Women

An Army of Thousands More: How PR Firms and Major Media Help Military Recruiters

by Diane Farsetta — January 31, 2007 - 7:10pm
  • Topics: Media, Public Relations, Race / Ethnic Issues, U.S. Government, War / Peace, Women

    • Increasing "the ranks of our military" is "one of the first steps we can take together" to "position America to meet every challenge that confronts us," said President Bush in last week's State of the Union address. "Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase in the size of our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next five years."

    The 92,000 figure was put forward by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who told the Senate Armed Services Committee on January 12 that more troops are needed to boost "combat capability" and "strengthen our military for the long war against terrorism." The Pentagon plans to meet that goal by reenlisting former Marines and increasing the Army's recruitment and retention rates.

    Under the plan, the Army would only "slightly increase its recruitment goals -- by 2,000 to 3,000" a year, according to UPI. But in 2005, "the Army failed to meet its annual recruiting goal by the widest margin in two decades," reported the New York Times. To meet its 2006 goal, the Army hired more recruiters, raised the maximum allowable age for recruits, doubled the percentage of recruits who scored low on aptitude tests, issued waivers for some recruits' prior convictions, and significantly increased cash bonuses.

    If it was that difficult for the Army to meet past recruiting goals, how will it meet future, larger ones? Some clues are offered in the Army's self-nomination for a prestigious public relations award.

    Journalist Sarah Olson Wins Victory for Free Speech

    by John Stauber — January 30, 2007 - 4:29pm

    Helen Zia, author and board member of the Women’s Media Center, writes about Sarah Olson's victory: "Subpoenas against journalists may be intended to put a damper on their reporting, but in Olson’s case, the overwhelming response has been an outpouring of support for her stand on free speech—for both journalists and for voices of dissent.

    Main Source: 
    Women's Media Center, January 30, 2007

    Implant Flacks

    by Bob Burton — November 23, 2006 - 5:55am

    On November 17 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved silicone breast implants manufactured by Mentor Corporation and Allergan. PR Week reports that the PR firm MS&L "began working with Inamed Corp.

    Main Source: 
    PR Week (sub req'd), November 21, 2006

    Sponsored Police

    by Bob Burton — November 13, 2006 - 4:26am

    Corporate sponsorship is all the rage, even with the New South Wales Police. In 2002 a mother of three, Diane Brimble, died on board the P&O cruise ship Pacific Sky from a combination of alcohol and the drug gamma hydroxybutyrate. Her death was investigated by officers from the NSW Water Police. Eighteen months later, P & O was one of five sponsors of the opening of a new headquarters for the water police.

    Main Source: 
    Sydney Morning Herald, November 11, 2006

    Opposition Builds to CanWest's Bid to Kill Canada's Drug Ads Ban

    by Bob Burton — November 7, 2006 - 10:50pm

    A coalition of unions, women's and health groups have been granted intervenor status in a case in which CanWest MediaWorks is seeking to overturn the Canadian government's ban on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). The groups argue that if CanWest is successful it would push up healthcare costs and undermine the sustainability of the Canadian healthcare system.

    Main Source: 
    NewsWire, November 6, 2006

    Pink Ribbons Mean Healthy Sales

    by Diane Farsetta — October 16, 2006 - 6:20pm

    This October is the 26th annual Breast Cancer Awareness month, an event "conceived by the pharmaceutical company Zeneca, now AstraZeneca ...

    Main Source: 
    Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN), October 13, 2006

    Troops, Hoops and Antichoice Brutes

    by Diane Farsetta — August 21, 2006 - 3:17pm

    USA Basketball is in a slump, suffering more losses in 2004 "than the team had in its entire Olympic history." To inspire the players, managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski turned to U.S. "soldiers maimed and crippled by the war in Iraq," arranging a televised meeting between the veterans and the athletes. Using soldiers wounded in "a deeply unpopular war from which, according to a recent Zogby poll, 72 percent of troops want to escape ...

    Main Source: 
    The Nation (U.S.), August 28, 2006

    Procter & Gamble's Marketing Madness Continues

    by Diane Farsetta — June 23, 2006 - 4:41pm
  • Topics: Corporations, Marketing, Women

    • For the past few months, I've been blogging on "WIMN's Voices," a group blog hosted by the organization Women in Media & News. The subtitle of the blog is "Women, Media, AND..." The 50-some women contributors add their area of expertise to the "and," such as marketing, popular culture, immigration, and LGBT issues, to name just a few.

    Ann Coulter's PR Formula: Hate Speech + Media Coverage = Best-Seller

    by John Stauber — June 12, 2006 - 9:04am

    David Carr examines Ann Coulter's simple PR formula for marketing her best-selling books: vile hate speech echoed in the mainstream media.

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, June 12, 2006

    Mamma Mia, Here I Sell Again

    by Diane Farsetta — May 22, 2006 - 11:43am

    What's she selling?

    "No major corporation has embraced word-of-mouth marketing as aggressively" as Procter & Gamble, writes BusinessWeek, in a story about P&G's Vocalpoint.

    Main Source: 
    BusinessWeek, May 29, 2006
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