November 15, 2004 Issue of PRWeek

Archive

MEDIA ROUNDUP: Press still places stock in analysts

Despite accusations of overreliance and a slew of Wall Street scandals, analysts remain a coveted source for reporters covering a wide array of stories.

 

Inside the Mix

Putting a brand in front of customers in a unique setting and for a limited time can work wonders

 

The Agency Business: ESOPs provide marketing tool, staff morale boost for firms

Transitioning into a PR agency that takes part in an employee stock ownership plan requires research and a good strategy, but firms that take the ...

 

ANALYSIS Corporate Case Study: Song distinguishes brand to surpass expectations

When Delta launched low-cost airline Song last year, media critics thought the carrier was doomed to fail. But by creating its own brand identity, Song ...

 

HOLMES REPORT: Gay-friendly companies face harsh reality of US life as Christian groups wield influence

A couple of weeks before the election - before people in 11 states voted in favor of propositions that give the government the right to ...

 

Healthcare: Health debate heats up as GOP retains its stronghold

Healthcare's impact on the election wasn't as strong as predicted, but experts feel it will be a key issue on the Hill - and in ...

 

Experts debate benefits of rotating staff into IR units

NEW YORK: Close observers of the IR field agree that financial expertise is increasingly becoming its most vital qualification. But they disagree on how companies ...

 

BuzzMetrics monitoring influencers to predict trends in nutrition

NEW YORK: BuzzMetrics, a company that tracks word-of-mouth "buzz," has pinpointed 400 individuals that shape discussions about nutrition.

 

GCI Group to help council up profile, find great parents

NEW YORK: The Father's Day/Mother's Day Council is turning to GCI Group to help raise its profile, promote its charity work, and identify the world's ...

 

Northlich to head integrated effort for Sona MedSpa

NASHVILLE, TN: Sona MedSpa International has selected Northlich, an integrated agency in Cincinnati, to handle a wide-ranging marketing and PR effort.

 

Sigma pegs Terpin as AOR to kick off education efforts

IRVING, TX: Sigma Medical has chosen its first AOR to launch a consumer education campaign.

 

Country Music Association taps Edelman to up NY interest in awards

NASHVILLE: The Country Music Association (CMA) is using Edelman to sell New Yorkers on the 2005 Country Music Awards.

 

Spike TV tweaks auto-show format in bid for young male viewers

NEW YORK: Spike TV has hired Brandware PR to help publicize a new auto awards show designed to raise the young network's profile among its ...

 

Magnet's Washington office enters public affairs arena

WASHINGTON: Euro RSCG Magnet will launch a global public affairs practice based in its Washington office beginning January 1.

 

TechTarget gears new title to CIOs at mid-market firms

NEEDHAM, MA: IT media company TechTarget is launching CIO Decisions, a monthly magazine targeted to CIOs and other senior-level IT managers at mid-market companies. Beginning ...

 

Communications Strategies to help launch acne foam

PALO ALTO, CA: Drug manufacturer Connetics is working with Communications Strategies (CS) to introduce its newly FDA-approved foam acne medication, Evoclin.

 

Woods Foundation names DKC its AOR

NEW YORK: The Tiger Woods Foundation (TWF) has retained Dan Klores Communications as its AOR.

 

Voter-education initiatives are likely to expand by '06

NEW YORK: A pair of voter-education campaigns executed by Burson-Marsteller in the run-up to the election may have been the first in a series of ...

 

Kessler to launch LA office for SS&K as its new partner

LOS ANGELES: Joe Kessler, former head of California operations for Weber Shandwick, has re-emerged at New York-based Shepardson, Stern, & Kaminsky (SS&K) as a partner. ...

 

NEWS BRIEFS

NEW YORK: Washington-based Spitfire Strategies, which specializes in foundations and nonprofit PR, has opened a New York office. Lisa Magnino, formerly account group supervisor with ...

 

Genworth selects two more firms to lead PR initiatives

RICHMOND, VA: Genworth Financial, the GE spin-off with close to $100 billion in assets, has added to its agency roster over the past several months. ...

 

Bush nominee for attorney general sparks concerns

NEW YORK: Civil-liberties and human-rights groups moved quickly last week to raise concerns in the media about President Bush's nominee to replace John Ashcroft as ...

 

Poll: internal comms hinge on actions of senior execs

STAMFORD, CT: The actions and attitudes of senior corporate leaders are the key to effective internal communications, found a new study by professional services firm ...

 

Microsoft focusing on tech, not search war

REDMOND, WA: Microsoft wants everyone to know that its new search engine could revolutionize the way they use their computers. But first it must get ...

 

Group probes online viral efforts targeting children

MINNEAPOLIS: The National Institute on Media and the Family, a group that led the charge against video-game violence, has turned its focus to online viral ...

 

Vivendi scouts NY firm, but budget is less than reported

LOS ANGELES: A spokesman for entertainment and telecom giant Vivendi Universal has confirmed that the French company is looking for a New York-based PR agency, ...

 

Key Amazon contracts up for grabs in comms review

SEATTLE: Amazon.com is embarking on a comprehensive PR review, throwing three of its key contracts up for grabs in time for the holidays.

 

Gore firm recruits Capital MS&L to run PR

LONDON: Generation Investment Management, a new investment firm cofounded by former US VP Al Gore, has hired Capital MS&L to handle communications during its upcoming ...

 

Iraqex lands $6m deal helping with US comms in Iraq

WASHINGTON: Iraqex, a newly formed conglomerate focusing exclusively on work in Iraq, has won a $6 million contract to help the US presence in that ...

 

Nitromed markets race-specific heart drug amid accusations

LEXINGTON, MA: Biotech company NitroMed is working with Spectrum Science as it prepares for the launch of a controversial drug for black patients.

 

Regional Roundtable: Atlanta

In this second year of its Regional Forums, PRWeek will focus on seven top markets: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, the Bay Area, Washington, DC, ...

 

The Rosen Group opens up new DC office

WASHINGTON: The Rosen Group is opening its doors in Washington, DC.

 

AccuPoll hires AOR, pushes for adoption in 2006 elections

GARDEN GROVE, CA: AccuPoll, an upstart manufacturer of electronic voting machines, is on a mission to dethrone Diebold, the controversy-plagued provider of nearly all electronic ...