Preparing the Perfect PR Pitch
OK — you’ve found the story. You’ve lined up a positive quote from within your company — and maybe (if you’re playing in the big leagues) a favorable comment from a professional business analyst. You have the facts, the figures, and the human interest that transforms fac… Read more
A Terminal Public Relations Nightmare
It is the worst nightmare of anyone involved in event planning: The event turns into a disaster. Such was the case last week in London, where British Airways (“BA”) and BAA, which operates Heathrow Airport, opened Terminal 5.
The hype surrounding T5, as it is known, started in September 2002 … Read more
Giving Up on Wal-Mart
Dumbstruck. That’s how I felt after reading Jeffrey Goldberg’s article in the April 2nd edition of The New Yorker entitled “Selling Wal-Mart.”
“The Edelman team assigned to Wal-Mart, I learned, is divided into three groups: ‘promote,’ ‘respons… Read more
Good Intentions Turn Into Bad Public Relations
It was just a simple contest. For Toys “R” Us, Inc., however, it turned into a public relations nightmare.
The toy retailer started off 2007 in ugly fashion after a contest to award the first baby born in 2007 a $25,000 United States savings bond went awry amid charges of xenophobia and racism. … Read more
Beware of “Gotcha” Journalism
When transit strikers in New York City went on strike last December, I tuned into NY1, a local news station owned by Time Warner and carried exclusively on the company’s cable system. The station had up-to-the-minute information on the labor negotiations and traffic situation. I didn’t bo… Read more
A Challenging Time for JetBlue
I can only imagine what it’s been like for the public relations people at JetBlue over the past week. If any of those folks get paid by the hour, they’ve been racking up some serious overtime.
As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the low-cost air carrier had an operational meltdown las… Read more
Dealing With Tragedy
The business world was shocked on Monday when it was announced that McDonald’s Chairman and CEO Jim Cantalupo had died of an apparent heart attack.
“It is with great sadness that I announce that Jim Cantalupo, our Chairman and CEO, died suddenly and unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack t… Read more
Overstock.com’s Over-the-Top PR Strategy
Bizarre is a word I’ve heard muttered often over the past few days when it comes to Overstock.com.
Last Thursday, the online closeout retailer announced the filing of an unfair business practices lawsuit against research firm Gradient Analytics and hedge fund Rocker Partners. A number of indivi… Read more
The Public Relations Superbowl
Ask Rudy Giuliani how one major event can change the public’s perception.
Before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, New York’s then-mayor was not exactly a media darling. His personal life was splashed on the pages of New York’s tabloids, the city’s finances were in awfu… Read more
Irrational Hubris?
Richard W. Edelman, the president, chief executive officer and namesake of Edelman Public, is a very happy man.
“In a world where we don’t have a belief in a single source, you don’t have a Walter Cronkite anymore. PR is the discipline on the rise,” Edelman told attendees last we… Read more