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The Fashion issue - Odwyerpr.com

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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fashion</strong> <strong>issue</strong>S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 0 | w w w . o d w y e r p r . c o m


Leading Feature News Distribution ServiceMULTIMEDIAEXTRAVAGANZA!COVER ALL YOUR MEDIA BASESPRINT, ONLINE, RADIO AND TVAlso IncludedIn the Lineup:• Posting on NAPSNET.COM• Search Engine Optimization• Twitter Feeds to Editors• Social Media• Blogging• Anchor Texting• Hyperlinking• RSS Feed in XML• Podcasting• YouTube CSNN Channelinfo@napsnet.<strong>com</strong> • www.napsinfo.<strong>com</strong>New York Chicago Washington Los Angeles San Francisco212-867-9000 312-856-9000 202-347-5000 310-552-8000 415-837-0500


Vol. 24, No. 9Sept. 2010CONTENTSEDITORIALPoliticians are using the constructionof a mosque in lower Manhattan tocement their own political agendas.68CONSUMERS, COMPETITORSDERIDE INTERNET PACTGoogle and Verizon have unveiledthe details of their future intentions in ajoint policy proposal to Congress.STUDY: TABLETS COULD HELPSAVE MAGAZINES 9iPads and other e-reader devicescould create as much as $3 billion in subscriptionrevenue in the next three years.PR, MEDIA FAULTED FORAIDING IN ‘BEAUTY BIAS’ 10Does the $200 billion-plus beautybusiness perpetuate a double standardfor women in today’s society?MAGAZINE CLOSURESSLOW IN 2010, SO FAR 11While newsstands aren’t seeingnew magazine titles like they used to,fewer are going out of business like theywere in 2009.BRANDS TEMPT FEMALEBLOGGERS WITH ‘SWAG’ 12Corporations have begun ‘payingoff’ bloggers with large amountsof freebies in the hopes of getting on thegood side of a key influencer market.THE PROS (AND CONS) OFFREELANCE FASHION PR 14Some important factors to considerbefore embarking on a career as a freelancefashion PR practitioner.NYC PR PRINCIPLESTRUMP BARCELONA’S 15PR groups met in Barcelona,Spain to devise a lofty “BarcelonaDeclaration of Measurement Principles.”SHAPING TODAY’SFASHION MEDIA WORLDStrategies that work in an age16where tastes and attention spansshift every other minute.VERONIS PREDICTS PR18 REBOUND FOR 2011While recovery is expected to beslow, PR and word-of-mouth marketing arepoised for modest growth in 2011.BAD HAIR DAY19 A PR firm helps the Oxygen channelkick off the season premier ofits newest show by staging a ‘battle royal’hair styling tournament in Times Square.PROFILES OF BEAUTY22 AND FASHION PR FIRMSRANKINGS OF BEAUTY27 AND FASHION PR FIRMS32COLUMNS2829303134WASHINGTON REPORTPROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTFraser SeitelFINANCIAL MANAGEMENTRichard GoldsteinGUEST COLUMNTony JaquesOPINIONJack O’DwyerPR BUYER’S GUIDE1016Cover and insert photosby Michael OSheawww.odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong>Daily, up-to-the minute PR newsEDITORIAL CALENDAR 2010January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s GuideFebruary: Environmental & P.A.March: Food & BeverageApril: Broadcast & Social MediaMay: PR Firm RankingsJune: Global & MulticulturalJuly: Travel & TourismAugust: Financial/I.R.September: Beauty & <strong>Fashion</strong>October: Healthcare & MedicalNovember: High-TechDecember: Entertainment & SportsADVERTISERSFleishman...............................................BACK COVER Omega Travel............................................................23Kaplow.........................................................................7Ruder Finn...................................................................5KEF...............................................................................3Log-On.......................................................................17TV Access..................................................................18NAPS....................................................INSIDE COVER z<strong>com</strong>m.......................................................................11O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 a year ($7.00 for a single <strong>issue</strong>) by the J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc., 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. (212) 679-2471; fax: (212) 683-2750. Periodical postage paid at NewYork, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to O’Dwyer’s, 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. O’Dwyer’s PR Report ISSN: 1931-8316. Published monthly.


socialactivationsocialstorytellingsocialnetworkingrfrelate@ruderfi nn.<strong>com</strong><strong>The</strong> Americas • Europe • Asia Pacific • Middle Eastwww.ruderfinn.<strong>com</strong>


EDITORIALPoliticos using NYC ‘mosque’ for their own agendasIt’s often the dumbest news stories that get the most traction. Runaway bride, sharksummer, Monica Lewinsky, SARS — believe me, I could go on all day.Leave it to the American conversation to hone in on the most inane, milquetoast concernand drive it into the ground. We have a habit of painting the years with trivial, ratings-wary,hot-button topics set in motion by vote-hungry politicians and book-peddlingtalking heads who fill redeye media tour circuits so they can enlighten a nation of riledrubes and their bloviating, bovine worldviews.This month’s flavor: Park 51, the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque to bebuilt in New York City’s financial district, near the former site of the World TradeCenter.And here I am like an idiot, ready to add to the conversation.First, contrary to what Fox News will tell you, for many New Yorkers and for thedozens upon dozens of fellow borough residents I’ve spoken with on this matter in thepast month, the proposed mosque remains a relative non-<strong>issue</strong>. Why? For one, as youprobably know, there are already hundreds of mosques everywhere in New York City —in the financial district and beyond — as well as churches, synagogues, cathedrals,chapels and temples. Little known fact: we even have an Arby’s.It irritates me to absolutely no end that politicians living in Tennessee and Alaska continueto use my city as a means to score cheap political talking points in the hopes thattheir home-state voters will remember them in the <strong>com</strong>ing election, that people whodon’t live here continuously feel the need to wax on the developmental integrity of ourdowntown. Please, save your ideas for the next Armchair Architects Guild meeting. Wedon’t need your input.Second, contrary to what Fox News will tell you, the proposed cultural center andmosque won’t be built “in the shadows of the towers.” It’s located on Park Place, twoblocks away, not even facing the building that’s facing the building that’s facing the site.If you’ve ever walked past the place — some of the most vocal opposition haven’t —you’d know that you don’t even pass the damn thing on your way to the World TradeCenter. In fact, you’d run a better chance of walking past another mosque on WarrenStreet, about four blocks away.Third, contrary to what Fox News will tell you, the people behind the proposedmosque are not the same types of people who were behind 9/11. Fox knows this, ofcourse — but they have this preconceived agenda, you see — and in order to satisfy therequirements of their premise they must resort to ad hominem attacks and spread deliberatefalsehoods under the pretense of “news.” Hey, I’m over it by now. After all, that’swhat Fox does.When not attempting to discredit the “moderate” beliefs of mosque Founder and CEOFeisal Abdul Rauf or absurdly positing that funding for the mosque could <strong>com</strong>e fromterrorist groups, Sean Hannity has falsely claimed Rauf wants to “shred ourConstitution” and make the U.S. “Sharia <strong>com</strong>pliant.” Fox News Contributor DickMorris said the mosque would be a “<strong>com</strong>mand center for terrorism.” Glenn Beck,among other Fox <strong>com</strong>mentators, even incorrectly stated the Ground Zero mosque wouldopen “on the 10th anniversary” of September 11.None of this is “news,” of course, because a predicate feature of any news, by design,is truth. Invariably, every fear-mongering Fox argument plays on a variation of thisbeguiling undertone: “9/11 was a terrorist act. <strong>The</strong> terrorists were Muslims. <strong>The</strong>refore,all Muslims are terrorists.” Any way you shake it, it’s ignorant, it’s racist, and it’s notvery smart.Others politicians have offered the slightly more moderate position that they’d be finewith the construction of a mosque, as long as it was placed just a little further north ofthe Trade Center site. Okay, so how far north? Houston Street? 42nd Street? 125thStreet? Westchester? <strong>The</strong>re’s a reason our zoning laws aren’t written with the legalambiguity of a game of “I spy.” <strong>The</strong>re’s a similar reason our private property laws aren’tsimply overturned when someone decides he doesn’t like his neighbor. If this is one ofyour political platforms, please don’t run for office in my district.Here’s a question: if Republicans are really the vanguards of “small government” theyclaim to be, why are so many currently calling on the federal government to stop the privateconstruction of a private center on private property? That ain’t America, folks. £— Jon GingerichEDITOR-IN-CHIEFJack O’Dwyerjack@odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong>ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERKevin McCauleykevin@odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong>EDITORJon Gingerichjon@odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong>SENIOR EDITORGreg Hazleygreg@odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong>CONTRIBUTING EDITORSFraser SeitelRichard GoldsteinChristine O’DwyerADVERTISING SALESJohn O’DwyerAdvertising Sales Managerjohn@odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong>Jack FogartyNational Advertising Representativejfogarty@odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong>O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00a year ($7.00 for a single <strong>issue</strong>) by theJ.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc.,271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.(212) 679-2471Fax (212) 683-2750.© Copyright 2010J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc.OTHER PUBLICATIONS &SERVICES:www.odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong> 4 breaking news,<strong>com</strong>mentary, useful databases and more.Jack O’Dwyer’s Newsletter 4 An eightpageweekly with general PR news, mediaappointments and placement opportunities.O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms 4 haslistings of more than 1,850 PR firms throughoutthe U.S. and abroad.O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide 4 lists 1,000+products and services for the PR industry in 54categories.jobs.odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong> 4 O’Dwyer’s onlinejob center has help wanted ads and hostsresume postings.6SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


FALL IN LOVE.Kaplow helps people fallin love with your brand.For nearly two decades,Kaplow has helped best-in-class<strong>com</strong>panies tell their stories. Inbeauty and wellness, retail and lifestyle,and emerging technologies, Kaplowreaches consumers where they livetoday with an innovative mix of socialnetworking and traditional media.<strong>The</strong> result is a connection that changes theconversation. See what a little love can do for you.Kaplow. Changing Conversations.www.kaplowpr.<strong>com</strong>To learn more about Kaplow’s brand-building <strong>com</strong>munications approach,contact Liz Kaplow at 212.221.1713 or email-liz@kaplowpr.<strong>com</strong>


MEDIA NOTESConsumers, <strong>com</strong>petitors deride Google / Verizon pactAfter weeks of deafening scrutiny from the public and an arrestingsilence from the accused, Google and Verizon in August finallydisclosed the details surrounding their much-speculated partnershipin the form of a joint-policy proposal to Congress. Experts saythe plan will not only shape how future partnerships occurbetween content and service providers, but will forever changethe face and scope of the Internet as we know it.ByJonGingerich<strong>The</strong> proposal’s language makes for acunning PR plan: it’s essentially aframework to assuage Net Neutralitysupporters, offering rallying cries for an“open” Internet while at the same timeestablishing a second, price-tiered networkwhere tele<strong>com</strong> and search giants can chargeconsumers for content. To put it bluntly, thepartnership seeks to cut the web in two: itcreates an Internet where one half remains“neutral” for the public while another sellspaid, premium content at higher prices, asort of HBO for cyberspace.<strong>The</strong> deal lays out several key principles,including transparency guidelines amongISPs and rules against content favoritismover networks (this strikes down the muchrumorednotion that Google’s partnershipwith Verizon would allow the search giantto pay for the privilege of getting content tousers faster than <strong>com</strong>peting providers). <strong>The</strong>pact also calls for an enforcement arm withinthe Federal CommunicationsCommission to serve as a watchdog forcontent discrimination.<strong>The</strong> most contentious piece of policyhowever, is their re<strong>com</strong>mendation that theFCC have the authority to regulate “traditional,”wired broadband connections differentlythan wireless networks and othernew Internet technologies.It’s for this reason opponents say theGoogle/Verizon pact is not the “open”Internet <strong>com</strong>promise it purports to be.Because the proposed guidelines wouldlimit the FCC’s authority to wired networks,ISPs in <strong>com</strong>pliance with the aboveprinciples would be free to establish new,separate networks unencumbered by rulespreventing content prioritization or evenoutright favoritism.<strong>The</strong> news <strong>com</strong>es as a blow to supportersof Net Neutrality, or the idea that networkproviders should treat all data that flows ontheir networks equally. Net Neutrality proponentsclaim tele<strong>com</strong> <strong>com</strong>panies likeVerizon are essentially left with the defaultpower of Internet “gatekeepers,” potentiallypreferring content with which they havepolitical or monetary affiliation, or slowingand even blocking user access to websiteswhich they don’t. <strong>The</strong> result could leavedeep-pocket providers like Google the lonevoice in the web’s conversation, while therest sit in cyberspace’s equivalent of theslow lane.“If this proposal were actually adoptedinto policy it would be the end of the freeand open Internet as we know it,” saidCraig Aaron, Managing Director of Savethe Internet, a pro-Neutrality coalition thatfights for equal web treatment policies. “Tothe consumer, we benefit from <strong>com</strong>petitionin the marketplace. <strong>The</strong> beauty of NetNeutrality, and the beauty of the Internet,means everyone gets the same shot. That’swhat spurs new innovation. It’s not a placewhere only the biggest guys get to play.”Google takes public ’beating’Public response to the Google andVerizon announcement hasn’t been pretty.Nonprofits like the Free Press and MoveOn have spoken out against the proposedpolicy. Hundreds of thousands of consumerpetitions have been sent to both <strong>com</strong>panies.Wired magazine called Google a “NetNeutrality surrender monkey.” <strong>The</strong>announcement even drew protests outsideGoogle’s Mountain View offices.Ironically, Google had previously beenseen as an outspoken vanguard of an“open” Internet, filing pro-Neutrality testimonywith the FCC and going as far as tojoin causes like Save the Internet.“It’s a <strong>com</strong>plete reversal of their position,”Aaron said. “<strong>The</strong>y used to be one ofthe leading <strong>com</strong>panies out there in supportof an open Internet, and they admitted theywouldn’t even exist without it. Google wasthe <strong>com</strong>pany that said ‘don’t be evil,’ and alot of people see this as a <strong>com</strong>plete betrayalof what they stood for.”Google and Verizon’s proposal that wirelessnetworks be free from FCC regulationalso has many content providers up in arms,given more websites are accessed each yearon mobile networks. Facebook on August11 <strong>issue</strong>d a press statement reiterating itssupport of an “open” Internet. <strong>The</strong> statement,while avoiding any specific mentionof Google or Verizon, made clear the objectof its ire.“Preserving an open Internet that is accessibleto innovators — regardless of their sizeor wealth — will promote a vibrant and<strong>com</strong>petitive marketplace where consumershave ultimate control,” the statement read.FCC powerlessA Bush-administration restructuring ofthe FCC redefined the <strong>com</strong>mission’s abilityto regulate Internet services. In April,several years after the FCC chidedComcast for using data encryption to blockuser access to file-sharing site BitTorrent, afederal appeals court ruled the FCC hadoverstepped its boundaries, as the Bush-erarehaul meant the <strong>com</strong>mission did not havethe authority to regulate Internet <strong>com</strong>municationsto the same degree it regulates servicelike telephone, radio and television.Net Neutrality supporters say that bythrowing the FCC an authoritative bone tore-regulate wired networks, ISPs that createa wild west of wireless zones (i.e. thevery networks where Google and Verizonplan to sow the seeds of their future partnership)remain free to do whatever theywant.“All forms of <strong>com</strong>munications haverules that govern them,” Aaron said.“Cable has to make content available for<strong>com</strong>peting providers, and I can’t just startbroadcasting a radio station. It’s the samething when you’re talking about a free andopen Internet. You have to ask: what arethe rules going to be?”A series of legislative attempts to introduceNet Neutrality into law have appearedas far back as 2006, though each has failed.FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, aswell as President Obama, have both publiclyvoiced their support of Net Neutralitylegislation. According to Aaron, the safestway to now ensure the web’s safety is if theFCC votes to restore its ability to reclassifybroadband. In August, five members ofthe Committee on Energy and Commercesent a letter to the FCC asking for theirstance on the Google and Verizon pact. Sofar, a public statement has yet to be made.“This has be<strong>com</strong>e a political hot potato.Because public reaction has been so negative,Congress doesn’t want to touch it,”Aaron said. “All of Genachowski’s statementshave been great, but actions speaklouder than words. <strong>The</strong> FCC has the optionto treat the Internet the way it was treatedbefore, but they haven’t had the politicalwill to make that decision, and their failureto act has caused Google and Verizon to stepin and deliver a proposal of their own.” £8SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


Study: tablets could help save the magazine industryByJonGingerich<strong>The</strong> recent popularity of tablets, e-readers and devices like the iPadcould be just what the news industryneeds to recoup lost subscribers and vanishedadvertising revenues, if recent industryreports are any indication.iPads and their ilk could create as muchas $3 billion in subscriptions and $1.3 billionin incremental revenue by 2014,according to a new consumer demand surveyconducted by Oliver Wyman forCondé Nast’s digital publishing arm NextIssue Media.<strong>The</strong> study, which charted the periodicalreading habits of 1,800 U.S. consumers,finds many place a unique value in the e-reading experience and a surprisingamount are willing to pay print subscriptionprices for access to digital content.Specifically, 9% of device-owning subscriberssaid they’d be likely to buy subscriptionsif their preferred magazineoffered an interactive edition at the sameprice.<strong>The</strong> Oliver Wyman study didn’t pontificateon how digital subscription numberscould affect ad revenues or single copymagazine sales. However, a separate,recent study — conducted by AdvertiserPerceptions Inc. — found that 62% of adexecutives plan to increase their mobilemedia ad spending over the next year, andnearly half (46%) have already integratedmobile media into their overall advertisingstrategy.Taken together, the numbers could beencouraging news for publishers weighingthe idea of making their titles interactive.<strong>Fashion</strong>, lifestyle mags flock to iPadiPad currently leads the number of magazinetitles available for e-readers andtablets — with nearly 150 titles — thoughaudience response has varied among titlesand the rules of the roost are currently apublishing no-man’s land (Time Inc. andCondé Nast, for example, have kept iPadsubscription prices close to their printcounterparts; Hearst is considering increasingthe cost of interactive versions).So far, especially popular for interactiveperiodicals — perhaps as a result of consumerdemand or preemptively launchedas a safe way to test the waters — havebeen magazine titles that focus on fashionand lifestyle.Popular titles such as Men’s Health,Women’s Health and Prevention haverecently moved to iPad, and each havereleased editions filled with “perks” toentice readers, including audio and videoextras as well as special “editor’s picks”sections and <strong>com</strong>mentary not available inprint editions.In early August, Runner’s World madeits iPad debut. At $4.99, the first <strong>issue</strong> waspacked with multimedia enhancements,including a free 26-page extra editionsponsored by Puma. <strong>The</strong> freebies seem tobe <strong>com</strong>monplace for recent interactive editions,an unspoken rule that publishersoffer a new user experience to match newmedia.Like many publications, Glamour’s newiPad edition gives users plenty of extras inthe way of blog posts, as well as video andaudio content. Glamour goes a step furtherhowever, and recreates itself as a sort ofportal to the marketplace, with an applicationthat offers direct access to online shopping.Like all Condé Nast publications availablefor iPad, Glamour also <strong>com</strong>es with afree application where users pick the individualmagazine <strong>issue</strong>s they want to buy,thus offering users á la carte alternatives toyesterday’s subscription procedures.Gadget industry respondsMore than three million iPads have soldsince the device’s April debut. <strong>The</strong>se staggeringfigures have changed not only themobile industry and the technology sectorthat designs it, but have invigorated andinspired its very muse: the consumers whouse and appropriate mobile <strong>com</strong>municationsin their day-to-day-lives.<strong>The</strong> result has been a modern day goldrush, enticing developers to create a slewof new iPad apps and inspiring <strong>com</strong>petitorsto create copycat versions of the device.Dozens of <strong>com</strong>peting devices have nowflooded the market. Popular tech blogTechnologizer in August cited “at least 32”iPad <strong>com</strong>petitors that are making their wayto stores this year, including new devicesby Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Notion Ink.While most experts believe tablets alonewon’t save the print industry, it’s safe tosay the software and mobile device markethave found a new cash cow.Ad profits questionableAs tablet mania has ignited a gadgetboom, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has arguedthat ads targeted within applications ondevices like the iPad would be more successfulthan ads targeted on websites orin search engines. <strong>The</strong> question remains:will advertisers have faith in the mobilemarket?<strong>The</strong> world’s largest mobile advertisingservice, Google’s AdMob, expects salesto double this year. Apple’s iAd mobileadvertising platform, which allows thirdpartydevelopers to integrate advertisementsin a variety of formats on iPhone,iPod Touch, and iPad devices, is receivingfavorable reviews from <strong>com</strong>paniesthat have used the platform (two ofApple’s earliest iAd advertisers, Nissanand Unilever, have reported success).Overall however, iAd is having a hardtime getting off the ground. Few <strong>com</strong>panieshave currently signed on, and othershave been openly critical of a reporteddevelopmental noose Apple has placedaround ads’ creation process, a <strong>com</strong>montheme for the notoriously secretive <strong>com</strong>pany.Others have <strong>com</strong>plained aboutreported lengthy ad turn-around times (8to 10 weeks in some instances, accordingto an August Wall Street Journal report).Some predict mobile ads could rake inabout $220 million next year, but itremains to be seen if many <strong>com</strong>panieswill fork over the hefty fees Apple is currentlyasking to advertise on the device(iAd gives Apple 40% of ad revenuesand charges advertisers $2 each time aninteractive ad is clicked).An August eweek.<strong>com</strong> report statedthat Apple could begin charging up to 10times the normal amounts for ads runningon its iPad and iPhone devices,reaching up to $1 million for a single ad,<strong>com</strong>pared to $100,000 on <strong>com</strong>parablemobile ad platforms. £Media BriefsCONDÉ NAST TO GROUND ZEROCondé Nast plans to relocate from its swankycorporate headquarters at 4 Times Square to thesite of the former World Trade Center.<strong>The</strong> publisher of Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan,Esquire, Vogue, Bon Appetit, GQ, Details, Self,Glamour, Golf Digest and New Yorker would anchorthe $3.2B building now under construction.<strong>The</strong> Port Authority of New York and New Jerseyowns the planned 1,776 ft. building that was oncedubbed Freedom Tower. It will open as 1 WorldTrade Center.Condé Nast sent a memo to employees, sayingit is in “active negotiations” concerning the move.A final decision is “months away.”Condé Nast’s corporate shift would be a dramaticboost for the economy of Lower Manhattan,which is struggling to replace jobs lost in the financialsector.<strong>The</strong> move also would bring “instant credibility”to the new WTC site, according to developer CarlWeisbrod.Condé Nast currently occupies 800K sq. ft. Itwould take up 1M sq. ft in the 2.6M sq. ft towerthat will be the highest building in New York whenit opens in 2013.SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 9


FEATUREPR, media faulted for aiding ‘beauty bias’“How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?” theBeatles once sung. If you are one of the blessed perceivedas attractive, it feels pretty good. If not, it’s toughluck.ByKevinMcCauleyBaby You’re a Rich Man” could bethe sound track for “<strong>The</strong> BeautyBias,” a book written by Stanfordlaw professor Deborah Rhode and publishedearlier this year by OxfordUniversity Press.She believes attractive people gethired and earn more than those lesslooks-blessed, sloppy or overweight.<strong>The</strong> good-looking are viewed as moreintelligent, athletic, sociable and more incontrol of their lives than the rabble.Women are the biggest victims ofappearance bias, though short men facea similar treatment.Rhode feels discrimination againstpeople on the basis of their looks is justas bad as race and sex bias. Hence thebook’s subtitle: “<strong>The</strong> Injustice ofAppearance in Life and Law.”<strong>The</strong> author’s point is hardly a newone. “A rose is a rose is a rose,” wroteGertrude Stein. Rhode does break newground with a clarion call for legalremedies to head off appearance bias.In a world wrestling with economicdistress, war, environmental degradationand poverty, beauty bias may appeartrite. Some worry about courts cloggedwith petty cases involving grooming,weight and appearance while lawmakerswaste time drawing up “appearancecodes.”Rhode is unfazed, pointing out thatMichigan and six cities/counties (SanFrancisco, Washington, D.C.) alreadyhave appearance discrimination laws onthe books.Cases are rare because most suits getsettled before trial. Rhode’s biggerpoint: laws deter unjust bias.PR under attackPR people working the $200B beautybusiness aren’t going to be handing out“<strong>The</strong> Beauty Bias” as holiday gifts thisyear or any time soon. In the book,media, advertisers and PR <strong>com</strong>e underwithering attack.Rhode takes on the media for endlessly“magnifying the importance ofappearance and the pressures to enhanceit.” PR people are scolded for promotingappearance-related products cloaked in a“veneer of pseudo-science” promising“effortless perfection.”Madison Avenue is blistered fortelling women that as long as a doublestandard exists, “they might as well dowhat they need to do and get on withtheir lives.”Beauty items, diet and cosmetic surgeriesare advertised as “be all they can”and “express who they really are.”Personal fulfillment is butskin deep, not from within.Results from the <strong>com</strong>municationsonslaught are farfrom beautiful. Endlessexposure to “airbrushed, surgicallyenhanced fashionmodels and Hollywoodcelebrities” reinforces unrealisticstandards, accordingto Rhode.Since only five percent ofAmerican women are in thesame weight category asactresses and models, effortsto “replicate their figures often lead toeating disorders and related psychologicaldysfunctions.”Millions of hard-earned dollars arewasted on diets as 90 percent of dietersfail to keep the pounds off over time.Rhode points out that sexualized portrayalsof prominent women are ineverything from athletics to politics.That overemphasis on appearance“deflects attention from their performanceand reinforces sex-based doublestandards.”Hillary Clinton’s cleavage, SarahPalin’s beehive and Michelle Obama’supper arms are played up and chuckledabout, diverting attention from theirac<strong>com</strong>plishments.Rhode finds it telling that the highestpaid member of Palin’s VP campaignwas her make-up artist, which “speaksvolumes about our misplaced priorities.”She bemoans the absence of attractiveolder women in the media who actuallylook their age. Walter Cronkite and TomBrokaw retained their influence as theyaged and male movie stars play romanticleads in their later years. When in hissixties, Sean Connery was voted “sexiestman alive” by People magazine.Women, by contrast, “are expected toplay opposite men thirty years their senior,and to bow out gracefully or havework done when the signs of agebe<strong>com</strong>e pronounced.”Rhode quotes a Boston Herald columnistwriting about an overly-made upKatherine Harris, who was in the midstof the Florida recount mess, as “awoman of a certain age trying too hardto hang on.” Harris was 43 at that time.Hardwired at birthBeauty is said to be in the eye of thebeholder, but “aesthetic preferences areto large extent hardwired, based on circuitsin the brain shapedby millions of years ofsexual selection,” wroteRhode.Over the eons, “individualswhose genes surviveare those who choosemates with characteristicsconducive to reproductivesuccess.”Attractiveness is one ofthose characteristicsbecause it signals healthand fertility, particularlyin females, according toRhode, who has 75 pages worth of footnotesin the 238-page book.Evolutionary imperatives encouragedparents to favor good-looking childrenbecause they have the greatest potentialto marry and produce kids. It’s a case ofsurvival of the fittest and loveliest.What to do?Besides advocating for appearance discriminationlaws, Rhode believes individuals,business and the media can affectpositive change.For starters, women can get rid of“killer high heels,” which are majorsources of back and foot problems.Smart ac<strong>com</strong>plished women are wearingflesh-biting shoes and “ignoring therisk that heels this high will catch ingrates, flatten arches, breed blisters andhurt like hell on any extended walk,”according to Rhode.Some women undergo painful andrisky foot surgery for the sake of “toe0Continued on page 1910SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


Magazine closures slow down in 2010, so farBy JonGingerichU.S. newsstands aren’t seeing manynew magazine titles, but at leastthey’re not folding like they werein 2009.While only about 90 new magazinesopened during the first half of 2010 —down from the 187 new titles to launchduring the same period in 2009 — magazineclosures only affected about another90 titles this year, a big improvement fromthe 279 magazine titles that closed theirpages during the first half of 2009,according to recent data published byMediaFinder.<strong>The</strong> study also found that only sixmajor U.S. print magazines restructuredtheir publication to an exclusively onlineformat during the first half of 2010, asopposed to 43 for the same time period in2009.According to MediaFinder, leading thegains in new titles were magazines thatspecialize in food, with 10 new titlesappearing during the first half of 2010. Bycontrast, home improvement magazineswere hit hard, losing a total of 10 titles sofar this year and gaining five. Business-tobusinessmagazines fared worst, losing 35titles while gaining only 17.<strong>The</strong> slow rebound for magazines maybe global. U.K. publishing <strong>com</strong>panyUnited Business Media — which ownsPR Newswire — added one magazine toits publication roster and shed four titlesthis year, which is a vast improvementfrom the 15 it killed during the first sixmonths of 2009 alone.First-half revenue for the <strong>com</strong>pany wasessentially flat, falling 0.2% to £434.3million (about $690 million <strong>com</strong>paredwith 2009), but revenue at its distributionand monitoring division rose 7.4% duringthe period to £91.2 million ($145 million)in 2010. Overall profit at UBM had beendown 5.2% over the first half of 2009 to£45.4 million.<strong>The</strong> same can’t be said for newspapers.U.S. weekday newspaper circulation fellnearly 11% in 2009 and lost another 9%between Oct. ’09 and March ’10 alone,according to data released by the AuditBureau of Circulations. According to anannual survey published by the PewProject for Excellence in Journalism, theU.S. newspaper industry has lost a third ofits newsrooms jobs — or $1.6 billion inreporting editing capacity — since 2000.Ball State Journalism professor DavidE. Sumner argues that magazines have abetter chance of survival than newspapersdue to their niche targeting and historicability to adapt during hard times. In hisnew book, “<strong>The</strong> Magazine Century:American Magazines Since 1900,” whichcharts decade-by-decade growth of theprint periodical industry, Sumner claimsthat while total circulation of the top 50leading consumer magazines fell 6% from2007 to 2009, 32 of them saw circulationgains during the same period. Sumner alsoclaims magazine growth was surprisinglystrong during the Great Depression.“No one can predict the future, and Ithink there will be more restructuring andmaybe even more downsizing, but printmagazines have done remarkably well<strong>com</strong>pared to newspapers and will continueto do so,” Sumner said. “Magazines are notsimply selling content — they have bigemotional connections with their readers.It’s more of an experience, one that youcan’t recreate by placing them on a website.”Sumner believes titles specializing infood, lifestyle and fashion — areas whichhe said have each seen readership increasesin recent years — will fare especially well.He believes the “escapist” nature of theseperiodicals offers a glimpse into why someniches remain popular at newsstands. £SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 11


REPORTBrands tempt female bloggers with ‘swag’Corporations have taken notice of the power of the femaleblogging <strong>com</strong>munity, and for good reason. As a result, a newcorporate courtship has evolved, where <strong>com</strong>panies showerbloggers with freebies in exchange for the possibility thatthese key influencers will say something — anything —about their brands.ByAbbyRoseDalto<strong>The</strong> sixth annual BlogHerConference, one of the world’slargest conferences for women insocial media, took place August 6-7 at theNew York Hilton. A who’s who for thefemale blogging <strong>com</strong>munity, this year’sconference brought more than 2,400attendees together for a series of workshopson a variety of subjects — fromfashion blogging to site monetization tousing the Internet to create social change— and the opportunity to connect withonline peers in the real world.At the center of the conference wasBlogHer (blogher.<strong>com</strong>), the leading participatorynews, entertainment and informationnetwork for women online, whichreaches more than 20 million womeneach month according to Nielsen.Also making a noted appearance werethe 100-plus brands that helped sponsorthe event, which included Fortune 500BlogHer’s Co-Founders (L to R): Jory Des Jardins, ElisaCamahort Page and Lisa Stone ranked #4 on Katie Couric’slist of the “seven most powerful people in media” for Forbeslast year.Photo by Tricia Okin, www.papercutny.<strong>com</strong><strong>com</strong>panies such as Walmart, Procter &Gamble and PepsiCo. While the primaryfocus of the conference is hands-onlearning,discussions, and networkingopportunities, the sponsors’ presencesimply couldn’t be ignored.BlogHer is well known for doling outmassive amounts of free “swag” to itsmembers, and this year’s conferenceproved no exception. Bloggers received atote bag full of freebies upon check-in,were treated to makeovers and giveawaysat parties over the weekend, and feastedon <strong>com</strong>plimentary food and drink courtesyof sponsoring <strong>com</strong>panies likeTropicana, McDonald’s and JimmyDean.Throughout the two-day conferencebloggers were also given the opportunityto stop in at the Expo Hall to meet withrepresentatives from every <strong>com</strong>pany,view product demonstrations and receivefree samples and coupons. All gifts wereprovided with a nostrings-attachedpolicy.Of course, there isalways that unspokenhope that some of thesewomen might mention orreview these products ontheir respective blogs.Why?Myths and marketingIt’s clear that U.S. corporationsnow recognizethe growing influencethese women have on theblog-reading <strong>com</strong>munityand want to harness thatpower for their own benefit.<strong>The</strong>re are over 160million adults on theInternet in the U.S. andwomen represent themajority of that population.Women make 85%of all consumer purchasesand control $4.3 trillionin U.S. consumerspending. It’s predicted that by 2014women may control $15 trillion in globalconsumer spending. In March, aBlogHer/iVillage study found thatwomen often go to blogs for advice andre<strong>com</strong>mendations about purchasing newproducts. Among BlogHer Networkusers, blogs were the second most popularmedia source for product purchasinginformation, after online searches.“We’ve seen a dramatic shift in consumerpurchase behavior that is largelyinfluenced by the proliferation of femalebloggers and blog networks like BlogHer.We found through our 2010 Cone OnlineInfluence Trend Tracker that more than80 percent of consumers go online to verifyproduct or service re<strong>com</strong>mendationsthat they receive from even their mosttrusted sources of offline information,”said Mike Hollywood, Cone’s Director ofNew Media. “As the Chief DecisionOfficer of their households, female bloggershave taken a leadership role in voicingtheir opinions and creating the vastamounts of content on which consumersnow rely to make more informed purchasedecisions.”“<strong>The</strong> conversations happening onwomen’s blogs are just as important asthe advertising messages <strong>com</strong>panies sendout,” said Holly Buchanan, marketing towomen consultant and Co-Author of“<strong>The</strong> Soccer Mom Myth — Today’sFemale Consumer” (marketingtowomenonline.typepad.<strong>com</strong>).“Smartbrands are stimulating and participatingin those conversations.”An unmatched influenceIt would be an understatement to saythat female bloggers are changing the PRand marketing industries. BlogHer cofounderand CEO Lisa Stone hasdescribed the female blogger as “one ofthe most powerful <strong>com</strong>municators insocial media today” and many PR professionalsseem to agree.“<strong>The</strong>re is no doubt that female bloggershave emerged as powerful sources ofinformation,” said Jason Winocour,Partner and Social Media Practice Leaderof Hunter Public Relations. “Female and‘mom’ bloggers develop trusting and lastingrelationships with their <strong>com</strong>munities,and as a result, brands want to be knownto bloggers because of the consumerinfluence they wield. Bloggers are partiallyinfluential in re<strong>com</strong>mendingfood/beverages, health/beauty and con-0Continued on next page12SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


sumer products/services because theiropinions are read as unbiased and authentic.”At this year’s conference, New YorkbasedPR powerhouse Kaplow helped topromote HauteLook (hautelook.<strong>com</strong>), aleading online retail site offering discountson items from top apparel, accessories,beauty, kids’, home, food andwine brands, that recently partnered withBlogHer.“We’ve seen first-hand the power offemale bloggers whose influential reachcan convert their readers into activatedconsumers,” said Shannon Eis, SeniorVice President at KaplowCommunications. “Female bloggers aretech savvy, trend-leaders, and dedicatetime to researching topics and productsthey cover — and their authentic pointsof view have established trust with theirfollowers in ways that brands can’t duplicatealone.”Like HauteLook, many <strong>com</strong>panies arenow eager to engage the blogger <strong>com</strong>munity,especially female bloggers.“Female bloggers are so importantbecause they are a trusted source of credibility,”said Kelley Skoloda, BrandMarketing Practice Director forKetchum, who served as a bronze sponsorfor the conference. “Virtual friendsand family have be<strong>com</strong>e a top source ofcredible re<strong>com</strong>mendations for womenwhen making purchase decisions, andbloggers are at the top of that list.”Attendee registration fees generallycover about a third of the true cost ofattending BlogHer, with the other twothirds — among other amenities — providedby sponsors. BlogHer’10 sponsoring<strong>com</strong>panies and brands includedHillshire Farm, Chevrolet, Ubisoft, T-Mobile, Yahoo!, AOL, Microsoft,Mozilla, Hallmark, Nikon, JVC,Audiovox, Bosch, Johnson & Johnson,Bausch & Lomb, Eucerin, Arm &Hammer, Aquaphor, Tempur-Pedic,ECCO, Sears, Stride Rite, Timex, WhiteHouse Black Market, ASSETS by SaraBlakely, Fisher-Price, Playskool, MyLittle Pony, Nickelodeon, Huggies,Earth’s Best, Healthy Choice, Pillsbury,Laughing Cow, Filtrete, SOYJOY,Hershey’s, Kraft, Terra Chips, JELL-O,Scotch-Brite, <strong>The</strong>rmos, 1-800 Flowers,and more.Disclosure and discretionIn the wake of last year’s revisions tothe FTC Guidelines for Endorsements,which require bloggers to disclose any<strong>com</strong>pensation or other “material connection”with a <strong>com</strong>pany or product theyreview or endorse, some bloggers hadvoiced concernsprior to the conferenceabout theabundance of freegifts from sponsoring<strong>com</strong>panies.In response, theconference teammade every effort toensure that free giftsand other sponsorshipengagementswere optional:Attendees coulddecline their <strong>com</strong>plimentarytote bagsand avoid the ExpoHall; unofficialparties boastinghuge giveawayswere not allowedon-site. Many <strong>com</strong>paniesalso providedtheir own disclosureguidelinesfor bloggers whowished to reviewtheir products andStacey Ferguson, arepresentative fromthe FTC, participatedin a panel discussionto clarifymisconceptionsabout the guidelines.Ferguson suggesteda rule ofthumb for determiningwhen a disclosurestatement isnecessary: “Whenin doubt, disclose.”She also reassuredquestioners thatbloggers would notbe fined for violatingthe guidelinesand explained that there is no specificwording that must be used.Eager to maintain a level of credibilityand reader trust, some bloggers havetaken the “Blog with Integrity” pledge(blogwithintegrity.<strong>com</strong>) which was createdlast summer after a series of polarizingdebates about blogger <strong>com</strong>pensation,sponsored posts, product reviews and ideatheft within the blogging <strong>com</strong>munity.Today many BlogHer members proudlydisplay “Blog with Integrity” badges ontheir websites and strictly adhere to theFTC guidelines.Gloria Feldt, activist and Author of “NoExcuses: 9 Ways Women Can ChangeMore than 2,400 bloggers, marketers, journalists and brand representativesattended the sixth annual BlogHer conference.Photo by Justin Hackworth for BlogHerFrom L to R: Alison Stewart (“Need to Know” PBS anchor), MarieWilson (Founder and President of <strong>The</strong> White House Project), GloriaFeldt (author and activist), P. Simran Sethi (journalist and environmentalist)speak during BlogHer’s closing keynote address.Photo by Justin Hackworth for BlogHerHow We Think About Power,” spoke ofthe potential power that women bloggershold at the closing keynote address. Shementioned that while many women feltconflicted ethically about receiving freegifts from sponsoring <strong>com</strong>panies, she sawit as a missed opportunity.“<strong>The</strong>se people who are giving the swag… they understand that women make85% of the consumer goods purchases.And if we bloggers decided to, we coulddefine and determine every single consumerproduct that is sold to us,” she said.“If we wanted healthy food for our chil-0Continued on page 19SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 13


FEATURE<strong>The</strong> pros (and cons) of freelance fashion PRByCrosbyNoricksIn <strong>Fashion</strong>/Beauty PR, there are threeoptions when it <strong>com</strong>es to working in theindustry: you can work on multiple clientaccounts for a fashion PR agency (eitheryour own or for someone else), in-house fora single brand, or go the freelance route,working primarily for yourself and perhapspicking up some extra work as an independentcontractor. <strong>The</strong>re are certainly prosand cons to each arrangement. However, ifyou feel you’re ready to embark on a life ofcoffee shop offices and autonomy, here aresome important factors to consider.Setting up your businessAs an independent contractor, you forgothe security of a steady paycheck and healthinsurance for your freedom: the freedom toset your own hours, to work with the clientsyou want to work with, and to execute thePR strategy you believe will be most effective.Nothing beats taking a nap whenyou’re feeling uninspired and staying upuntil 3 a.m. when you are, and you are, ofcourse, now able to subtract things like thesquare footage of your home office andyour Internet bill from your taxes.However, while it can appear quite lucrativeat first to be paid, for example, a full$100 an hour, rather than an annual salarythat is less than half what your agency actuallycharges for your services, rememberthat those pesky estimated taxes you mustnow pay quarterly require about 30% ofevery dollar you make be tucked away.When you add in additional costs likehealth insurance, cell phone bill and rentinga conference room or workspace, suddenlythe image of you rolling in greenbackskicking up your Louboutin <strong>com</strong>es backdown to reality. Set up an appointment witha financial planner, accountant and yourlocal small business association in order tomake sure you are prepared for the proactivefinancial organization required for freelancework. Also check in with your city, asyou may need to register (i.e. pay) in orderto be able to legally have your business,even if you’re just a talented chica workingfrom home.Running your business vs. doing your job<strong>The</strong>re are a lot of things going on behindthe scenes at an agency — invoicing, softwarepurchases, following up on payment(this is a biggie in the freelance world),negotiating relationships with vendors,early morning networking meetings andevents, human resources, legal, makingsure the kitchen is stocked with coffee andcreamer ... one of the most difficult andtime consuming parts of the freelance worldis that every tiny business detail belongs toyou. And learning how to successfully run abusiness is a very different skill set fromconvincing an editor that your client is thenext big thing, or sweet talking that 4 p.m.deadline at the UPS counter. Plan accordingly,and give yourself one morning aweek where it’s just business. Your businessand not your clients’. Consider taking a fewnight classes at the business school nearbyor even going in for your MBA. If you findyourself overwhelmed by this aspect ofwork, or find yourself avoiding spreadsheetslike the plague, consider hiring a virtualassistant to help out.Figuring out your servicesWhat are your strengths? Do you haveincredible media contacts at all the monthliesor are you every fashion blogger’sBFF? Are you handy with html or great atevent production? At the start of your freelancecareer, don’t make the mistake of tryingto be or do too many things at once.Doing one thing exceptionally can be a keyingredient in building your empire, so putyour own gifts and talents through a brandexercise, clearly identify your brand promise,differentiators and yes, even your 30second elevator speech. <strong>The</strong>n, considerthings from a different angle. What type ofclient do you want to work for and what isthe greatest value you can provide thatclient?Build your brandIf you are going to be asking people togive you money to represent their brand,show them you understand the value of astrong <strong>com</strong>pany image. What does workingwith you look like, feel like, even smelllike? Are you a relaxing walk down a tranquilbeach or a bustling French cafe or thelatest downtown club? Don’t skimp on thedesign of your your web site, business cardsor blog. Your Internet presence, done correctly,can give off the impression that you,darling of the dailies, are quite a bit largerthan life. After all, no one needs to knowjust how late you stay in your cupcake pajamas,nor do they care, when the media iscalling.Creating referrals and affiliatesConsider joining a local networking orbusiness referral group. Early a.m.schmoozing with bad coffee might not beyour favorite way to wake up, but word ofmouth is your very best friend, and <strong>com</strong>mittingto a group of service professionalscan reap huge rewards. Whatever you do,find strategic partners like a web designer,print shop, videographer, photographer,florist, etc and refer each other business.Expanding your service offerings is greatfor business andknowing you haveseveral other peopleout there promotingyour services topotential clients inneed only helps.Perhaps you caneven split costs on afew things or host anCrosby Noricksevent together.Getting clientsWithout clients,the world stops spinning,flowers wilt and fairies die. Even ifyou aren’t transitioning from an agency,send emails out to all the PR shops in townand explain who you are, your background,and what accounts you think youcould help out on. You could do the samefor event planners. Certainly send out anemail to your network letting them knowof your new plans and don’t neglectFacebook — you never know when yourbest friend from seventh grade’s mom justhappens to to know someone who knowssomeone. To pick up some quick work,consider signing up at one of the freelancemarketplaces online. Offer your pressrelease skills, your bio writing abilities aswell as consulting services to anyone andeveryone.Commit<strong>The</strong>re is no one that will ever care aboutthe success of your business more than you.This often means working late, going out toevents to meet new people when you wouldrather stay in bed and eat pie, and having tobe responsible not only for keeping yourclients happy but keeping your businesshappy, which means time out for invoicing,taxes, and on occasion, running out forprinter ink at 2 a.m. <strong>The</strong> biggest indicator ofsuccess is word of mouth and when it<strong>com</strong>es to clients, you really are only asgood as your last hurrah — so push yourselfcreatively, stylistically, and keep focusingon client goals and satisfaction and youmight find the freelance life a pretty fineCrosby Noricks is Founder and Editor offashion PR and marketing blog PRCouture. As Senior Social Media Strategistfor Red Door Interactive in San Diego, CA,she also works with fashion and consumerclients. She was recently named Blogger ofthe Year at the Inaugural InfluenceSDAwards. £14SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


NYC PR principles trump Barcelona’sByJackO’DwyerFour PR groups in June met inBarcelona, Spain and came up withthe lofty “Barcelona Declaration ofMeasurement Principles.”<strong>The</strong>y are:1. Importance of goal setting and measurement.2. Measuring out<strong>com</strong>es is preferred tomeasuring outputs.3. Effect on business results can andshould be measured.4. Media measurement requires quantityand quality.5. Advertising Value Equivalency(AVE) is not the value of PR.6. Social media can and should bemeasured.7. Transparency and replicability areparamount to sound measurement.It should be noted that the “BarcelonaPrinciples” position PR as marketingwhen that is only one aspect of PR.<strong>The</strong> most telling of the seven “principles”crafted by the participants is No. 5:“Advertising Value Equivalency is not thevalue of PR.” Participants could onlydefine “PR” in the negative. This begs thequestion, “What is the value of PR?”Professor Tim Penning, in theSeptember 2008 <strong>issue</strong> of PRSA’s Tactics,said it is “dialogue, negotiation and mediation.”PR pros, in order to “contribute toinformed decision making in a democraticsociety, must seek opposing views forthe good of the public,” he wrote.What the Barcelona attendees should bestudying is how secrecy and informationblockingare affecting the PR industry andthe public it is supposed to be serving.Attendees forgot that “public” is the firstword in the name of their industry.Institute for PR was hijackedAnother participant in Barcelona wasthe Institute for PR, which broke awayfrom the PR Society in 1989 because ofdemands that all its directors be APR.<strong>The</strong> breakaway went too far — all theway to Gainesville, Fla. — where IPR iscurrently housed at the University ofFlorida. It is a minor factor in the PRworld, a captive of ivory tower-dwellingacademic interests.It should have stayed in New York toserve the huge <strong>com</strong>munications industrythere. It could easily afford such a facilitynow.IPR, whose staff is headed by BobGrupp, says it provides “the sciencebeneath the art of PR.”IPR’s board is headed by MichaelFernandez of State Farm Insurance, amember of highly secretive PR Seminarand also its offshoot, the Arthur W. PageSociety.Seminarians <strong>com</strong>prise about two-thirdsof Page’s 30-member board.About 30 of the 45 trustees of IPR areeither Page members or both Page and PRSeminar members. Among those belongingto both are Angela Buonocore of ITT;Ray Jordan, Johnson & Johnson; MarilMacDonald, Page president in 2009, andGary Sheffer, General Electric.PR Seminar has huge turnoverIPR should be researching the declinein influence of PR which is under heavypressure from corporate financial, legaland marketing departments.One result is high PR job turnover andjob loss. PR Seminar inducted 43 newmembers in 2010 after taking on 47 newmembers in 2009. Fewer than ten newmembers were inducted yearly in the1970s and 80s.Since Seminar limits its membershipand ousts anyone after one year who losesa job, this means that about 90 memberslost their jobs. Declining attendance alsomeans Seminar has to work hard to attractmembers. Blue chips are clamping downon expensive conferences at plush resorts.Page members tell us that about 40members are job-searching and weremiffed when the $200K presidency ofPage went last month to a non-member —Julia Hood of PR Week — when so manyof them were in need of such a job.Page reportedly looked at 200 resumesand conducted interviews but some membersfeel Hood was a lock from Day One.Hostility to media apparent<strong>The</strong> Barcelona materials reflect the attitudethat media are there for one purpose— to promote client aims.<strong>The</strong>re is no interest in what is good forthe <strong>com</strong>munity or democracy, only whatis good for the client and often in the shortterm.This attitude is one reason for thedestruction of large parts of the U.S.press. About half the journalists workingin 2001 have lost their jobs because ofdeclining ads and circulation.This means a smaller news hole forpress releases and a deluge of at least50,000 reporters mostly seeking “PR”jobs. PR has be<strong>com</strong>e a very insecureindustry in which to work.Job market needs addressingMedia and PR job shrinkage should bethe prime concerns of the PR tradegroups, not whether press release pickupsold product or not.Katie Paine, who is known as “theQueen of Measurement,” has told us thatmeasurers want to find out what is notworking so that changes can be made.How about calling up editors andreporters and asking them how well PR isserving them?Is there anyone at the end of the releasewho can answer questions? Is the CEOavailable for interview or for press conferences?It is a rare corporate website that liststhe names of any PR pros. Mostly,reporters are provided with an e-mail boxwhere they can leave a question and hopefor an answer.Kraft describes its PR department (itcalls it “corporate affairs”) as its “secretweapon.” PR is seen as the “war department”and reporters as “the enemy.”Via<strong>com</strong> has a 48-page PDF that sets upits PR unit as corporate “gestapo” ready topounce on anyone remotely connectedwith the <strong>com</strong>pany who utters a negativeword about Via<strong>com</strong>. <strong>The</strong> Village Voicedescribed it as “corporate terrorism.”Organizational PR pros are under thetightest controls ever, their every wordand e-mail recorded for study by theirsuperiors. £PR news briefsFD AIDES SKYPE WITH IPOFD is working with Skype as the digital <strong>com</strong>municationsgiant plans a $100 million initial publicoffering.Skype is based in Luxembourg and was spunoff from eBay, which acquired it for $2.3 billionand continues to hold a stake. It filed for the IPOon Aug. 9.<strong>The</strong> <strong>com</strong>pany’s key consumer offering, anInternet phone service, counts 560 million registeredusers, including more than eight million whopay. First-half profit was $13.1 million on revenuetopping $406 million.Brian Maddox, Managing Director of FD’s corporate<strong>com</strong>munications practice, and LeighParrish, MD in FD’s retail and consumer sector, arehandling the Skype account.An email to Maddox generated a response noting“this announcement has generated numerousqueries” and saying he’ll return the inquiry.Skype said the number of shares and pricerange have not yet been determined.Reuters’ Robert Cyran said a successful SkypeIPO could spark interest in a stalled tech environmentfor public floats. “Investors would presumablyclamor for more of the same, increasing valuationson tech firms that earn money on socialapplications,” said Cyran, who said a runawaysuccess could prod heavyweights like Facebook orZynga to offer shares, as well.SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 15


FEATUREShaping content for today’s fashion media landscapeByChristyFererJust in case you hadn’t noticed, everyfashion and beauty brand has essentiallybe<strong>com</strong>e a house of content. It’sno longer enough to create a product oreven a trend; you now have to meld and distributemessages that translate into theimages you want to project.It seems that tastes — both in the mediaand the fashion and beauty world — nowchange about every month. What’s more,there’s now an increasing appetite for 24/7,on-demand information from a multitude ofoutlets. So, what strategies work today?First, recognize the content you have.Content can be the product itself, from thepackaging to the delivery. We need to directeverything from the photo session to informalshowroom shows, to cosmetic demosat the retail counter, to marketing events,focus groups, news releases on a brand’sannual report, to what goes on backstage ata <strong>com</strong>mercial shoot or runway show.Second, proactively create content thatengages the consumer, whether it’s a contest,a runway show, a “how to” demo, anevent, product giveaways, celebrity andthird party endorsements, or customermakeovers. Create an editorial calendarbased on seasonal events, launches, eventsin different cities, store openings, trunkshows, <strong>com</strong>mercial shoots, new talent orexperts joining your team.Next, capture the content you have invideo and text. If you don’t have it onvideo, it didn’t happen.Finally, lengthen the life of the content.Create evergreen narratives full of actionableadvice that can apply to trendsthroughout the year. Create a back story thatgives attention and focus to the content.This is like a brand’s own “reporter” givingtheir take on how the story went down.Packaging content for distributionNo content should be created without adistribution strategy. And, existing contentis a loss without maximizing it for distributioneven if it is repurposed for stockholderreports, corporate website, investor relationsmaterials, or direct marketing emailcampaigns. But first, you have to packageand think through customizing the contentfor any kind of distribution.Social media is paramount. When it<strong>com</strong>es to bloggers, the biggest ones areinundated with product-embedded messages.Keep it fresh, tell them somethingthey don’t know. Text works best here, butsome bloggers love video, and many havevideo players on their sites or link to livevideo pages.If you don’t keep your page stocked withfresh content every day, renegade sites candivert your traffic. Add daily video or stillsfrom store openings, new arrivals in store,sound bites from your designer orspokesperson that are broken up into 15-second jewels.Live TV is quickly be<strong>com</strong>ing one of themost popular trends in PR. It’s easily controlled:your spokesman is on-message andyou know exactly what targeted audienceyou’re getting, whether it’s a live satellitemedia tour with your spokesman or a placementon a morning show. <strong>The</strong> most effectiveuse of live TV is keeping the messageon generic trends and telling the audiencesomething they don’t already know. It’salso key to supply great B-roll visuals and agood second camera to capture close upsand provide live B-roll.Likewise, live Websites are now verymuch in the game of participating in mediatours. Inexpensive ones can be done withSkype.Meanwhile, B-roll continues to beamong our most popular tools. It’s indispensablefor archiving, handing out to allmedia, packaging into webisodes, as wellas creating short videos for guaranteedplacements. Don’t forget what we call“background sound.” This supplies flavorand immediacy.Shorts (from 30 seconds to a minute inlength) are the future. <strong>The</strong>y are serviceable,and actionable, they’re perfect for corporatewebsites, distribution, the web, bloggers,guaranteed placement on broadcast TV orplaced-based. Web editors, TV producers,and corporate content creators need turnkeycontent without getting their hands dirtywith editing or scripting. <strong>The</strong>se are storiesthat hit a trend embedding a client brand ormessage either with a spokesman’s interviewlaced together or a voice over incorporatingthat interview. <strong>The</strong> key is keeping itshort and snappy.<strong>The</strong> right content for the right outletRight now the most successful pitches oneverything from healthcare, beauty, food totravel is happening on live TV. Stations arelooking for live content that attracts femaleviewers, especially in the morning. It’s criticalto leverage established and emergingtechnology to reach producers:<strong>The</strong> TV news business is transient; a hitin Denver or Chicago is now just as likelyto <strong>com</strong>e as a result of outreach via Twitteror Facebook, and following producers viasocial media allows you to maintain relationships.<strong>The</strong> days of TN news stations picking upVNRs like “Drugstore Beauty Buys” arelong gone, but stations and networks stilltake B-roll that has a legitimate newsangle. FDA approvals, large events andcelebrity vehicles still get grabbed.Pitching has changed; it’s more targeted.Remember that one size no longer fits all,and content dictates the stations and showsto approach.Guaranteed placements remain popular,especially for clients targeting a specificdemographic, or clients looking to drivetraffic to websites. Guaranteed placementslet clients drive home messaging harderthan on video designed for editorial spaces.Radio is still a great way to reach millionswithout a huge investment. Radioworks best for clients that have a more<strong>com</strong>plicated story to tell. Radio producersare looking for pitches and topicsthat allow for the development of indepth conversations. Topics involvingharder news like medical/health, financeand social <strong>issue</strong>s tend to play well withradio stations. Pitches that are moremale oriented resonate with produces,particularly for talk radio stations.When it <strong>com</strong>es to websites, it all startswith content. Video content needs toappear organic, it needs to speak to theaudience of sites/blogs you’re trying toreach.Respect for a website or blog’s editorialindependence is key in any pitch.Your actual pitch should be short andsweet; the subject line of the email pitchis your door opener, and one that doesn’tdeliver a punch won’t see the light ofday. Social media sites like YouTube,Twitter and Facebook get your videosexposure and feedback. Most importantly,they get you search engine visibility.Measurement of PR toolsIn TV, Nielsen still calls the shots. Clientswant to know when and where their contentaired and how many people saw it. For theweb, social media monitoring software likeRadian6 or Invisible Technologies is theway to go. <strong>The</strong>se software applications “listen”to the web and follow not only yourvideo but what people are saying about it,on blogs, messages boards, Twitter, onvideo sharing sites and an host of othersocial networks. In addition, you want toknow where you video ends up and howmany people have seen it. That softwaregives you the answer.Christy Ferer is CEO and Founder ofVidi<strong>com</strong>. £16SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


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FEATUREVeronis predicts PR rebound in 2011PR and word-of-mouth marketing, a $5 billion business in 2009, are poised for modestgrowth in 2011 after double-digit declines in 2009 will ease this year, according to ananalysis and forecast of the <strong>com</strong>munications sector by Veronis Suhler Stevenson.ByGregHazleySpending on PR, promotions andword-of-mouth marketing isexpected to fall another 2.7% in2010 before bouncing back.John Suhler, President and GeneralPartner of VSS, said the expansion periodforecast by his firm will be a “longerand slower” recovery because of thebreadth and depth of the recession.“Advertising and marketing investments,historically the drivers of <strong>com</strong>municationsgrowth during recoveries, areexpected to be more muted due to theshift away from traditional media outletsto more targeted media.”<strong>The</strong> VSS forecast found that spendingon PR, promotions and word-of-mouthfell 10.7% in 2009 to $70.54 billion.PR and WOMM, <strong>com</strong>bined, dipped2.8% last year to $5.05 billion, VSSnoted, amid a downturn in traditional PRoffset by a double-digit gain in word-ofmouth,which hasproven to be effectiveand cost-efficient, theanalysis found.“Public relations,meanwhile, suffered asetback in 2009 as aresult of tight budgetsand difficulty in correlatingPR to sales lift,”said the VSS report.“PR, however, willrebound in 2010 andpost accelerating gainsduring the forecast period,as <strong>com</strong>panies seekto rebuild consumerrelationships followingthe recession.”For 2011, VSS sees adouble-digit decline in B2B promotionsoffsetting modest growth in consumerpromotions, PR and WOMM. B2B isVSS’ breakdown of segments in the <strong>com</strong>munications sector.expected to bounce back in 2012, butthe whole group, which VSS calls“marketing media,” will be the slowestgrowing and smallest <strong>com</strong>municationssector through the next few years.“Solid gains in public relations andword-of-mouth marketing will beunable to mitigate sluggish growth intraditional marketing segments …” thereport notes.VSS said PR and WOMM will benefitfrom an ongoing shift from “traditional”to “alternative marketing vehicles”which are seen to generate betterreturn on investment.Total <strong>com</strong>munications spending,which includes advertising, media andmarketing, is forecast to grow 3.5% in2010.Consumer advertising is seen todecline through 2011, while businessand professional information and services,including <strong>com</strong>panies likeBloomberg, Thomson Reuters andNielsen, is expected to be the fastestgrowing industry sector through 2014.VSS sees the fastest <strong>com</strong>municationsrevenue growth in the “institutionalend-user space,” which includes TVprogramming and licensing fees, tradeshows, and business and professionalservices.<strong>The</strong> report has been <strong>com</strong>piled everyyears since 1986. £18SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


BRANDS TEMPT BLOGGERS0Continued from page 13dren, clothing that’s <strong>com</strong>fortable, whatever,we could make that happen. <strong>The</strong> marketersunderstand that. Do we?”Not all conferences created equalIn strong contrast to the BlogHerConference was the Affiliate Summit(affiliatesummit.<strong>com</strong>). <strong>The</strong> AffiliateSummit East, which took place at theNew York Hilton the following week onAugust 15-17, is a biannual symposiumfor affiliate marketers, merchants andPR BLAMED FOR ‘BEAUTY’ BIAS0Continued from page 10cleavage” that will fit into fashionablestyles.” Women account for 80 percent ofall foot surgery.Rhode feels that “resisting culturalpressures for cosmetic surgery or killershoes makes it safer for others to do so aswell.”<strong>The</strong> author wants parents to raise childrenwith “positive body images, healthydiets and active lifestyles.”Consumers should educate themselvesabout processed and fast-food productsor what critic Michael Pollan calls “ediblefood-like substances.”People can support organizations likethe National Association to Advance FatAcceptance, Council on Size and WeightDiscrimination and International SizeAcceptance Organization.Rhode re<strong>com</strong>mends that women send ayear’s cosmetic budget to a women’srights group instead.For their part, the media should promotemore diverse, healthy and realisticimages of attractiveness. <strong>The</strong> authorapplauds authorities in Madrid and Milanfor banning underweight models fromfashion shows. London’s <strong>Fashion</strong> Weekreceives raves for requiring models tohave a doctor’s note indicating theirhealth is not at risk.Rhode wants greater and more seriouscoverage of appearance discriminationand more responsible treatment ofweight-related <strong>issue</strong>s.She concluded: “Beauty may be onlyskin deep, but the costs associated withits pursuit go much deeper. <strong>The</strong> financialphysical and psychological price ofappearance demands closer attention andcollective action ... That will requiretreating appearance not only as an aesthetic<strong>issue</strong>, but as a legal and politicalone as well.”PR people can certainly enlist inRhode’s effort. It’s payback time. £vendors. Women only accounted forabout 25% of this year’s estimated3,500-plus attendees, which included aheavy presence from vendors, onlinemarketers and brand affiliates as well asbloggers.<strong>The</strong> sponsoring <strong>com</strong>panies at theAffiliate Summit clearly considered mento be their primary demographic. Manyof the informational materials providedby <strong>com</strong>panies at the event featuredscantily clad women. Young womenwearing bikinis strutted around the ExpoHall in an attempt to recruit new membersto the BikiniBabes Network (bikinibabesnetwork.<strong>com</strong>),a marketing <strong>com</strong>panythat uses slogans like “higher payoutsare sexy” and “affiliate marketingahead of the curves.” <strong>The</strong> “swag” wasminimal <strong>com</strong>pared to that at BlogHer;when it was available, freebies typicallycame in the form of logo-emblazonedBad hair daycandy cigarettes, shot glasses, beercozies, and bottle openers. Websitebuilding<strong>com</strong>pany Atomic Shops (atomicshops.<strong>com</strong>)even brought a keg of beerto the Expo Hall.Unlike BlogHer, which offered onsitechildcare and a “lactation lounge”for nursing mothers, the AffiliateSummit denied admittance to anyoneunder 21, including infants and toddlers.That’s not to say the Affiliate Summitoverlooked women entirely. Of the 36educational sessions, one focused solelyon marketing to women. <strong>The</strong> organizers,presenters, and sponsors at the conferencelikely do understand the significanceof women as online consumers,but perhaps are not yet convinced thatwomen are capable of being powerfulonline influencers, and in turn, onlinesellers. £U.S. TV network Oxygen in August took over Times Square to kick off the season premier of its newestshow, “Hair Battle Spectacular.”<strong>The</strong> show, which premiered on August 10, follows “fantasy” hair stylists who <strong>com</strong>pete over the courseof the season to create outrageous hair styles for a $100,000 grand prize. It is hosted by former “Baywatch”star and fashion model Brooke Burns.To build buzz, five of the show’s stylists met in Times Square to <strong>com</strong>pete in a hair sculpting <strong>com</strong>petition.Each stylist was given a New York City borough to represent — with hair as their canvas. Once the ‘doswere <strong>com</strong>plete, models showed off their new hair on a runway, where a panel of judges crowned the lastcoiffure standing.<strong>The</strong> Times Square battle royal was the brainchild of LeadDog Marketing Group, which worked in conjunctionwith Oxygen Media to produce, staff, and run all programming for the event, as well as secure neededcity permits.On-site activities for attendees included a photo booth where attendees wore “fantasy wigs” in front ofNew York City borough backdrops. Oxygen also hosted an on-site Twitter sweepstakes where consumerstweeted their favorite style for a chance to win $500. Celebrity guest judges included fantasy hair designerDerek J and “Rock of Ages” star Constantine Mouralis.SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 19


ProfilesO’Dwyer’sGuide to:BEAUTY AND FASHION PR9.10Carmichael Lynch Spong and client Sherwin-Williams partnered withfashion designer Cynthia Rowley to launch Concepts in Color — apaint palette featuring 250 high-demand hues. <strong>The</strong> agency workedclosely with Rowley to seamlessly integrate the new colors into herfall show at <strong>Fashion</strong> Week, including the runway, which was lit withcolor from above and below.AIRFOIL PUBLICRELATIONS1000 Town Center Drive, #600Southfield, MI 48075248/304-1400Fax: 248/304-1401info@airfoilpr.<strong>com</strong>www.airfoilpr.<strong>com</strong>Lisa Vallee-Smith, CEOAirfoil, with offices inSouthfield, Mich. and MountainView, Calif., is an independentfirm specializing in marketing<strong>com</strong>munications and publicrelations for technology firmsand other organizations thatwish to be known for innovation.Airfoil has cultivated expertisein building high-tech beautyand aesthetic brands. Whethersimplifying technical conceptsfor consumer media or positioningimportant breakthroughs totechnical and trade media,Airfoil has helped industryleaders successfully launch newproducts and refresh establishedbrands for more than 10years.Airfoil delivers HigherThinking®. With a foundationin research-driven strategy, ourHigher Thinking® bringstogether all the means necessaryto raise your brand abovethe crowd and propel youbeyond the <strong>com</strong>petition.Airfoil delivers the people,process and performance thattake you to a higher level.ALLISON &PARTNERS116 East 27th Street, 4th FloorNew York, NY 10016212/302-5460anne@allisonpr.<strong>com</strong>Anne Colaiacovo, PartnerAllison & Partners brings thereach and resources of a globalleader paired with the responsivenessand expertise of aboutique agency to beauty andfashion brands. With years ofexperience growing some ofthe world’s leading fragrance,cosmetics, apparel and accessories<strong>com</strong>panies, our expertscreate integrated campaignswith traditional tactics and digitalmedia strategies to shapeopinions and establish brandloyalty. Our team leverageslongstanding relationships withtop consumer lifestyle editorialcontacts to create successfulpositioning, branding and productlaunches; publicity andmedia tours; events, samplingand promotions; social networkingand emerging mediaoutreach; retail marketing;sponsorships and strategicalliances; corporate socialresponsibility and cause marketingprograms that reach consumeraudiences and buildmarket share. Our experienceincludes philosophy, L’OréalUSA, GoodSkin Labs, BobbiBrown and more.CARMICHAELLYNCH SPONG110 North Fifth StreetMinneapolis, MN 55403612/375-8500www.carmichaellynchspong.<strong>com</strong>Douglas K. Spong, APR,PresidentCurtis Smith, Director ofBusiness DevelopmentCarmichael Lynch Spong issavvy about fashion and beautypublic relations and has abreadth of experience withthird-party spokespeople,trendsetters and influencers.<strong>The</strong> firm exceeds clients’expectations in the areas ofmen’s and women’s apparel,beauty products, home décorand high-profile events.Differentiating itself frommany of the nation’s PR firms,Carmichael Lynch Spong has aunique approach to media relationsac<strong>com</strong>panied by a largemedia relations team <strong>com</strong>prisedof several former journalists,reporters and editors. <strong>The</strong> firmhas the experience and knowhowto garner exceptionalresults.Carmichael Lynch Spong hasearned a national reputation asthe champion of best practicesin public relations. With staff inNew York, Minneapolis,Chicago, Denver and SanFrancisco, the firm ignites andsustains momentum for a select,but envied portfolio of bignameclients.Carmichael Lynch Spong isadmired for its creative, awardwinningwork; being the destinationof choice for like-mindedachievement-addicts seekingto produce their career-bestwork; and representing severalof the world’s best-knownbrands.<strong>The</strong> firm provides unmatchedexpertise in two primary practiceareas: brand marketing andcorporate. Carmichael LynchSpong is a three-time recipientof the PR “Agency of the Year”award by the Holmes Reportand PRWeek.<strong>The</strong> October <strong>issue</strong> of O’Dwyer’s willfocus on healthcare PR, and will featurea <strong>com</strong>pany profile section highlighting<strong>com</strong>munications firms that specialize inhealthcare and medical technology.If you would like your firm to be listed,contact Editor Jon Gingerich at 646/843-2080 or jon@odwyerpr.<strong>com</strong>20SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


PROFILES OF BEAUTY & FASHION PR FIRMSCasio Timepieces and Coyne PR wel<strong>com</strong>ed “Tik Tok” singer Ke$ha asthe newest watch designer and “Brand Ambassador” for Casio’s Baby-G watches on the red carpet before her live performance at the Casio“Shock the World” event.COYNE PR14 Walsh DriveParsippany, NJ 07054973/316-16651065 Avenue of the Americas28th FloorNew York, NY 10018212/938-0166www.coynepr.<strong>com</strong>Tom Coyne, CEORich Lukis, PresidentDeborah Sierchio, VicePresident, Beauty & <strong>Fashion</strong>Coyne PR has establisheditself as one of the leading independentfull-service public relationsfirms in the country representingan impressive collectionof international corporations,top national brands, high-profileevents and first-class organizations.No agency possesses abetter <strong>com</strong>bination of unbridledcreativity, limitless enthusiasm,strategic approach, impeccableintegrity and client service thanour nationally recognized firm.Coyne PR’s Beauty & <strong>Fashion</strong>team implements campaigns forclients including Mary KayCosmetics, Solstice SunglassBoutiques and CasioTimepieces. <strong>The</strong> team knowsthat the measure of success isbased on the ability to impeccablygroom the client’s image.From product launches to specialevents to social media campaigns,the Beauty & <strong>Fashion</strong>team thinks bigger and acceleratesbuzz for its clients, alwayskeeping a finger on the pulse ofthis fast-paced industry.FILM FASHIONA Division of Rogers & CowanPacific Design Center8687 Melrose Ave., G684Los Angeles, CA 90069310/854-8195Fax: 310/854-8138carla.blizzard@filmfashion.<strong>com</strong>www.filmfashion.<strong>com</strong>Carla Blizzard, Vice PresidentFilm <strong>Fashion</strong>, an exclusivedivision of Rogers & Cowan,specializes in matching fashionand accessory brands withprominent celebrities to provideheightened brand awareness.This specialty PR firm createscustomized solutions to matchclients and their latest fashionswith the “right” celebrities andtrendsetters that embody theirbrand and promote the desiredimage.<strong>The</strong> firm leverages theseHollywood associations intomedia coverage through the executionof strategic media relationscampaigns targeting keyfashion, lifestyle, and entertainmentpress. Media activities forJennifer Lopez (pictured above) shines on the red carpet in a ZuhairMurad evening gown at the 2010 MET Gala. Film <strong>Fashion</strong> Client:Zuhair Murad. Publication: Life & Style Magazine.their roster of fashion designers,fine jewelers, luxury goods, andspecialty retailers may includedesigner profiles, collectionlaunches, and fashion shows.Film <strong>Fashion</strong>’s unique showroomspace provides an optimal locationto introduce media, stylistsand celebrities to our client’sbrands by housing an edited collectionof samples.Recent projects have includeddressing celebrities for magazinephoto shoots and red carpetappearances, securing editorialplacements and coordinatingproduct placement working withtalent such as Jennifer Lopez,Taylor Swift, Penelope Cruz,Halle Berry, Eva Mendes, Carrie0Continued on page 22SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 21


PROFILES OF BEAUTY & FASHION PR FIRMSHope-Beckham’s client Belk Inc. unveiled the 2010 fall fashions withbold jewelry as a hot item this season. Check out more fashions atwww.belk.<strong>com</strong>.Hunter PR planned and executed the Carefree ® Fresh Start Fund, anintegrated brand platform in partnership with the Step up Women’sNetwork. Pictured here is Kelly Rutherford, a Step up Women’sNetwork supporter, congratulating the top recipients of theCarefree ® Fresh Start Fund at a New York City event with the organization’smembers. Ten women received a total of $25,000 in fundingto make a fresh start.FILM FASHION0Continued from page 21Underwood, Beyoncé and KatyPerry. Clients include A Pea inthe Pod, Catherine Malandrino,Chopard, David Meister,Georges Chakra, Jenny Packham,Pamella Roland, Swarovski,Tadashi Shoji and Zuhair Murad.HOPE-BECKHAMINC.17 Executive Park Dr., Suite 600Atlanta, GA 30329404/604-2613dvanvoorhis@hopebeckham.<strong>com</strong>www.hopebeckham.<strong>com</strong>David C. Van Voorhis, DirectorBusiness Development/ClientRelations<strong>The</strong> latest “must have” dressor beauty product, the openingof a brand new retail location …what do these things have in<strong>com</strong>mon?<strong>The</strong>y lack a voice, a way toeffectively <strong>com</strong>municate withthe consumer in a way that raisesawareness and influencesbuying decisions.Let Hope-Beckham be thevoice that speaks to your audience.Hope-Beckham Inc. excels inpublic relations and experientialmarketing. <strong>The</strong> agency providesa variety of services to its clientson a local, regional and nationallevel. In 2007, 2008 and 2009,Hope-Beckham was named oneof O’Dwyer’s Top IndependentPR Firms in Beauty and<strong>Fashion</strong>.Hope-Beckham servesFortune 500 and smaller <strong>com</strong>paniesand organizations with thesame energy, <strong>com</strong>mitment andsolid results.Why Hope-Beckham?Hope-Beckham is <strong>com</strong>mittedto being the best resource forclients — responding quicker,working faster and smarter andproviding the best possible valuefor its clients.HUNTER PUBLICRELATIONS41 Madison Avenue, 5th FloorNew York, NY 10010-2202212/679-6600agonzalez@hunterpr.<strong>com</strong>www.hunterpr.<strong>com</strong>Grace Leong, Jason Winocour,Jonathan Lyon, Claire Burke,Mark Newman, Donetta Allenand Gigi Russo, PartnersHunter Public Relations is acertified woman owned toprankedmarketing <strong>com</strong>municationfirm specializing in consumerbrands and lifestyle publicrelations. In business for 21years, the 75-person, independentlyowned and operated firmoffers strategic marketing PRservices including creativebrainstorming and facilitation,traditional and social mediarelations, special event production,product introductions,anniversaries, contests, localmarket events, spokespersontours and crisis counseling.Revitalizing mature brands,creating buzz for new productsand building awareness amongkey influencer groups andcelebrities are among the firm’sspecific areas of expertise.Clients have includedJohnson & Johnson, L’Occitane(Melvita U.S. launch), DanaClassic Fragrances, Alberto-Culver, and Church & Dwight.JAYNE &COMPANY, LLC16496 Falmouth DriveCleveland, OH 44136440/846-6022jayne@jayneandco.<strong>com</strong>www.jayneandco.<strong>com</strong>Jayne Morehouse, PresidentAt Jayne & Company, webuild beautiful relationships fornew, growing and establishedbrands, products, services andpersonalities. We share beauty,fashion, wellness, natural andlifestyle brands’ stories directlyand via targeted traditional andsocial media to the audienceswho matter most to you — fromend consumers to your industry,from your distribution partnersto your own <strong>com</strong>munity to create,build and strengthen awareness,leadership positioning,sales and ongoing connections.Our point of difference <strong>com</strong>esfrom a deep and interactiveunderstanding of our clients’businesses, coupled with anindelible passion for the growthof their brands. But most of all,our fun, entertaining and relevant<strong>com</strong>munications processmakes your brand memorable.22SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


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PROFILES OF BEAUTY & FASHION PR FIRMSKaplow has been building brand buzz for the Cosmetic ExecutiveWomen Beauty Awards for 15 years. This year’s star-studded eventhosted beauty authorities, celebrities and influencers includingChairwoman of the CEW Board Jill Scalamandre, Kim Kardashianand Allure Editor-in-Chief Linda Wells.KAPLOW19 West 44th Street, 6th FloorNew York, NY 10036212/221-1713liz@kaplowpr.<strong>com</strong>www.kaplowpr.<strong>com</strong>Liz Kaplow, CEOEvan Jacobs, CFOKaplow is an award-winning,independent public relationsagency with deep expertise inbrand-building, beauty, wellnessand fashion <strong>com</strong>munications.Kaplow exists for a singular reason:to emotionally connect ourclients’ brand stories with consumerswho matter.With unparalleled access tomedia and unsurpassed connectionsto influencers, Kaplowreaches beyond traditional publicrelations to spark conversationsand engage consumers.Through our K:drive division,Kaplow extends brand buzzacross the social media spacewhere consumers live. K:driveexpertise includes viral andsocial media campaigns, brandaudits, blogging and bloggerrelations, video production andmedia training.Liz Kaplow founded the firm19 years ago after an extensivecareer in beauty, fashion, wellnessand lifestyle <strong>com</strong>munications.Quality, individualizationand measurable results are at thecenter of every client program.As a result, the agency maintainslong-standing client relationshipswith its best-in-classclients, including Avon mark,Alberto Culver, CosmeticExecutive Women, CVS / pharmacy,Shiseido, Timex andTarget.LOVING +COMPANY276 Fifth Avenue, Suite 801New York, NY 10001212/213-3504www.lovingand<strong>com</strong>pany.<strong>com</strong>Loving + Company is a fullservicepublic relations firm specializingin building brands thathelp people feel good, look greatand live well. Focusing on consumer-engaging,bottom-linedrivinglifestyle PR, the agencyworks with major personal care,beauty, wellness, home designand fashion brands.<strong>The</strong> agency blends classic PRexpertise with new media knowhowto produce consumer-surroundingbrand experiences.Loving + Company builds clientprograms that change minds,build dialogues, win hearts andmove products. Strategic creativityis a hallmark of the firm.With an eye on pop culture andserious style, agency thinking isadventurous, unexpected andengaging.Specializing in BrandBuilding, Media Relations,Social Media Marketing, EventManagement,CrisisCommunication and Cause-Related Marketing, Loving +Company delivers true life +style marketing.MALONEY & FOX89 Fifth Ave., 4th FloorNew York, NY 10003212/243-2000Direct: 646/356-8383Fax: 212/243-5500info@maloneyfox.<strong>com</strong>jlevinthal@maloneyfox.<strong>com</strong>www.maloneyfox.<strong>com</strong>Julie Levinthal, <strong>Fashion</strong>ConsultantAs a boutique firm that successfullymerges small agencycreativity and attention with bigagency know-how, Maloney &Fox (M&F) continues to seeimpressive growth in its fashionand luxury goods practice.M&F’s savvy and dedicatedteams create freshmarketing/PR strategies andcampaigns to help clients gaininfluence, build and increasebrand awareness and boostsales.M&F’s Voluptuary Marketing— which plays to and ignitesconsumers’ tactile, sensual,emotional and style prerogatives— has been successful, giving atraditionally static craft a powerfulsensory dimension.Furthermore, M&F hasbe<strong>com</strong>e an agency capable of“Master Pairings.” Unitingbrands that share visions, yetdon’t <strong>com</strong>pete with one another,has yielded interesting andfruitful partnerships, promotions,editorial coverage andnew customers. VIP andcelebrity relationships are alsoincorporated by the team inboth subtle and substantialways.Maloney & Fox’s luxurygoods, beauty and fashionexpertise grew out of successfulcampaigns for premier brandsincluding Wonderbra, Peroniand iSaloni Worldwide,footwear leaders Brooks Sportsand Rockport. M&F’s exclusiveroster currently includes the263-year-old signature spiritDrambuie; Mercedes-BenzUSA; Hendrick’s Gin,Glenfiddich and the Balvenie,among other brands fromWilliam Grant & Sons; and <strong>The</strong>Thomas Riley Artisans’ Guild.This past year, the agency alsoaddedTupperware’sBeautiControl line and leadingfootwear manufacturer MasaiBarefoot Technology (MBT).MCENTYRE PUBLICRELATIONS305 Madison Avenue, Suite 1028New York, NY 10165212/856-9777Fax: 212/883-1771info@mcentyrepr.<strong>com</strong>www.mcentyrepublicrelations.<strong>com</strong>While accounts new to theagency include publishing,cleaning products and home furnishings,beauty and fashionremains the cornerstone of businessat McEntyre PublicRelations. All clients benefitfrom the agency’s big ideas —creative and ingenious ways thefirm uses to get clients noticedfast and favorably. Mediaplacement is key here and thefirm, utilizing all media channels,routinely scores nationaltelevision, print and online hits.Working in tandem with clients’brand managers, the <strong>com</strong>panytakes pride in helping to ac<strong>com</strong>plishmarketing and sales goals— whether it is for one of theworld’s largest beauty <strong>com</strong>paniesor a new entrant to thebeauty/fashion marketplace.PIERCE MATTIEPUBLIC RELATIONS62 West 45th Street, 3rd FloorNew York, NY 10036212/243-1431joshua@piercemattie.<strong>com</strong>Pierce Mattie, CEO & FounderPierce Mattie PublicRelations remains the industryleader in <strong>com</strong>munications forbeauty and fashion brands.Headed by a wellness andlifestyle expert Pierce Mattie, itis the only firm that has a spa,known as the Media Oasis, builtinto their corporate office inTimes Square. At Pierce MattiePublic Relations our team isinnovative, client-focused andresults-oriented. Collectivelyour executives are stronger withdiversified back-grounds thatmeet the needs of a broad rangeof clients.Pierce Mattie PR has solidrelationships with the editorialworld of New York and thecelebrity world of Hollywood.Pierce Mattie PR has a proventrack record of collaboratingwith its client partners to deliverconsistently outstanding24SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


PROFILES OF BEAUTY & FASHION PR FIRMSresults.RBB PUBLICRELATIONS355 Alhambra Circle, Suite 800Miami, FL 33134305/448-7450www.rbbpr.<strong>com</strong>Christine Barney, Lisa Ross,Tina ElmowitzMiami-based rbb PublicRelations is a leading PR firmwith a wealth of experienceserving beauty and fashionclients from hair care productsto international accessoriesretail. <strong>The</strong> agency prides itselfon delivering award-winningcampaigns that use smart <strong>com</strong>municationsto persuade, motivateand influence consumerdecisions, and has been recognizedfor best practices in mediarelations, corporate and crisis<strong>com</strong>munications, product introductionsand digital/socialmedia.rbb’s beauty and fashionclient experience includesbrands such as Bijoux Terner, afashion accessories retailer withmore than 550 boutiques in 60countries, and Global Keratin,an international leader in scientificallyadvanced hair careproducts. Three-time winner of“PR Agency of the Year,” rbbgives its Fortune 500 and entrepreneurialclients award-winningcounsel and results, andthe individual attention availableonly through a boutiqueagency. Explore how rbb’semployee-driven workplacedelivers extraordinary clientsatisfaction at www.rbbpr.<strong>com</strong>or call 305-448-7457.ROGERS & COWAN919 Third Ave, 18th FloorNew York, NY 10022212/445-8400Fax: 212/445-8290inquiries@rogersandcowan.<strong>com</strong>www.rogersandcowan.<strong>com</strong>Fran Curtis, Executive VicePresident (New York)Maggie Gallant, Senior VicePresident (New York)Carla Blizzard, Vice President(Los Angeles)Rogers & Cowan, withoffices in New York and LosAngeles, is located in two of thelargest fashion capitals in theworld. We offer extensiveexpertise in the fashion, beautyand luxury categories providingpublicity and marketing campaigns,special event support,celebrity/influencer seeding,promotions and product placement.Our <strong>com</strong>mitment is illustratedin the work we do in promotingmen’s, women’s andchildren’s apparel, eyewear,handbags, shoes, jewelry, timepieces,beauty/skincare products,celebrity brands, designersand fashion-related events.As agency of record forLuxottica Group’s <strong>Fashion</strong>Brand Segment, Rogers &Cowan handles all public relationsfor brands such as Ray-Ban, Vogue Eyewear, ToryBurch, D&G, DKNY, andSunglass Hut. Rogers & Cowanworks on behalf of Luxottica toimplement strategic marketingcampaigns that en<strong>com</strong>pass consumerand fashion PR, productlaunches, celebrity and influentialseeding, and entertainmentevents.Clients have includedSunglass Hut, Ray-Ban,Clinique, Spa Chakra,Innovative Skincare, WrinkleFree Eyes, Pastry, David Babaiifor WildAid, Sponge Skincare,Dylan’s Candy Bar, WhitneyEve, Moody Mamas, ETRO,and Glamour’s Reel Moments.RUDER FINN, INC.310 East 57th StreetNew York, NY 10022212/593-6400Direct: 212/593-6387harrisl@ruderfinn.<strong>com</strong>www.ruderfinn.<strong>com</strong>Louise Harris, President,International, New YorkRuder Finn offers award-winningbrand positioning, mediaexpertise and insider access totraditional press, social mediaand influencers to <strong>com</strong>municatea clear message to consumers.With global capabilities in theU.S, Europe and Asia, RuderFinn’s team of lifestyle expertshelp to develop storylines,shape strategy and delivermeasurable business results forluxury, fashion and beautybrands.Our client roster has includedsuch luxury fashion and beautybrands as Sephora, Hermes, andCartier.One of the earliest internationalagencies strategizing withluxury brands to enter China’s2nd-tier and 3rd-tier cities,Ruder Finn has developed longstandingclient relationshipsthat include Canali, Givenchy,Follie Folli, Hennessy,Forevermark (previously DTC /De Beers) and Bang & Olufsento name a few. As China continuesto enjoy remarkable economicgrowth, wealthy Chineseare catching up with the rest ofthe world and making a globalimpact on luxury and fashionbrands around the world. Chinais now the 3rd biggest luxurygoods consumer, growing at anannual rate of 20%-30%. <strong>The</strong>China Luxury Forecast, a yearlyin-depth annual analysis byRuder Finn Asia, examines andcharts the trends and influencingfactors in the market. Thisunique knowledge has allowedRuder Finn China, with officesin Shanghai, Beijing,Guangzhou and Hong Kong, tooffer even more <strong>com</strong>municationand positioning services in thiskey market.VIDICOM1775 Broadway, Ste. 401New York, NY 10019212/895-8300www.vidi<strong>com</strong>.<strong>com</strong>Christy Ferer, Founder and CEOVidi<strong>com</strong> has been in businessfor 28 years now, and we providethe pool camera feed forboth the New York and Paris<strong>Fashion</strong> Weeks. Christy Ferer,our founder and CEO, is a formerfashion correspondent forthe CBS Early Show and NBC’sTODAY Show and writes a regularcolumn on fashion for theHuffington Post. Her efforts topromote Paris <strong>Fashion</strong> Week,the fashion industry and investmentin France in general,helped lead to her being awardedthe prestigious French Legionof Honor this year at the FrenchEmbassy in New York.Vidi<strong>com</strong>’s coverage of NY<strong>Fashion</strong> week is featured on thePeople.<strong>com</strong> website as well asour NY hotel channel (in over40,000 hotel rooms) and inflighton JetBlue. Throughoutthe year, Vidi<strong>com</strong> produces aregular feature called “Beautyon the Go” which is seen onCityBuzz hotel TV systemsnationwide, on DirecTV, inflightand on cruise lines.<strong>Fashion</strong> and beauty brands thatwork with Vidi<strong>com</strong> includeL’Oreal, Calvin Klein, ChristianDior, Chanel and many others.VI NELSON &ASSOCIATES, INC.1560 N. Sandburg TerraceSuite 3410Chicago, IL 60610312/944-1262kate@vinelson.<strong>com</strong>vi@vinelson.<strong>com</strong>Vi Nelson, PresidentKate Cicela, Vice PresidentVi Nelson & Associates, Inc.,(VNA) specializes in connectingwith and influencing the beauty andspa industry through highly creativeand integrated <strong>com</strong>munications.Among the firm’s proven strengthsare salon/spa industry research,strategic <strong>com</strong>munications, multifacetedmarketing programs, strongmedia relations, educational andpromotional material development,cause and relationship marketing.VNA <strong>com</strong>bines PR and marketingexpertise with a high level of salonindustry understanding.We are the <strong>com</strong>municationsresource for leading associations,events and <strong>com</strong>panies in the beautyindustry, including America’sBeauty Show, AmericanAssociation for Esthetics,ColorAmerica, CosmetologistsChicago, Cosmetólogos Latinos,International Nail TechniciansAssociation (INTA), IndependentCosmetic Manufacturers andDistributors Association (ICMAD),P&G Beauty & Grooming, P&GSalon Professional and Pivot PointInternational, Inc.Through professionalism anddedication, VNA is responsive andflexible in our working relationshipto fit a client’s needs. <strong>The</strong> agency iscelebrating its 20th anniversary in2010.WEBERSHANDWICK919 Third AvenueNew York, NY 10022212/445-8000jmurphy@webershandwick.<strong>com</strong>lsepulveda@webershandwick.<strong>com</strong>www.webershandwick.<strong>com</strong>Lisa Sepulveda, President,Global Consumer MarketingJill Murphy, Chief BusinessDevelopment OfficerWeber Shandwick has extensiveexperience in the beauty andfashion category, with clients0Continued on page 26SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 25


PROFILES OF BEAUTY & FASHION PR FIRMSO’DWYER’S 2010 RANKINGS OFHOME FURNISHINGS PR FIRMS1.Edelman$39,621,5352.New YorkGibbs & Soell3,121,141Risë Birnbaum, Founder & CEO of z<strong>com</strong>m.WEBER SHANDWICK0Continued from page 25ranging from mass-market skinand hair care brands to intimateapparel and outerwear.<strong>The</strong> beauty and fashion groupoffers an experienced team ofexperts who know how to breakthrough the clutter of <strong>com</strong>petitive,fast-paced and dynamic markets.Expertise includes brand building,product launches, event and fashionshow planning, grassroots marketing,social media strategy and execution,branded entertainment andcelebrity and influencer seeding,retailer support, cause marketingand <strong>issue</strong>s management.A keen sense of style, coupledwith strong relationships with beautyand fashion editors — as well ascelebrity stylists, make-up artistsand Hollywood A-listers — enableteam members to produce awardwinningresults for clients. Fromthe beauty and fashion pages tonational morning shows and entertainmentmedia to the Web’s mostinfluential blogs, Weber Shandwickgets client products noticed — bythe right audiences, in the right venuesand at the right time.ZCOMM7830 Old Georgetown RoadSuite 125Bethesda, MD 20814www.zpr.<strong>com</strong>www.twitter.<strong>com</strong>/z<strong>com</strong>municationsRisë Birnbaum, Founder & CEOz<strong>com</strong>m is a Women’s BusinessEnterprise (WBE) national marketingand <strong>com</strong>munications agencywith a focus on beauty and fashionPR, consumer products, food andbeverage, healthcare, and <strong>issue</strong>sand advocacy work.This award-winning, agile-yetmightyshop works for clients onbehalf of large agencies or directlyfor associations, <strong>com</strong>panies andother organizations.Founded by former ABCNetwork Correspondent RisëBirnbaum, z<strong>com</strong>m producesimpactful audio and video contentthat is successfully delivered to targetdemos via radio, TV, internetand out-of-home venues includingairport monitors, fitness club TVs,audio in grocery stores and pharmaciesand screens in bars. z<strong>com</strong>mcreates and executes customizedprograms that <strong>com</strong>bine best practiceswith out-of-the-box radio andInternet promotions and socialmedia to reach multiple touchpoints. Its blend of earned andstrategically-placed media enablesz<strong>com</strong>m to guarantee coverage. Andits mix of veteran news and marketingpros knows how to creativelyand successfully reach the media,bloggers and other niche audiences.Among its many services,z<strong>com</strong>m provides radio media, satellitemedia and IM tours, radio &online news releases, podcasts,PSAs, radio and internet promotions,video production and editing,translation services, social marketingand conference coverage, inEnglish and Spanish to tap into theexploding Hispanic market.In business for 20 years,z<strong>com</strong>m is obsessed with clientservice, innovative services andmetrics, which have generatedlongstanding, loyal clients.z<strong>com</strong>m is keenly aware of clients’needs for quick updates and edits,firm budgets and timetables and3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.New YorkL.C. Williams & Assocs.ChicagoKaplowNew YorkZeno GroupNew YorkHunter PRNew YorkLou Hammond & Assocs.New York<strong>The</strong> Rogers GroupLos AngelesLuckie Strategic PRBirmingham, ALGregory FCA Comms.Ardmore, PA<strong>The</strong> Kotchen GroupHartford, CTRLF Comms.Greensboro, NCIntermark GroupBirmingham, ALRosica Public RelationsParamus, NJJackson SpaldingAtlantaKwittken & Co.New YorkPublic Comms. Inc.Chicago2,916,9751,800,0001,614,0721,497,328955,809548,083503,367280,000257,733211,137170,03972,23932,21023,00022,64026SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


O’DWYER’S 2010 RANKINGS OFBEAUTY & FASHION PR FIRMS1.EdelmanNew York$22,722,0322.KaplowNew York3,073,0003.5W Public RelationsNew York2,011,1104.Pierce Mattie Public RelationsNew York1,298,3305.z<strong>com</strong>mBethesda, MD1,024,1186.Coyne PRParsippany, NJ942,0007.Hunter PRNew York755,0248.Gregory FCA Comms.Ardmore, PA585,0009.Allison & PartnersSan Francisco432,77710.Airfoil PRDetroit376,68011.O'Malley Hansen Comms.Chicago287,00012.Hope-BeckhamAtlanta258,01213.Kwittken & Co.New York232,66414.rbb PRMiami224,48515.TransMedia GroupBoca Raton, FL170,00016.Zeno GroupChicago168,51417.Linhart PRDenver155,07818.RL PR & MarketingLos Angeles145,41119.<strong>The</strong> Kotchen GroupFarmington, CT130,52220.Rosica Public RelationsParamus, NJ114,00521.Seigenthaler PRNashville95,33622.VollmerHouston88,55023.Trevelino/KellerAtlanta52,00024.Boardroom CommunicationsPlantation, FL50,00025.Kohnstamm CommunicationsSt. Paul, MN38,86026.Winning Strategies PRNewark, NJ37,74727.Shelton GroupDallas37,21028.Richmond PRSeattle36,566© Copyright 2010 <strong>The</strong> J.R. O'Dwyer Co.


OPINIONHow to handle ‘exclusives’ByFraserSeitel“<strong>The</strong> United States has discovered nearly $1trillion in untapped mineral deposits inAfghanistan, far beyond any previouslyknown reserves and enough to fundamentallyalter the Afghan economy and perhapsthe Afghan war itself, according to seniorAmerican governmentofficials.”— <strong>The</strong> New York TimesFraser P.Seitel hasbeen a <strong>com</strong>municationsconsultant, author andteacher for 30 years. Heis the author of thePrentice-Hall text, <strong>The</strong>Practice of PublicRelations.“Snooki, Pauly D andMike ‘<strong>The</strong> Situation’Sorrentino havelaunched their ownPSA – <strong>The</strong> “GUI-DO”campaign – to helpsolve the world’sproblems.”— popeater.<strong>com</strong>“Through key intelligencesources inAfghanistan andPakistan, I have justlearned that reclusiveTaliban leader and topOsama bin Laden ally, Mullah Omar hasbeen taken into custody.”— Andrew Breitbart, biggovernment.<strong>com</strong>Reporters live for scoops. <strong>The</strong>y getrewarded by their organizationsand lauded by their colleagues ifthey are the “first on the block to break astory.” In journalism, it has been foreverthus. And today, with non-stop blogs constantlybattling for recognition, the exclusiveis even more coveted.It matters little that the scoop may beexaggerated (<strong>The</strong> New York TimesAfghanistan story) or non-sensical(Popeater Snooki story) or just plain, flatoutwrong (Andrew Breitbart [surprise!!]story).What matters most today is that youand your blog or newspaper or cablenews program or radio talk show werethe first to break the story. Every journalistwants to be first. And they will bargainto secure that distinction.Consequently, for PR people, the exclusiveis an important tool in securing publicityfor one’s client or organization.And your leverage even with the mostinfluential media in society — New YorkTimes, Wall Street Journal, WashingtonPost – increases with the presumedimport of what it is you are pitching.<strong>The</strong> most recent and powerful examplewas the selection by anti-establishment,whistle blower Web site, WikiLeaks, ofthree international publications to publish90,000 pages of federal intelligencereports on the Afghanistan war.WikiLeaks wacky Aussie founderJulian Assange not only leaked the secretreports to the three publications, but literallyforbade them from printing the materialfor two weeks. Assange called theshots, and the powerful newspapers andmagazine obeyed.Such is the potential power to an organizationof favoring a particular reporter orreporters with an exclusive. So thepoint is, exclusives work. But in dispensingthem, public relations professionalsmust be careful. Here are rules toremember.1. Best to offer the exclusive to onlyone outlet.As the word suggests, the best exclusivesare those offered to only one,privileged organization.If you agree, for example, to let theWall Street Journal announce the story,you have given your word that no <strong>com</strong>petitororganization will beat the Journalto the punch. <strong>The</strong> benefit of such anapproach is that you can take the time towork with the reporter to help frame thestory, without worrying about othersinterpreting it differently.In securing the Journal to write thestory, your publicity transforms itself intobona fide news, thus attracting follow upcoverage.2. If awarding more than one exclusive,admit it.Infrequently in the case of really bignews — such as the WikiLeaks leaks —more than one exclusive might becalled for.Most frequently, this would apply toawarding an exclusive to a news dailyand a magazine or blog that covers yourindustry. In no case, should an exclusivebe given to media which <strong>com</strong>petehead-to-head, say like the New YorkTimes and Washington Post.Competition in journalism — whilegreatly diminished in the fallout ofdaily newspapers — nonetheless stillexists. And public relations peopleshould be respectful of it.Most important, if you do plan toaward more than one exclusive, youshould acknowledge as such to all recipients.With the consolidation of theProfessional Developmentmedia and the popularity of Web-baseddailies, the most powerful organizations— like the Times and the Journal —often refuse to carry an exclusive unlessthey are the only outlet allowed to breakthe story.When this happens, a public relationsperson must decide whether to honor thedemand or take the story elsewhere.3. Make the reporter a colleague.Awarding an exclusive allows a publicrelations professional to adopt a role witha journalist, different than the traditional“adversarial” one.On exclusives, a public relationsprofessional be<strong>com</strong>es more a colleaguethan an adversary, working with thereporter to identify newsworthy angles orunderlying significance of the announcementbeing made.This unique relationship increases thepossibility that the eventual story willreflect more closely the goals and intentof the sponsoring organization.4. Time the release to coincide withexclusive.In terms of timing, the public relationsperson should be ac<strong>com</strong>modative to thejournalist.Occasionally, a reporter will need moretime to research the story fully, conductinterviews with key spokespeople, andprepare a <strong>com</strong>prehensive article. In suchcases, the public relations professionalshould adjust the timing of the formalannouncement.Most typically, a formal release on apaid wire would appear coincident withthe story appearing exclusively in thechosen publication. Stated another way,at the moment the story breaks in print oron the web, the organization shouldformally make its announcement.5. Share the wealth.No question that exclusives work. Butthey are also dangerous.Nothing infuriates <strong>com</strong>petitive journalistsmore than knowing they were beatento a story. <strong>The</strong> quickest way to alienate areporter is to give <strong>com</strong>petitors repeatedexclusives.<strong>The</strong> answer is to reward different exclusivesto different news organizations.Reporters are big boys and girls. <strong>The</strong>yunderstand that some organizationsoutrank them in terms of audience andclout. But as long as they are treatedfairly, they will understand.And fairness in terms of exclusivesultimately means sharing the wealth. £28JUNE 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


Financial analysis: A tool for agency growthByRichardGoldsteinFinancial statement analysis is animportant tool in managing youragency. If you monitor the ratios ofyour agency on a regular basis, you willgain insight into how effectively you aremanaging theagency. For example,the balancesheet is more than alisting of assets, liabilitiesand owner’sequity. Buried in thecaptions and numbersis a wealth ofRichard Goldsteinis a partner atBuchbinder Tunick &Company LLP, NewYork, Certified PublicAccountants.information forthose who know thepassword to unlockthe financial information.Ratios are amongthe best known andmost widely used tools of financialanalysis.A ratio expresses the mathematicalrelationship between one quantity andanother. Ratios, however, are just indicatorsto help you better understand youragency and should serve as just one ofthe many tools in your managerial arsenal.Beginning with this column, I willexplain some ratios specific to the PRindustry, including industry benchmarks.At the end of the series, readers shouldhave a listing of all industry specificfinancial ratios, including an explanationof the ratio and action steps to helpimprove their agencies.Solvency ratiosSolvency or short-term liquidity of aPR agency is measured by the degree toconvert assets into cash or to obtain cash.One widely used measure of liquidity isworking capital. <strong>The</strong> concept of workingcapital is simple: the excess of currentassets over current liabilities. It showsthe margin of safety present to cover anypossible reduction of current assets.Expressed as a ratio, it is current assetsdivided by current liabilities. <strong>The</strong> higherthe ratio, the greater the liquidity. A lowor negative ratio indicates a lack of liquidityand a potential problem in meetingmaturing obligations. A ratio of 1:1means the agency has $1.00 in currentassets to cover each $1.00 of current liabilities.Look for a ratio of above 1:1and as close to 2:1 as possible.A second liquidity ratio is the QuickRatio. Its formula is cash plus accountsreceivable divided by current liabilities.This ratio is very similar to the workingcapital ratio and in some cases may beexactly the same. <strong>The</strong> ratio is often usedby creditors to determine the ability ofthe agency to repay loans. Again, a goodratio is 1:1.To improve your ratios consider thefollowing:• Review your billing and collectionpolicies.• Manage rebillables (do not pay vendorsuntil you are paid).• Consider long term debt rather thanshort term debt.• Make sure all professionals recordtheir time and bill timely. Keep overservicing to a minimum!• Add a markup for administrative servicesor have vendors bill clients directly.• Consider leasing instead of purchasingequipment.• Don’t use short term debt to purchaseassets having a useful life over one year.• Negotiate with vendors for your business,both as to price and payment terms.If your clients tend to pay you in 60 or 90days, your vendors should be paid usingthe same terms.• Offer a discount; say 5%, to get paidsooner.Current liabilities to net worthThis ratio contrasts funds that creditorsare temporally risking with funds investedby the agency owners. <strong>The</strong> smaller theratio the more secure the creditors. <strong>The</strong>larger the ratio relative to industrynorms, the less security there is for creditors.<strong>The</strong> industry ratio ranges from 75percent 66 percent for smaller agencies.(<strong>The</strong> ratios indicated reflect medianmeasurers for the PR industry. Medianratios are often used to smooth out distortionswhich would be caused byunusually large firms in the analysispool.)Total liabilities to net worthThis ratio is the most <strong>com</strong>prehensiveratio that measures the relationshipbetween total debt to total net worth. Itexpresses the degree of protection providedthe creditors by the owners. <strong>The</strong> higherthis ratio, the higher the risk to the creditors.A cousin to this ratio is “long-term debtto net worth.” This ratio is better known asthe “debt to equity” ratio. A ratio in excessof 1:1 indicates higher long-term debt participationby creditors as <strong>com</strong>pared to netFinancial Managementworth by agency owners. Another way ofunderstanding this is total liabilities to networth reflects the extent of liabilities usedto finance assets while long-term-debt tonet worth reflects the extent non equitycapital is used to finance assets.<strong>The</strong> approximate industry average fortotal liabilities to net worth for smalleragencies is 66% to 99% industry wide.This seems to indicate the industry isfinanced more by debt than owner’s equity.Fixed assets to net worthThis ratio shows to what extent owner’sequity has been invested in fixed assets.Higher ratio relative to theindustry norm can indicate low workingcapital (current assets minus currentliabilities) or higher debt levels. <strong>The</strong> ratiofor smaller agencies approximates 25 percentand 24 percent for theindustry.To improve your ratios consider the following:1. Consider leasing excess space to otheragencies or <strong>com</strong>panies.2. If you are paying above market foryour office space, consider asking thelandlord to renegotiate. This may bepossible if there is give and take on bothsides; for example, extending the term ofthe lease.3. Consider leasing equipment ratherthan buying.4. Try to sell furniture and equipment nolonger being used. <strong>The</strong>re is a market forused furniture.5. Review the leasehold improvementgeneral ledger account to see if any ofthese items can be reclassified and depreciatedusing shorter lives. <strong>The</strong> increasedtax deduction will reduce taxes andincrease cash flow.6. Consider negotiating extended paymentterms with key suppliers for olderaccounts payable and offer discounts tocustomers for paying sooner. Alsoconsider changing 30 day payment termsto 60 or 90 days.7. Consider outsourcing to other agenciesin house expertise or facilities. Forexample, if you have an in house graphicdesigner, consider offering this service toother <strong>com</strong>panies who may otherwise use amore expensive alternative.8. Consider refinancing long-term debt.Bankers may just <strong>com</strong>pete for your business.Next month efficiency ratios will bediscussed. £SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 29


OPINION‘Abundance of caution’ in crisis PRByTonyJaquesWhen organizations are facing acrisis or a serious <strong>issue</strong>, thisis exactly the time for accurate,unambiguous language, not meaninglesscorporate messaging.But recent overuseof the foolishphrase “an abundanceof caution” seems tobe nothing more thana smokescreen toobscure clear<strong>com</strong>munication.McDonald’s inJune recalled 13Tony Jaques ismanaging director ofthe Melbourne-basedIssue Out<strong>com</strong>es P/Lwhich specializes in<strong>issue</strong>/crisis managementand risk <strong>com</strong>munication.million Shrekthemedsouvenirglasses after the discoveryof toxic cadmiumin paint usedto decorate theglasses. <strong>The</strong> level ofcadmium was withinall federal andstate legal safety limits, but McDonald’sannounced the voluntary recall was done“in an abundance of caution.”Given that most authorities agreedthere was no real risk to users, the phrasejust might have been acceptable in thiscase. But that argument would be hard tosustain two weeks later when Campbell’sSoup announced it would recall nearly15 million pounds of canned spaghettiand meatballs because of “possibleMedia BriefsNEWS CORP. HALVES EXEC. PAYNews Corporation has cut the salary of ChaseCarey in half to $4M and increased the amount ofbonus <strong>com</strong>p tied to performance available to thepresident/deputy chairman of the media <strong>com</strong>bine.Under the revamped bonus scheme, two-thirdsof executive bonuses are to be based on the <strong>com</strong>pany’sfinancial and operating performance. Bonustargets were formerly budgeted.Carey has the opportunity to haul in a maximum$20M in bonus <strong>com</strong>p for fiscal `11, according toNews Corp.’s 8-K filed Aug. 2 with the Securitiesand Exchange Commission.In the event that Carey is terminated prior toJune 30 `11, he will receive a lump sum paymentof $21.2M. Carey returned to News Corp in June2009 to succeed Peter Chernin. He had been runningDirectTV.News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch is eligible toreceive a maximum bonus of $25M. His son,James, eyes a potential $12M windfall. <strong>The</strong>younger Murdoch heads European and Asian operations.under-processing” (which presumablymeans it wasn’t cooked properly).Even though the U.S. AgricultureDepartment said it had not yet receivedany reports of illnesses from consumptionof the products, Campbell’sannounced a voluntary recall “in anabundance of caution.” But did they reallyhave any choice? And even if they did,why not state the facts openly. Maybe:“We don’t believe there is any real riskfrom this product, but we believe this isthe right decision to remove any possibledoubt for our customers. Public safety isour highest priority.” Wouldn’t that bepreferable?Shortly afterwards, the phrase wasshorn of any last vestiges of meaningafter maggots were found in the overheadlocker of a U.S Airways aircraft inNorth Carolina. Airline spokesmanTodd Lehmacher told a highly startledpublic the overhead bin was cleaned,and the aircraft was later taken out ofservice and fumigated out of “an abundanceof caution.”With respect, Mr Lehmacher, no itwasn’t. It was fumigated to remove theslightest doubt about the cleanliness ofthe aircraft in order to protect the brandand your passengers. Why not say so?We are intelligent human beings. WePSB invests in online news siteGuest Columnwould understand. Did some smartlawyer tell you it was a clever phrase?It is not quite clear who started usingand mis-using this phrase, though itappears to have gained momentum duringthe so-called War on Terror, whenAmerican government officials startedusing it to justify measures such asx-raying shoes at airports.But it gained the highest endorsementin January 2009 when White House seniorcounsel Greg Craig explained thatthe newly-inaugurated President Obamawould retake his oath of office in “anabundance of caution.” Perhaps it was a<strong>com</strong>plicated way of explaining howsomeone in a very senior positionappeared to have made a simple mistake.However, that all changed at the end of2009 when Unilever tried to blame “anabundance of caution” for recallingpotentially contaminated Slimfast products.Use of the term then began tospread faster than a food-poisoningscare.No-one would question for a momentthe need for caution, especially whendealing with public health and safety.But <strong>com</strong>municators and public relationsprofessionals need to focus on clear andunambiguous <strong>com</strong>munication and dumpthis abundance of caution. £Minneapolis-based PadillaSpeer Beardsley and <strong>The</strong>Dolan Co. are investing$1M in BringMe<strong>The</strong>News.<strong>com</strong>,which was founded by former newsanchor Rick Kupchella.PSB CEO Lynn Casey and JimDolan will join BMTN’s board ofdirectors. <strong>The</strong> PR firm’s involvementin the venture is to get an “insiders’view into new and emerging ways todeliver news content to consumers,”according to the release announcinghe investment.Casey says the BMTN model“showcases reporting from respectedsources, credits and links the readerback to those sources and relies onsponsored content instead of traditionaladvertising to generate revenues.”BMTN “fits within Padilla’s missionof helping organizations <strong>com</strong>municatewith the people who are importantto their success.”BMTN has a dozen staffers whogather local news and distribute it viaonline and social media sites. It producesradio broadcasts that are airedon Clear Channel stations inMinneapolis/St. Paul, St. Cloud,Brainerd, Marchall and Warroad.Kupchella spent 20 years as investigativereporter and anchor atKARE-11 in the Twin Cities.Dolan was executive VP of theJordan Group, a New York investmentbanker focused on the media.He also held positions at KummerfeldAssocs, mergers and acquisitions, andbegan his career as a reporter. £30SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


‘Mad Men,’ new book focus on industry sexismByJackO’DwyerAcentral theme of “Mad Men,” theAMC series about MadisonAvenue ad execs in the 1960s, isthe degrading treatmentof women byword, deed and paythat went on in theindustry.<strong>The</strong> Aug. 1 showincluded themes thatsecretaries wereconsidered fairgame for ad execs,Jack O’Dw yersometimes paidaround $100 fortheir sexual favors and forced to run personalerrands such as buying Christmaspresents for execs.’ families.<strong>The</strong> show has been getting plenty of inklately, including two pages in the July 25New York Post and the top story in theAug. 1 Styles section of the New YorkTimes, written by author Katie Roiphe.Roiphe said the nation is “again transfixed”by a show that is a “phenomenalsuccess.” She is the daughter of feministAnne Roiphe and author of “<strong>The</strong>Morning After: Fear, Sex and Feminism.”She teaches in the journalism departmentof New York University.Roiphe, although noted for writing onfeminist topics, did not discuss themmuch in her Aug. 1 piece.She should read the chapter about theplight of women at JWT written by itsfirst female Creative Director, AnneWallach, who appears in “Women of TrueGrit,” a <strong>com</strong>pilation of 40 essays bywomen telling of their struggles forequality with male employees.Women were “making $40 to the man’s$80,” Wallach writes. <strong>The</strong>y were treatedlike a “different species” who would have“the vapors” at a certain time in themonth and required their own floor wherea nurse tucked them under a blanket fornaps that lasted an hour or two.No “girl” ever started higher than asecretary and those who advanced tocopywriter or art director then donnedhats to “distinguish ourselves from thesecretaries and maids who broughtlunches on trays to us.”Ad side stayed out of battleWe couldn’t help thinking what a greatwitness Wallach would have been for BettyLehan Harragan, PR pro at JWT whohauled the agency before the New YorkState Division of Human Rights in 1971 oncharges of discrimination against women.Harragan, waging the battle on herown, obtained records showing that in1971 JWT males averaged $20,458 inpay while women got $13,979.She felt she had a good case and so didthe state Human Rights Division which inAug. 1971 found “probable cause” tobelieve her charges. <strong>The</strong> battle raged forthree years and resulted in 2,100 pages oftestimony and documents.She testified she was given no morework after she filed her <strong>com</strong>plaint on July12, 1971. She was fired in February 1972.Commissioner Jack Sable ruled againsther in July 1974, saying he believedJWT’s contention that she filed the suit todelay her expected firing (after eightyears with JWT).Harragan called that a “flat lie” and alsodisputed many of the 47 “findings offact” in the case. She had been called “asuperior writer and planner” in an evaluationin 1969 by PR Dept. head WallaceClayton and went on to write in 1977“Games Mother Never Taught You:Corporate Gamesmanship for Women,”which was made into a TV film starringLoretta Swit and Sam Waterston. It wasbroadcast by CBS in 1982.Oddly, the New York Times obit forHarragan, who died in 1998, did not mentionthe epic battle she waged.This reporter covered the public hearingsin detail but there was no coverageby the NYT. Ad columnist PhilDougherty told us he “didn’t have time tocover hearings.”Coverage by other press was light(Advertising Age reporter Don Grant andan AP reporter were present for one dayeach). Only one or two people were in theaudience.Harragan used division lawyerHarragan was represented by Divisionlawyer Sam Singer while JWT had athree-member team from the law firm ofBreed, Abbott & Morgan led by StephenLang.<strong>The</strong> team brought in witnesses from theJWT staff and executives of the NationalAssociation of Home Builders, theaccount on which she worked.Frances Smith, retired PR accountsupervisor, along with Joseph Honick andMichael Lenzi of the NAHB calledHarragan “uncooperative … critical ofassociates and JWT … prone to “longrambling conversations that didn’t get tothe point” … “radiated the idea that shehad all the answers to everything” and hadtrouble “working as part of a team.”Singer tried to bring up reported sex discriminationpractices on the ad side butthis was rejected by Sable.Singer had obtained a statement fromJWT executive VP John Devine but Sablewould not let him read it. “I will subpoenaDevine as a witness,” said Singer. Langrose to say, “And I will go to the SupremeCourt tomorrow and get it quashed.”Wallach ‘worked within the rules’Wallach was aware of discriminationagainst women and the treatment of themin a patronizing way (men would say“good morning” to each other but <strong>com</strong>plimentWallach with phrases such as“don’t you look pretty this morning.”).But she says she “worked within the rulesbecause I couldn’t work without them.”She writes: “<strong>The</strong>re was no machineryfor <strong>com</strong>plaining and you got into a multitudeof trouble if you did. <strong>The</strong> prevailingattitude was ‘women were lucky to havea job in this wonderful place. Don’t makewaves. Nice women don’t make waves.’’’She tells of her long battle to be a VP (“theworst thing that ever happened to me”).She was the only woman among 16copy group heads and felt she had thesame duties of travel, handling billingand working with big clients. “It took mean amazingly long time to get the title andI knew they would never do anything forme again,” she writes.Wallach worked on a pro bono NationalOrganization of Women account in the1970s, although she did not get alongwell with its executive <strong>com</strong>mittee (“fiveladies with big hats, big handbags andstern expressions” who included “two ofthe most vicious people I have evermet…who did their very best to undermineme like mad”).She and copywriter Shirley Kalundarejected their initial ideas but NOW andWallach’s team eventually produced adsthat “caused a lot of talk and wound up inthe Schlesinger Library’s collection ofwomen’s history.”Wallach said women are still paid only80% of what men make for the samework. £SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 31


WASHINGTON REPORTOgilvy to revamp Capitol siteOgilvy PR Worldwide won a <strong>com</strong>petitive process for amid-six-figure pact to revamp the web presence of theArchitect of the Capitol, the caretaker for the U.S.Capitol <strong>com</strong>plex, from the eponymous building andCongressional offices to the U.S. Botanic Garden.Ogilvy picked up the $476K award — to stretch to October2011 with the Office of Congressional and External Relations —to guide the overhaul of AOC.gov following an RFP processstarted in April.Ellen Birek, Manager of External Relations for Ogilvy inD.C., confirmed that the WPP-owned agency has been awardedthe assignment but declined further <strong>com</strong>ment until the contractis signed.<strong>The</strong> AOC has overseen the Capitol <strong>com</strong>plex for more than 200years and wanted its history leveraged in the re-design.<strong>The</strong> website gets more than 3M visitors a year and is workingon developing panaromic images, videos and 3-D models to addto the AOC’s online presence. £AOC.govSiemens taps Obama aideCamille Johnston, Director of Communications forMichelle Obama, stepped down for the VP/corporateaffairs slot at Siemens Corp. as theU.S. subsidiary of the German electronicsgiant moves its base of operations fromNew York to D.C.Johnston, who is also a Special Assistantto President Obama, is the former SeniorVP of Communications for the Los AngelesDodgers and VP of corporate <strong>com</strong>municationsfor Rodale.She took up the Siemens post onSept. 7.She was Communications Director forTipper Gore during and after the 2000Camille Johnstonpresidential campaign after working on the two successfulClinton-Gore presidential bids. She later held similar posts forLabor Secretary Robert Reich and Education Secretary RichardRiley.Eric Spiegel, Siemens’ CEO, said in a statement that the <strong>com</strong>pany’stechnologies “can move the national agenda forward” innoting the move to D.C. and the hire of Johnston “to help usposition Siemens more broadly in this country.” £Salahis allegedly stiff B-W-FBrotman-Winter-Fried Communications says Tareq andMichaele Salahi, the couple that burst upon the U.S.scene when they allegedly gate-crashed a White Housedinner last year, owe the firm $15,000.<strong>The</strong> Falls Church, Va.-based firm says the Salahis hired it topromote their America’s Polo Cup, a D.C. event that matches aU.S. team with an international partner each year. Americasquares off against Costa Rica in ’11 and sponsorships abound.B-W-F president Steve Winter claims the Salahis “skipped outon the tab.” An affidavit for “debtors’ interrogatory” was servedAug. 5 at the unsanctioned premiere party for “Real Housewivesof D.C.” Michaele is a member of Housewives cast.Winter told Us Weekly the affidavit “means they have toappear in court to discuss their financial means — how they arecapable of paying off the debt.” £DI adds Shell, Hill vetsRodney Ferguson, who founded Lipman Hearne’s publicaffairs practice in Washington, moved to Brunswick Groupin the capital as a Partner. Ferguson will focus on publicaffairs <strong>issue</strong>s and <strong>com</strong>munications strategy, Brunswick said.At LH, where he left as a Managing Director and Principal, hecounseled <strong>The</strong> Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute,U.S. Dept. of Education and RAND, among others. He also advisedthe American Council on Education on crisis <strong>com</strong>munications.He shifted into the PR sector after three years in journalism ledto a management consulting role at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Asa scribe, he wrote for the Wall Street Journal and ClevelandPlain Dealer out of D.C. DI and B-M are part of WPP. £Pentagon orders ‘eyes off'WikiLeaks<strong>The</strong> Pentagon ordered soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmennot to access the WikiLeaks website that containsthe 77,000 documents that were leaked to the New YorkTimes, <strong>The</strong> Guardian and Der Spiegel.An e-mail message from the Navy’s Judge Advocate GeneralCorps warned sailors not to “access the WikiLeaks website toview or download the publicized classified information.” £32SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM


Euro no longer engaged with Jean campaignEuro RSCG Worldwide PR, which helped announce singerWyclef Jean's presidential bid earlier this month and hasworked with his charity, said it remains close to the singer butis not actively engaged on the account.“Right now there is no formal campaign,” Marian Salzman,President of the firm, told O'Dwyer’s, noting she last spoke withJean several times on August 17. “Stay tuned.”Jean, the three-time Grammy Award winner who also serves asambassador-at-large for Haiti, is waiting to hear whether he is eligibleto run for the presidency of the earthquake-ravaged country.He would run against his uncle, Raymond Joseph.Jean recently stepped down as chairman of Yele Haiti, the nonprofitgroup that he founded in 2005 to improve living conditionsin Haiti. Jean and Yele have <strong>com</strong>e under scrutiny for their work inOMC takes new overseas roleOmni<strong>com</strong> has created a new corporate <strong>com</strong>municationsposition for Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East asthe advertising and PR conglomerate eeks to bolster itsprofile and eyes those regions for growth.<strong>The</strong> <strong>com</strong>pany has tapped Clara So, Director and head ofCorporate Comms., Asia-Pacific, for Lufthansa for the newdirector-level position. She started Aug. 2 and is based inSingapore.So was with Lufthansa for 15 years after working on theagency side at <strong>The</strong> PR Company Ltd. in Hong Kong.OMC does not break out revenue by country but lumps theAPIMA regions into an “other” category separate from its U.S.,European and U.K. revenue. For the second quarter, revenue forthose areas was $555.4M, representing the largest increase inorganic growth for the quarter by region at OMC at 8.4%. £International PR Newsthe aftermath of January's earthquakethat left 300K dead.Yele Haiti has raised more than $9Min emergency funds to help Haiti recoverfrom the earthquake.<strong>The</strong> New York Times on August 17 andLondon's Guardian reported that the firmannounced that it had resigned withoutexplanation from all PR work for thecharity, Yéle Haiti, and Jean's campaign.Euro had been hired during the Haitian Wyclef Jeanearthquake crisis to manage brand <strong>com</strong>munications for Yele Haiti.<strong>The</strong> firm blogged in March: “We knew we were doing somethingright when someone asked us if he was planning on running forpresident of Haiti in the near future.” £Weber pitches CanadaWeber Shandwick is gearing up a media campaign to bolsterCanadian tourism as the federal governmentrevamps the Canadian Tourism Commission followinga drop-off in visitors.CTC’s Global Tourism Watch released last month shows Chinaas the sole targeted market to send more people to Canada last year.Tourism from the U.S. was down nine percent in 2009.<strong>The</strong> CTC has used up its $26M “special funding” for theVancouver Olympics staged earlier this year, and Ottawa hasdecided to pare $6M from CTC’s budget to around $70M nextyear, according to a July 17 report in <strong>The</strong> Globe and Mail. That cutwill reduce CTC’s headcount by 25 percent.As CTC scales back consumer advertising and trade developmentactivities in the U.S., Weber Shandwick is to use PR to promoteCanada’s brand and increase the desire to visit there. £FARA News¸ NEW FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT FILINGSBelow is a list of select <strong>com</strong>panies that have registered with the U.S. Department of Justice, FARA Registration Unit,Washington, D.C., in order to <strong>com</strong>ply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, regarding their consulting and <strong>com</strong>municationswork on behalf of foreign principals, including governments, political parties, organizations, and individuals.Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, Washington, D.C., registered August 2, 2010 for Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Washington,D.C., regarding providing counsel and outreach related to the Korean-US Free Trade Agreement.Brown Lloyd James, New York, N.Y., registered August 3, 2010 for China-United States Exchange Foundation, Hong Kong, regardingorganizing person-to-person exchanges and disseminating information to better increase understanding between the nations.Gephardt Group Government Affairs, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered August 3, 2010 for Government of El Salvador, San Salvador, ElSalvador, regarding providing lobbying and government relations services.G NEW LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT FILINGSBelow is a list of select <strong>com</strong>panies that have registered with the Secretary of the Senate, Office of Public Records, and the Clerk of theHouse of Representatives, Legislative Resource Center, Washington, D.C., in order to <strong>com</strong>ply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.For a <strong>com</strong>plete list of filings, visit http://sopr.senate.gov.Baker & Hostetler LLP, Washington, D.C., registered August 2, 2010 for Thomson Reuters, New York, N.Y., regarding legislative and regulatory<strong>issue</strong>s affecting the interests of Thomason Reuters, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.C2 Group, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered August 3, 2010 for JCPenney, Plano, Texas, regarding <strong>issue</strong>s relating to and affecting retaildepartment stores.Patton Boggs LLP, Washington, D.C., registered August 16, 2010 for Publix Super Markets, Inc., Lakeland, Fla., regarding healthcarereform and private health insurance <strong>issue</strong>s.Russell & Barron, Inc., Arlington, Va., registered August 3, 2010 for Land O’Lakes, Inc., St. Paul, Minn., regarding <strong>issue</strong>s related to federalregulation of biotechnology.SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 33


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She votes with her thumbs,and her social network follows her lead.Where does she stand on your <strong>issue</strong>s?We can get you there.be there.www.fleishman.<strong>com</strong>

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