Every good recipe for deception begins with an ounce of truth. Whoever is managing the current public relations crisis facing the National Rifle Association clearly understands this fundamental principle. In the days since the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, the NRA has offered a textbook execution of the crisis communication […]
Tag Archives: Public Relations
The NRA is on the ropes
by Patrick Vecchio The cynicism of Wayne LaPierre’s press conference Friday becomes clearer every day. LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s chief executive, desperately tried an obvious media spin trick. The national media should call him out and keep hammering him. It will further show how deranged the NRA’s response to the Sandy Hook massacre is. […]
SXSW "homeless hotspot" idea goes tragically (and predictably) wrong
What was BBH Labs thinking? Michael Sebastien at PR Daily is on the money in saying that “it might go down as one of the biggest PR disasters of the year.” New York-based marketing firm BBH Labs equipped homeless people on the streets of Austin with devices that made them wireless hot spots. Internet seekers […]
As boycott pressure mounts on Limbaugh, two words come to mind: hoist, petard
I don’t know when the very first boycott of a product or company happened, but I suspect the tactic has been around in some form or another for a long time. I do remember the onset of the modern form of the practice, though. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, social conservatives began going after […]
"Apology" to Sandra Fluke shows libel threat and advertiser defections have Team Limbaugh running scared; what to do next
Rush Limbaugh has apologized to Sandra Fluke. Sort of – he uses the opportunity to reiterate everything except the actual insults. If he were concerned about sincerity, he wouldn’t have buried the apology on Saturday afternoon, he have delivered it in the same medium as he did the attack. Here’s what the move by Limbaugh […]
Komen hires the wrong PR firm, missing the boat once again (and some thoughts on PR Daily's coverage of the story)
So, the Susan Komen Foundation has hired a big-hitter PR firm. And not just any PR firm, either. Now, Komen is assessing the damage, and it’s using a consulting firm founded by two former Democratic strategists. Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), the firm Komen hired to help determine how badly the crisis hurt its reputation, is […]
A Heartland Institute statement raises questions about "climate strategy" memo's origin
Did someone associated with Heartland author the “climate strategy” memo? A recent statement intended to exonerate Heartland raises questions instead.
Komen/Planned Parenthood controversy: why haven't we heard from Komen's corporate sponsors?
Corporate sponsorship is important for a great many of America’s non-profits, and that’s certainly true of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Of course, any time you strike an alliance with another entity, you can’t help assuming some of their risk. Your partner jumps the tracks, all of a sudden people are looking at you even […]
The Komen "reversal": a crushing failure of America's newsrooms
Yesterday I attempted to shed a little light on the PR crisis strategy behind the Komen Foundation’s sudden Planned Parenthood “backtracking.” Contrary to what Komen’s highly-paid PR crisis hacks and gullible headline writers at newsdesks around the nation would ask you to believe, The Susan G. Komen Foundation does NOT promise to fund Planned Parenthood in […]
Komen Foundation pretends to change its mind. One corporate communications executive wonders: is the public stupid enough to buy it?
Read. The language. Closely. Contrary to what Komen’s highly-paid PR crisis hacks and gullible headline writers at newsdesks around the nation would ask you to believe, The Susan G. Komen Foundation does NOT promise to fund Planned Parenthood in the future. They promise to let PP APPLY for grants in the future. Applying and receiving are […]
Hey PR professionals – thinking of representing a distressed brand? Six important things to consider before signing that retainer
Part two of two… On Tuesday, I offered some thoughts on the sociopathic nature of some public relations agencies. Once we learn that American firms are lipsticking brutal despots and states that support terrorism it’s legitimate to wonder if there is anyone on Earth that they wouldn’t represent. I just heard a story this morning about […]
Part one of two… I work in the world of marketing and corporate communications, and my track record of business-related posts (here and at my biz site, Black Dog Strategic) probably demonstrates how seriously I take ethical concerns. For instance, not long ago I made clear that I think understanding the truth of a bad […]
Heard the latest PR joke? (The single most important thing to consider when TV news wants to skewer your client.)
Yesterday Ragan’s PR Daily, an excellent resource for professional communicators of all stripes, offered up a feature entitled “8 things to consider when TV news wants to skewer your client.” As is the usually the case with Ragan’s stuff, Gil Rudawsky’s article provided some useful on-point advice for the media relations practitioner, and the comment […]
Target/Minnesota Forward and Dillard's/Heroic Media: seven principles for corporate giving (UPDATED)
Dillard’s operates 330 stores across 29 states, including nine here in Colorado. I have, in the past, been a Dillard’s customer, but am afraid they have now earned their way onto the growing list of places I will no longer be able to patronize in good conscience. In August of 2010 I spent some time […]
Gallup poll reveals that public questions PR industry credibility: are PR practitioners to blame?
A Gallup poll released in August indicated that the advertising and PR industries aren’t viewed very favorably by the American public. One-third of respondents voiced a positive view of the advertising/pr industry (6 percent “very,” 27 percent “somewhat”). Twenty-seven percent were “neutral.” Twenty-five percent expressed a “somewhat negative view,” while 11 percent were “very negative.” […]
S&R Honors
Click here to learn more about past honorees...- Denver FOX News affiliate caught making shit up
- IRS/Tea Party controversy: progressive groups “targeted,” too, and corporate media once again refuses to tell Americans the whole truth
- “Useful Enemies”: U.S. admitted not just Nazis after WWII, but their sadistic collaborators
- The time a source has to respond to request for comment? Virtually none.
- Profiling the Tea Party: In defense of the IRS. Sorta. Or not.
- Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, married, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
- An open letter to Burt Rutan, regarding his WSJ commentary on human-caused climate disruption
- Meet the men of Match.com: Really, guys, are you serious?
- Climate scientists still besieged
- Pelosi on Bush: “He’s not worth impeaching”
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Samuel Smith: The left? Really? Can't say I ever noticed that. M…
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elfkat: Reblogged this on Adventures and Musings of a Hedg…
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Bret Higgins: Just one point to note. FOX 31 isn't owned by Fox …
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Frank Dilatush: Interesting but I don't read any hint of reciproci…
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Brian Angliss: That would be the same Fox News that won a lawsuit…
