Marketing

Sony, Others, Want to Market "Shock and Awe"

by John Stauber — April 11, 2003 - 10:00pm

"A day after U.S. allied forces marched into Iraq, Sony applied for a trademark on the war's catchphrase, 'shock and awe,' for use as a video game title, according to a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It was unclear if Sony planned to make use of the name. The application, dated March 21, was first discovered by British publication Media Guardian. The U.S. Patent and Trademark office has more than a dozen applications for uses of the phrase, including for fireworks, lingerie, baby toys, shampoo and consulting services.

Main Source: 
St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 12, 2003

Lives Per Gallon? Real Patriots Drive Hummers!

by John Stauber — April 4, 2003 - 11:00pm

"While the Humvees are lined up in the desert, their cousins, the Hummers, continue to be Detroit's hottest seller. .... Rick Schmidt, founder of IHOG, the
International Hummer Owners Group, said: 'In my humble opinion ... it's a symbol of what we all hold so dearly above all else, the fact we have the freedom of choice, the freedom of happiness, the freedom of adventure and discovery, and the ultimate freedom of expression.

Main Source: 
New York Times, April 5, 2003

Battle of the Brands -- Pro & Anti War Sentiment Fuels Boycotts

by John Stauber — April 3, 2003 - 11:00pm

USA Today reports on "a surge of anti-Americanism that threatens to erode the global dominance of American brands. ... Nike, Coca-Cola and McDonald's are just a few examples of U.S. companies that sell more than half their products abroad. Their value and the prices they can charge depend strongly on their brand image. And though Coke, Levi's, Budweiser and the like have nothing to do with the Bush administration's foreign policy, they become de facto targets for protesters lashing out at the USA's dominance. ...

Main Source: 
USA Today, April 4, 2003

The Global Boycott of 'Brand America'

by John Stauber — March 16, 2003 - 11:00pm

With the help of various PR and advertising gurus the Bush administration has waged an expensive Brand America campaign to change global perception of the world's only superpower.

Main Source: 
Adbusters, March 17, 2003

Bayer's Headache

by Sheldon Rampton — March 6, 2003 - 11:00pm

A $100 million lawsuit against Bayer Corp. has yielded e-mails and internal documents that suggest the drug company let marketing and PR concerns trump safety, disregarding disturbing research on the cholesterol drug Baycol before it was pulled off the market because of dozens of deaths. "There have been some deaths related to Baycol. ... So much for keeping this quiet," said one E-mail.

Main Source: 
Associated Press, March 7, 2003

No More Beers for America

by Sheldon Rampton — March 3, 2003 - 11:00pm

"Charlotte Beers, the former advertising executive who has been in charge of the Bush administration's global campaign to enhance the image of the United States among Muslims, resigned today for what she said were health reasons," reports Steven Weisman. Under Beers' supervision, the U.S. State Department produced videos, pamphlets, booklets and other materials, but her efforts were largely seen as ineffective.

Main Source: 
New York Times, March 4, 2003

U.S. Fanzine for Young Arabs

by Laura Miller — February 16, 2003 - 11:00pm

The latest plan from U.S. State Department propagandist Charlotte Beers is a "consumer lifestyle" magazine to be published in Arabic. The magazine "will avoid politics and instead focus on topics of common interest to American and Arab cultures, including education, careers, family, technology, music and health. ... The magazine, according to a State Department official, is meant to foster dialogue with young Arabs and dispel some of the 'misperceptions' they may have about the United States.

Main Source: 
New York Times, February 17, 2003

Duct And Cover

by Laura Miller — February 11, 2003 - 11:00pm

"Henkel Consumer Adhesives is working with retailers to ensure there is a plentiful supply of duct tape on their shelves, according to its website," O'Dwyer's PR Daily writes. "The move follows Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's recommendation that Americans stock up on duct tape so they can seal their windows in the event of a biological attack. Cleveland-based Liggett-Stashower PR is pitching the story to national media. ... Ridge's duct tape plug has been a PR bonanza for HCA, which sells Americans more than 1.5 billion linear feet of Duck Tape brand duct tape each year."

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 12, 2003

The Shared Values of TV Ads

by Laura Miller — February 2, 2003 - 11:00pm

"The State Department's public affairs division has gone on the offensive to combat last month's reports that its Shared Values initiative was faltering after the disappearance of its centerpiece, a $15 million advertising campaign," PR Week's Douglas Quenqua writes. The State Department said its TV ads that featured Muslim Americans "talking about their positive experiences living in the US" were no longer being broadcast because the spots were meant only to be aired during the month of Ramadan.

Main Source: 
PR Week, February 3, 2003

Real Girls Have Hamburger Buns

by Sheldon Rampton — January 29, 2003 - 11:00pm

Responding to reports of rising vegetarianism among teenagers, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association "responded to the looming vegetarian crisis by launching a website, Cool 2B Real, in an attempt to link meat consumption with some degree of hipness. The site, which looks like a cross between a Barbie fan page and a Taco Bell ad (beef-filled tacos and gigantic hamburgers dot the screen), extols teenage girls to 'Keep it Real' - 'real' as in a person who eats beef, preferably three or four times a day.

Main Source: 
Time, January 30, 2003
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