Why would a college football team need a PR firm to make the championship? November 9, 2009
Posted by itneditor in Uncategorized.Tags: public relations, Boise State, Western Athletic Conference, Idaho, Bowl Championship Series, Utah, ESPN, Peyron & Associates, Gene Bleymaier
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Word on the street is that the Western Athletic Conference has hired a PR firm from Idaho to help make a public case for Boise State University making the college football Bowl Championship Series. Due to the complicated rules of the BCS, Boise State went undefeated last year but still lost its spot to another competitor, Utah. According to ESPN, the team finds itself in a similar position this year and is relying on Scott Peyron & Associates to communicate with the national media to raise awareness about a program that has been stellar for at least the last four years.
This move actually comes around the same time that Boise State’s athletic director has gone public claiming that he will send his school’s football team to any competitive school for an away game next year, but that his requests have been repeatedly rejected. The AD, Gene Bleymaier, has suggested that the reluctance of other schools to play his team makes it impossible for Boise State to get the respect it deserves.
For more on Boise State’s problem, see the following video:
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do present BCS rules make it so difficult for Boise State to make a championship game?
2. Is the hiring of a PR firm by Boise State and the WAC, in order to improve the school’s chances of making the BCS, unethical?
3. What should Boise State’s PR campaign entail if it really wants to persuade coaches to revamp the BCS system?
Insurance industry’s report on health care reform backfires October 31, 2009
Posted by itneditor in Uncategorized.Tags: Congress, debate, health care, insurance industry, public relations, tea party, town hall debates, Washington Post
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With the rise of the modern tea party movement and fiery town hall debates that proved embarrassing for Democrats, the public option in the health care reform debate seemed increasingly unlikely to ever be debated by members of Congress. However, as Dan Balz of The Washington Post recently argued, the public option has made a return recently after a controversial report was released by the insurance industry in mid-October. The industry’s study claimed that plans for a public option would increase insurance premiums for the typical family by thousands of dollars. However, Democrats panned the study as significantly flawed, a hatchet job, and an effort to hijack the public debate on the healthcare crisis.
For more on this recent story, see the following videos:
Discussion Questions:
1. Why was the insurance industry’s report on the problems with the public option received so poorly by the public. In other words, why was the industry’s major PR move so ineffective?
2. How should the insurance industry, which is now being demonized because of the unpopular report, respond to attacks against its image?
3. What does the failure of the industry’s report say about the importance of timing in public relations?
Playboy turns heads with Marge Simpson cover October 31, 2009
Posted by itneditor in Uncategorized.Tags: 7-eleven, Advertising, Ethics, Hugh Hefner, magazines, Marge Simpson, media, NPR morality, Playboy, porn, pornography, Sex, The Simpsons
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Over the last three years, according to NPR, Playboy magazine has seen its circulation drop from 3.15 million to 2.6 million. With a median reader age of 35, the company has been seeking ways of appealing to a wider audience. Thus, it is no surprise that the magazine featured Marge Simpson, of the popular cartoon series, on the cover of its November issue.
Playboy’s effort to turn heads, however, has produced some backlash. Some say that the cover represents “the mainstreaming of porn and the sickening corporate symbiosis” while other critics have been more direct in simply claiming that Playboy is targeting children. So popular is this last belief that many conservatives are now boycotting 7-Eleven, which has vowed to carry the issue.
Discussion Questions:
1. Playboy is obviously trying to create a buzz with its cover. Need the company really fear of a backlash? When is controversy good for business?
2. What is Playboy’s target audience with the Marge Simpson cover? How do you know?
3. Is Playboy’s Marge Simpson cover unethical? In other words, if Camel cigarettes cannot advertise a cartoon camel, why is it okay for a pornographic magazine to use cartoons?
Maine referendum question on same-sex marriage is a PR war October 22, 2009
Posted by itneditor in Uncategorized.Tags: California, Christianity, equality, gay marriage, Huffington Post, Law, Maine, Paul Hogarth, Proposition 8, referendum, same sex marriage
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Following the outcome of Proposition 8 in California which in 2008 made it impossible for same-sex couples to be married in the western state, the same legislative battle is being fought in Maine. Maine’s first question for voters on the November ballot, concerning a referendum question to ban gay marriage, appears to be dividing the state’s citizens almost evenly. However, new poll numbers indicate that those against the measure, or those in favor of same-sex marriage, have the slight edge.
As Paul Hogarth wrote for The Huffington Post recently, the outcome of the recent electoral war may be decided on which side’s PR machine is more effective; and so far, Hogarth noted, those in favor of same-sex marriage seem to be capturing the flag. The “No on 1″ side, having learned from the loss in the Proposition 8 debate, appears to be directing its arguments more toward the religious and “family values” oriented communities.
For an example of a recent “No on 1″ ad directed toward Maine’s Christian community see the following video:
Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think explains why voters in California voted in favor of Proposition 8 in 2008? In other words, what were some people’s fears about same-sex marriage?
2. How have activists in favor of same-sex marriage tried to better address these fears in Maine?
3. Is this model one that can work just as effectively in other states?
New Jersey and Beyond: Is a candidate’s weight fair game in political attack ads? October 22, 2009
Posted by itneditor in Uncategorized.Tags: Advertising, Attack ads, Christopher Christie, fat, Jon Corzine, New Jersey, obesity, overweight, Politics, public relations, weight
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A television ad for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has received a lot of attention for how it portrays his overweight opponent. The narrator for the much discussed ad implies that Christopher Christie “threw his weight around” to avoid getting traffic tickets. The ad is just one of many by Corzine’s camp focusing on Christie’s double chins and heft. While Corzine has been displaying his athleticism in recent weeks, the weight of his opponent seems to be sticking in the minds of voters: in one survey conducted by Monmouth University “fat” was one of th most frequent responses when those polled were asked to think of a descriptive word for Christie. According to a new Public Policy Polling survey, however, few of those polled consider Christie’s weight to factor into their decision on election day.
After years of refusing to discuss his weight, Christie is now discussing his struggle with obesity in media interviews. His recent move to target Corzine’s ethics raises some interesting questions about ad hominem attacks on the campaign trail.
For more on this issue, see the following videos:
Discussion Questions:
1. Is targeting a candidate’s weight in political attack ads ethical? Why might a candidate’s weight be useful information as voters head to the polls?
2. What is the risk that Corzine runs by pointing out Christie’s obesity?
3. Has Christie’s response been effective? If you were working on his staff, how might you suggest he address the attack?
4. When is a personal attack too personal in politics?
Not Cool: Ralph Lauren encounters backlash for photoshopped pics of model October 22, 2009
Posted by itneditor in Uncategorized.Tags: Advertising, boingboing.net, eating disorders, Filippa Hamiliton, Law, media, modeling, Photoshop, Rachel Maddow, Ralph Lauren
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At the end of September 2009, popular blog site boingboing.net posted a photograph from a Ralph Lauren advertisement showing a ridiculously photoshopped model, Filippa Hamilton. Hamilton, who is normally very skinny, appeared so emaciated in the photograph that her waist was smaller than her head. Boingboing.net faced threats of major legal action by Ralph Lauren, but the clothing company eventually apologized for its artwork. Nevertheless, the image eventually rekindled a debate within the media about the ethics of photoshopping, with many interested in passing legislation to ban such practices. Whether or not such legislation is ever passed, it is clear that several watchdogs are now looking for other infractions to share with a news media that is finally reporting on these kinds of stories regularly.
For more on this story, see the following segment from The Rachel Maddow Show:
Discussion Questions:
1. What is the social harm of so many photographs in advertisements being severely photoshopped?
2. Why do companies dealing with fashion, despite the prevailing negative opinions about emaciated models, continue associating their products with extremely skinny women?
3. If public outrage concerning these incidents is becoming more widespread, how should these companies react? Was Ralph Lauren’s apology effective in handling the crisis?
A different kind of marketing for horror film “Paranormal Activity” October 5, 2009
Posted by itneditor in Uncategorized.Tags: Advertising, Dreamworks, film, Los Angeles Times, marketing, Movies, Paranormal Activity, Steven Spielberg, The Blair Witch Project
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A new horror film much like The Blair Witch Project is hitting theaters this month, and is depending on a marketing model very different than that of the traditional Hollywood blockbuster. Paranormal Activity, about a married couple who set up cameras in their house to catch suspected poltergeist activity on film, hits only a handful of theaters at first, but is directing viewers – and internet users – to a website to encourage studio bigwigs to give it wider release. The film, according to The Los Angeles Times, was made for just $15,000, and received strong praise from Dreamworks exec Steven Spielberg. With no big stars acting in the film, the studio is said to be relying almost entirely on the word of mouth to market the movie that is supposedly amazing in theaters, but a little disappointing on home television screens.
To see the movie trailer – which itself is getting praised by those in the advertising industry – watch the following video:
Discussion Questions:
1. Why would a movie studio rely almost entirely on word of mouth to market a film, even if they had money to invest in an advertising campaign?
2. Why would promoters for Paranormal Activity choose major college towns for its limited release?
3. How does the movie trailer for Paranormal Activity function persuasively? In other words, what is so strategic about showing an audience from a movie screening in the trailer?
David Letterman drops bombshell announcement about sex scandal October 4, 2009
Posted by itneditor in Uncategorized.Tags: Apology, blackmail, CBS, Crisis Management, David Letterman, public relations, Sex, sex scandal
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On his show airing on October 1, 2009, late night comedian David Letterman, who was the target of a blackmail scheme, came clean about having sex with some of his female staff members. The accused blackmailer threatened to share with the public the intimate details of the darker half of Letterman’s life unless the comedian paid $2 million. Ultimately, Letterman reported the scheme to his lawyer, and the blackmailer was arrested on criminal charges.
Public reaction to the scandal has been mixed so far. Some of Letterman’s viewers saw the scandal as a personal matter and forgave him immediately; others, though, were disgusted by the news. Nevertheless, Letterman’s sponsors have yet to pull their financial support for the show.
To see the apology yourself, and an analysis of Letterman’s choice to come clean, watch the following video:
Discussion Questions:
1. Why did Letterman come clean on his own show although the media had not yet reported anything about the scandal? In other words, what was Letterman’s strategy?
2. What were some of the risks of Letterman’s public apology? What were some of the risks that he faced if he tried to stay quiet?
3. Will this scandal blow over for David Letterman? Why, or why not?
