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On March 17, we announced that Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport had issued an RFP that closed in early April. The decision is still pending with Brian Murnahan, DFW’s media relations specialist, saying that the announcement will be made at a company board meeting in either May or June. More to come…
Criticism of AIG’s hiring of PR firms just won’t die. Rachel Maddow and Breakingviews recently took critical looks at the company’s agency roster given its federal funding. This time, it comes in the form of an article from Time: “Is AIG spending too much on public relations?” The author points to recent comments from members of Congress that question “the firm’s p.r. payroll,” as well as a lawyer of former AIG chairman Hank Greenberg. AIG’s SVP of comms, Nick Ashooh - who made PRWeek’s people with the “toughest jobs in PR” 2008 list - broke down the responsibilities of its PR firms to Time.
AIG retained only one full-time p.r. firm when it ruled the insurance world. Today’s four firms, said Ashooh, have different missions: Sard Verbinnen & Co. helps to structure statements on the bailout, Kekst & Co. focuses on sales of assets to pay back federal loans, Burson-Marsteller handles controversial issues and Hill & Knowlton fields inquiries from Capitol Hill and prepares congressional testimony for company officials. “If the criticism was we were running image-advertising or doing sponsorships to make ourselves look better, I could see that,” Ashooh said. “But we’re doing a lot of information-processing. It’s really been just responding to inquiries” from Congress and the media.
Kayak.com’s review for an AOR is nearing completion, with two agencies set to present on Tuesday, April 7, according to Kellie Pelletier, Kayak.com’s VP of communications. Stay tuned for more exclusive coverage the week of April 6.
Just stopped in for the Friday morning panels at the Arthur Page Society’s spring seminar, which took place over two days at the Jumeirah Essex House - a great spot that faces Central Park.
Saw lots of top agency CEOs, a number of academics, and plenty of the group’s corporate-side members as well. The membership group emphasizes recruiting senior-level PR pros that work in or on corporate communications.
The morning’s speaker that probably impressed me the most was Carlos Gutierrez whose resume includes stints as US Commerce Secretary and chief executive of Kellogg Company. In describing the value that communicators offer - whether distilling a 700-page new bill or a new product - Gutierrez remarked that “the real genius is in simplification.” He surmised that “people can’t agree with something they don’t understand,” nor can they “fall in love” with what they don’t understand. That really struck a chord.
He ended by telling the receptive audience that their jobs are “one of the most strategic roles” in a corporation.
Too bad I missed Thursday’s session. I hear CNBC’s Charlie Gasparino stirred up the strongest reaction.
Clinical trial recruitment firms and the PR firms that offer this service are starting to look at social media as a means to better reach potential patients that may not be aware of certain trials, or that they could qualify for them.
Last week, the Los Angeles Times on the number of clinical trials that are postponed because enrollment numbers have not been met. And a March 10 Newsweek story at the types of social media networks that pharmaceutical companies are tapping into to recruit patients.
While Facebook and Web sites have been two major for pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies to recruit patients, one firm is eying Twitter - specifically because it is already a public forum, unlike a private Facebook page, says Carmen Gonzalez, manager of strategy and communications for Healthcare Communications Group.
“It’s a way to cut through the noise,” she notes.
The clinical trial recruitment firm recently drafted a set of guidelines to provide to clients who are considering Twitter as a part of their strategy.
Asked about blogger-payment programs conducted by what many believe to be a growing number of communications professionals, Don Bates, professor at George Washington University, told PRWeek via e-mail that such efforts aren’t controversial, or new. Said Bates: “A minority of PR firms has been using paid advertising and paid media for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been around the business for more than 35 years.”
“Paid media is a reasonable extension of PR services, and to my way of thinking, something that should be considered, especially in this era of digital communications when so much is moving to the Wild West of online,” he said.
However, Bates added, the practice “is not for the uninitiated.”
“It may look easy but it isn’t. The required research, art, copy, placement, billing, administration – all are different than their counterparts in PR,” he added. “Then there’s the potential impact on your media relations work. Once you start advertising, the media will start to treat you like an ad agency with potentially negative consequences for your client’s or employer’s press coverage.”
American International Group (AIG) declined to comment to PRWeek on the buzz earlier this week concerning its relationships with a number of PR firms, including Kekst & Company.
After the blog item posted, PRWeek spoke with Christina Pretto, AIG’s VP of corporate media relations, who clarified the company’s partnership with Kekst, saying the relationship isn’t new, that “AIG has worked with Kekst for years on M&A transactions.” Pretto declined to comment further.
The Web has been abuzz with news that ailing insurer American International Group (AIG) has added Kekst & Company to its list of PR firm representation. AIG is also working with Sard Verbinnen, Hill & Knowlton, and Burson-Marsteller. AIG declined to comment on the PR firms with which they’re working .
AIG has received $150 billion in government funds since September, when the federal government also took an 80% stake in the company. AIG reported fourth quarter net losses totaling $61.7 billion on March 2nd. The company also came under fire during from both members of the Senate Budget Committee and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who said that “AIG exploited a huge gap in the regulatory system.” AIG may receive a fourth round of bailout funding to stay afloat.
PRWeek UK has reported that Microsoft is rethinking its global media strategy, as a way to improve its consumer communications. According to the piece, the tech giant has called in its three global agencies – Weber Shandwick, Edelman, and Waggener Edstrom – to present their social media credentials.
In a statement provided to me, Microsoft called this “an exercise to better understand the digital and social marketing capabilities of a number of our marketing and communications agencies.” The company asserts,“This is something we regularly do and this exercise is not specific to PR. We don’t envisage significant change in either our strategy or our agencies of record”.
Stay tuned for more.
This year, New York Fall Fashion Week trends include leather leggings, cropped pants, and presentations. Yes, presentations and atypical shows were all the rage and a total departure from the traditional runway show at IMG’s Bryant Park Tents. This is not news, as Fashion Week ends today. However, depending on the effectiveness of the often lower-cost venues and tactics, the trend may mandate a new level of creativity for designers and their PR and production agencies in Fashion Weeks to come. Read more »
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