturer of bikes around the world, and second ...

Edelman brings in employee comms expert Hannegan

Chicago: Edelman has hired Christopher Hannegan as an employee communications specialist to fill a new post, US director of employee engagement.

Urban Latin Music Festival launches broad youth drive

LOS ANGELES: The Urban Latin Music Festival (ULMF), a Miami-based Latino/hip-hop event, is launching a five-month PR campaign aimed at raising its profile and attracting ...

RF boosts its Asia-Pacific status with new Sydney office

SYDNEY: Ruder Finn (RF) has opened a new office in Sydney - its first in Australia - bringing the agency's total number of offices to ...

MWW hired to revitalize filmmaking in IL

Chicago: A group representing film industry-related businesses and workers in Illinois has hired the MWW Group to run a public affairs campaign to convince the ...

Bombardier to up PR amid Chapter 11 buzz

Sturtevant, WI: A division of Bombardier has launched a new dealer-, employee- and customer-relations effort to counter rumors that two of its boat motor brands ...

NEWS BRIEFS

TNN brings in new comms head before Spike switch

LOS ANGELES: Spike TV, formerly TNN (The National Network), has hired a new director of communications one month before launching a multimillion-dollar rebranding campaign.

KidzMouse picks Child's Play to push computer mouse

SAN MATEO, CA: KidzMouse has selected Child's Play Communications as its AOR to promote the company's child-friendly, colorful line of computer mice.

Edelman introduces measurement tool

NEW YORK: Edelman has developed a new measurement tool it is calling the Relationship Index, which is designed to evaluate the quality of relationships organizations ...

Spotlight turns to Bechtel after winning Iraq contract

SAN FRANCISCO: As the assault on Saddam Hussein's regime came to an end, the government bestowed on Bechtel a choice contract to rebuild Iraq. Then ...

Xenophon to raise profile of group's studies with food

Washington: The National Food Processors Association has hired Xenophon Strategies for a project designed to raise the association's profile on issues related to food safety, ...

PN to push Timberland's ties to social justice

Stratham, NH: Timberland has signed Porter Novelli as its agency of record, replacing Cone Communications.

PSSC taps Windsor to widen its market

LOS ANGELES: Personal Service Super Computers (PSSC), makers of custom-designed high-performance computers for universities and governmental organizations, has hired Windsor McLaren as its AOR.

Everyday uses for K-Y at center of branding effort

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ: K-Y Jelly's less-than-sexy image will get a makeover next month when Johnson & Johnson begins an effort to take the brand beyond ...

Film prompts Cancun to put 'real' attractions on display

LOS ANGELES: The Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) has launched a media outreach campaign to combat the boobs-and-booze image presented in the recent feature ...

American Legacy Foundation pares field down to three

WASHINGTON: The American Legacy Foundation's (ALF) agency review was narrowed down to three finalists last week: Fleishman-Hillard, The MWW Group, and Golin/Harris.

New business title to tackle issues in life-sciences work

SAN FRANCISCO: Acumen Journal of Sciences, a new title devoted to the business of life science, debuts this month with a stark black cover and ...

IPG picks Coughlin as new COO in plan to fix its finances

NEW YORK: Ending a six-month search for an executive who could shore up its accounting practices, Interpublic Group (IPG) named Christopher Coughlin as its new ...

Quattrone's defense team hires PR help

palo alto, ca: The legal team defending former CSFB star investment banker Frank Quattrone from obstruction-of-justice and witness-tampering charges has retained crisis litigation firm Chlopak, ...

Ruder Finn leaves Council of PR Firms over its handling of rankings

NEW YORK: In protest of "the unfair way the Council of Public Relations Firms is handling this year's agency rankings," Ruder Finn CEO Peter Finn ...

TIAA-CREF names Goldstein its new public affairs EVP

NEW YORK: Last week, TIAA-CREF announced that Steven Goldstein has joined the financial-services company as EVP for public affairs.

Government comms to be put to test in terrorist drill

WASHINGTON: Public affairs officers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State, the Red Cross, and Canada, as well as state and ...

EDITORIAL: Portrayal of PR in the media, not in Hollywood, is the problem on which we must concentrate

This is another of PRWeek's occasional point-counterpoint columns with our colleague Paul Holmes. Click here to see his column. A couple of recent ...

OP-ED: To plan new business, the right information is everything

As the saying goes, "That which does not kill you makes you stronger." This phrase is particularly relevant when discussing the current state of our ...

ANALYSIS: Dose of PR needed to soften effect of SARS on business

SARS is now largely contained, but businesses are still taking major hits. And their recovery will involve much more than just quashing the hype.

PAUL HOLMES: PR practitioners have cause to be concerned as Hollywood casts them in unflattering light

It's tempting to dismiss PR professionals who worry about the portrayal of this business in the media by suggesting that they get a life. Don't ...

CORPORATE CASE STUDY: PR commitment helps CCA escape reputation woes

Having overcome near financial disaster, the Corrections Corporation of America is now using communications to address the ever-present problems facing private corrections.

MEDIA WATCH: The media likes what it has heard so far from Apple's iTunes

Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs thinks he has the solution to one of the biggest challenges facing the music industry - the loss of ...

MEDIA ROUNDUP: Real estate remains a hot topic during tough times

With interest rates low, coverage of home buying is on the rise in both national and local media. One of the keys to securing coverage, ...

MEDIA PROFILE: Yoga Journal stays focused on happy, fulfilled, illuminated living

Stories about reincarnation and psychic powers won't work for Yoga Journal, but if you focus on mental and emotional well-being, and have a little imagination, ...

MARKET FOCUS: Comfort conflict

Americans want to have their comfort cake, eat it, and then sue the baker for making them obese. John N. Frank reports on the challenges ...

PR TECHNIQUE: Rolling out new products in a time of war

The war with Iraq caused many PR practitioners to think hard about how - and whether - to launch a new product in such difficult ...

CAMPAIGNS: Local tourism club invades Richmond to drive trail traffic

PR Team: Virginia's Retreat (Petersburg, VA) and Siddall, Inc. (Richmond, VA) Campaign: Opening the Wilson-Kautz Trail Time Frame: April-June 2002 Budget: $25,000

CAMPAIGNS: Green Mill adds PR to the recipe for its Bismarck opening

PR Team: Kohnstamm Communications (Minneapolis) and Green Mill Restaurant and Bar chain (Arden Hills, MN) Campaign: Bismarck, ND restaurant opening Time Frame: September 2002-October 1, 2002 Budget: ...

THE PUBLICIST: Hollywood publicists often find the camera is not kind to them

If you want to make a film that's a critical or box-office underachiever, just make one of the central characters a publicist. It's a recipe ...

PR PLAY OF THE WEEK: British Airways deftly averts PR turbulence

LONDON: While the airline industry remains in a financial tailspin, at least one carrier is keeping its sense of humor when it comes to media ...

TOY BOX: Tablet PC is all write for the most part

The Viewsonic Tablet PC is having difficulty reading my scrawl (it read my last name as Troglet), but at least I can boast, "Look, you ...

BOOK REVIEW: Boy Genius shares political PR wisdom

Texas politics is a world unto itself, equal parts rodeo and revival meeting. It's there that Karl Rove, the mastermind behind George W. Bush's blitzkrieg ...

PROFILE: Lerner's Riptide helps the underdogs tell their stories

From a tiny New York office, David Lerner has managed to educate, inform, and even mobilize hundreds of thousands in support of left-wing issues by ...

Agency Rankings 2003

The Agency Rankings 2003 look different this year, but the analysis offered is no less important.

Weber confirms move into "consultant" role at IPG

NEW YORK: Larry Weber is moving into the role of part-time "strategic consultant" at Interpublic Group, as much of his portfolio has been handed off ...