public relations

public relations • December 14, 2009

The Tabloid Carnival: Celebrities As Entertainment

One of the more troubling aspects of the Tiger Woods scandal is what a political consultant famously referred to as “bimbo eruptions.” That devastating (and devastatingly accurate) description of then-president Bill Clinton’s extramarital history, and his PR problems, feels pretty familiar right now. Especially as more women come out of the woodwork to grab their tawdry piece […]

public relations • December 11, 2009

Will Tiger Woods Sink Celebrity Endorsement?

The seemingly endless Tiger Woods scandal, and the well-worn implications for PR and crisis management, have me thinking instead about another aspect of our business – the celebrity endorsement. In this case, the negative fallout is so dramatic – and so unanticipated – that I have to wonder. Could brands become wary of getting into […]

public relations • December 9, 2009

Why Climategate’s An Epic PR Fail

Call it a perfect storm… of scandal. As world leaders have gathered in Copenhagen to discuss global climate issues, the ill winds of “Climategate” are still blowing. Since hundreds of private emails between some of the world’s leading climate scientists were hacked and leaked online, skeptics have cried foul. Sarah Palin’s opinion piece in today’s Washington […]

public relations • December 4, 2009

How Method Cleaned Up A PR Mess

How do you clean up a PR mess? That’s the question Method, the natural cleaning products company, asks after a video created to rally support for the Household Products Labeling Act, which would mandate disclosure of chemical ingredients in common cleansers, somehow went toxic. It went from being the toast of the ad world to…well, just toast. In “Shiny Suds,” a […]

public relations • November 30, 2009

Shopping Holidays Are On A Roll

As an inveterate procrastinator and hater of crowds, I’ve always avoided Black Friday, except as a business angle for retail clients. And Cyber Monday, despite a similar usefulness, seemed a little like Grandparents Day…you know, an attempt by marketers to create a commercial holiday that never really, um, clicks. Maybe it’s the “cyber” label, which hasn’t been in the […]