Marketing

California TV Station Caught Pimping Myride.com

by Diane Farsetta — October 29, 2007 - 11:27am

Sacramento television station KCRA recently aired a "Problem Solvers" news segment where "Lynsey Paulo, a multiple regional-Emmy winner, looked at 'search engine fatigue' among online users. The report quoted three consumers, an expert from UCLA and an executive from Myride.com, which provides targeted-search results.

Main Source: 
Sacramento Bee (California), October 27, 2007

Nike's Hunt for Cool

by Diane Farsetta — October 25, 2007 - 6:10pm

Big brands often rely on "coolhunters" to "scour the globe's streets, stores, clubs and hidden haunts picking up clues as to what's hot, what's next. ... At Nike, the drive to recruit under-the-radar influencers like [Los Angeles tattoo artist] Mr. Cartoon is on the rise and a key part of the company's strategy." Nike CEO Mark Parker "has moved to aggressively link Nike with those who can help maintain the company's standing among what he calls the 'influencers of influencers'. ... In addition to Mr.

Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal (sub req'd), October 24, 2007

Ambassadors Needed for McDonaldLand

by Diane Farsetta — October 25, 2007 - 4:46pm

McDonald's director of U.S. marketing admits, "Going by what we're hearing from consumers, awareness is a little bit low about quality." So the fast food giant will launch a "McDonald's Brand Advocate program" in early 2008, with help from the PR firm GolinHarris.

Main Source: 
PR Week, October 22, 2007

Taking Consumers to the Cleaners

by Bob Burton — October 24, 2007 - 4:47am

The Hygiene Council, a "think tank" created and funded by the cleaning products company Reckitt Benckiser, touts the need for "good hygiene practice" in the "home and community." Ruth Pollard reports that the council "is pushing products that contain the expensive -- and potentially damaging -- antibacterial additive,

Main Source: 
Sydney Morning Herald, October 22, 2007

Mercenaries for Mercury

by Sheldon Rampton — October 9, 2007 - 5:54pm

"A nonprofit group backed by the seafood industry urged pregnant women and nursing mothers to eat more fish than recommended by U.S. officials concerned that mercury contamination can hurt babies," reports Avram Goldstein.

Main Source: 
Bloomberg News, October 4, 2007

TV "Expert" Doesn't Disclose His Fellow Travelers

by Diane Farsetta — October 8, 2007 - 12:48pm

Florida's Broward County paid a travel writer $10,000 to mention Fort Lauderdale, "during a summer media tour that took him to 16 news stations in 37 days," reports the Miami Herald. Joel Widzer "seemed to have little trouble finding stations willing to interview him and air the footage of Fort Lauderdale's coral reefs and spas that the public relations firm, Plus Media, provided producers. A follow-up report ...

Main Source: 
Miami Herald, October 7, 2007

Chevron Taps "Human Energy"

by Diane Farsetta — October 2, 2007 - 4:05pm

While ExxonMobil and BP have "spent lavishly on image ads," Chevron's new "power of human energy" campaign is a particularly ambitious "bid to recast itself as an environmentally responsible corporate citizen." Advertising Age reports that its first ad, a 2 1/2 minute spot from the ad agency McGa

Main Source: 
Washington Post, September 28, 2007

Four More Fines for Fake News: FCC Says VNRs Are "Valuable Consideration"

by Diane Farsetta — October 1, 2007 - 7:53pm
  • Topics: Video News Releases, Corporations, Fake TV News, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, U.S. Government

    • The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced four more fines against Comcast, for its cable channel CN8 having aired multiple video news releases (VNRs) without disclosure. But the bigger story is the FCC's reasoning behind the fines.

    A First for the FCC: Fining Fake News!

    by Diane Farsetta — September 24, 2007 - 5:38pm
  • Topics: Video News Releases, Fake TV News, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, U.S. Government

    • The VNR that cost Comcast $4,000The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on September 21 that it was fining Comcast Corp. $4,000 for its cable channel CN8's broadcast of fake TV news, a video news release (VNR) without disclosure.

    The Comcast fine is the first-ever sanction for airing a VNR, a sponsored PR video that mimics the structure and style of television news reports. The fine is a direct result of Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) investigations, and of a joint complaint filed with the FCC by CMD and Free Press.

    The FCC's action against Comcast is precedent setting. It firmly rejects the public relations industry's argument that no disclosure is needed if television stations are not paid to air VNRs. Hopefully, the FCC will soon address the nearly 140 other undisclosed VNR broadcasts that were documented in CMD's two reports, "Fake TV News" and "Still Not the News."

    New Firm Offers Elder Spin

    by Diane Farsetta — September 20, 2007 - 3:03pm

    A new public relations firm, After50 Marketing, was launched "with the expressed purpose of targeting baby boomers and senior consumers," writes PR Week. The firm will specialize in healthcare, adult living, legal and financial areas. By 2015, 45 percent of the U.S. population will be 50 or older, according to After50. The firm also estimates that the household net worth controlled by baby boomers is $19 trillion.

    Main Source: 
    PR Week, September 14, 2007
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