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08 Dec 2009 23:03

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Politics: A couple PR rules, through the vector of Tiger Woods’ idiocy

  • What Gotti understood, albeit at some primitive level, is that the news media abhor a vacuum and that if you don’t face them on your own terms, they will create the terms for you.
  • Reuters columnist Charles Feldman • In a column titled “What Tiger Woods Can Learn From John Gotti,” which looks at Woods’ mishandling of the media. Feldman is making the very argument we’ve been making for the last week and a half. Which is that Woods is so concerned about his privacy that he’s doing the opposite of everything he should be doing as a public figure. Woods isn’t afraid to accept the public’s money for his success, so he shouldn’t be afraid to come clean when he’s done wrong. He’s completely allowed the press to write the terms of his failings, so now the fall from grace is even more spectacular and painful as a result. (David Letterman clearly knew this, BTW.) source

26 Sep 2009 11:25

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Biz: Have bad news to share? Bury it deep in your press release

  • -8.3% drop in stock value within three days of bad news that’s been played up in a press release (on average)
  • -4% drop in stock value within three days of bad news that’s been buried deep in a press release source

26 Aug 2009 11:24

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Sports: The Humane Society’s new spokesman: Michael Vick. PETA, take notes

  • This is how you should handle a PR disaster like Michael Vick. Don’t call him a d-bag in the press: Everyone knows he is one. Instead, give the dude a chance to show that he can rehab his public image. Kudos to the Humane Society for realizing it. Bad on PETA for screwing this golden opportunity up. source

27 Jul 2009 00:19

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Culture: This viral video is the best PR Chris Brown’s gotten in months

  • Yo, Chris. It’s been a tough year for you. But your PR spin opportunities are finally starting to take hold. All you need is a couple of videos like this (along with maybe a couple more videos like this one) for people to forgive you for your sins against Rihanna. Seven million people have watched this video for the song, and they didn’t even think about the Grammys. (It helps that the people in this wedding are particularly talented.) source

16 Jun 2009 23:45

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Biz: Six Flags shows how to handle a bankruptcy/PR crisis well

  • Not only for the three plus years that I’ve been here, but really since Premier Parks bought Six Flags from Time Warner, the word ‘debt’ has been associated with the Six Flags name and we’re looking to disconnect that.
  • Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro • Regarding the amusement park company’s decision to go into bankruptcy. Here’s why this quote is notable, guys. After we posted about their bankruptcy, the company got a hold of us and numerous other bloggers offering the opportunity to join in a conference call. (That’s right, specifically for bloggers!) We couldn’t take part ourselves, but many other bloggers did and asked some great questions. Best part? Rather than simply looking to sugarcoat the details, Shapiro was honest, detailed and often blunt. The company will not close any parks and was profitable last year, but hopes to ease out of bankruptcy by the end of the year. More companies need to do this. Seriously. • source

13 Apr 2009 02:07

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Biz, Tech: Amazon: A glitch caused gay book-blocking. Twitter: #glitchmyass

  • There was a glitch with our sales rank feature that is in the process of being fixed. We’re working to correct the problem as quickly as possible.
  • Patty Smith • Amazon Director of Corporate Communications, on the reason books were being marked “adult” in the search results. She would not go further into why gay-themed books appeared to be getting pulled more than other books. Currently trending on Twitter are the hashtags #AmazonFail and #glitchmyass, which might hint as to how users may feel about the company’s honesty right now. • source

10 Apr 2009 11:24

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Music, Offbeat: Here’s more on PETA’s latest crazy campaign that won’t work

  • We have a request that may at first seem bizarre, but we hope that after considering the following facts, you will understand why we are asking this of you: will you please consider changing your name from the Pet Shop Boys to the Rescue Shelter Boys?
  • People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals • In a letter to the Pet Shop Boys, hoping to convince them to change their name to something less pet-shoppy. The band declined but welcomed the discussion by putting the letter on their Web site, saying it “raises an issue worth thinking about.” • source