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Communications & new media Dec. 2013 I Vol. 27 No. 12

SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT SPECIAL

SUPER BOWL XLVIII: A GAME-CHANGER FOR BRANDS

WHY ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS SHOULD OWN CONTENT, NOT RENT IT

HOW FOOTBALL FUMBLED ITS PR STRATEGY IN 2013

NEW BOOK TACKLES NFL’S CODE OF SILENCE

BASEBALL’S PR WITCH HUNT

RANKINGS OF TOP SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT PR FIRMS December 2013 | www.odwyerpr.com AND MORE! Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:40 PM Page 2 Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 3 Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 4

Vol. 27, No. 12 December 2013

EDITORIAL PR CEO WANTS GRADS WITH Council of PR firms needs a new SKILLS, PASSION name. W2O Group CEO Jim Weiss spoke to 6 16 students at San Jose State University regarding what his company looks for BERNSTEIN KNOCKS MEDIA’S in new hires. OBSESSION WITH SCANDAL 10 Carl Bernstein of Washington Post 8 YOUR COMPANY’S BEEN fame speaks to students at Stony Brook HACKED. NOW WHAT? University. Why it’s important to have a crisis 17 communications plan in place before a E-CIGARETTE GROUP TAKES hacking occurs. UP PR HOW FOOTBALL FUMBLED ITS As nicotine vapor devices explode in PR STRATEGY popularity, a trade association representing9 the e-cig industry ramps up PR efforts. From a communications standpoint, 18 the game of football has had a lousy year. 2014 SUPER BOWL COULD BE BRAND GAME-CHANGER PRSA CEO MURRAY GETS $61K BONUS 13 Why the 2014 Super Bowl will www.odwyerpr.comDaily, up-to-the-minute PR news present many variables — both10 known 19 PR Society of America CEO William and unknown — for marketers. Murray received a 12% boost to his pay in 2012.

BRANDS SHOULD OWN PROFILES OF ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT, NOT RENT IT & SPORTS PR FIRMS Brands are flocking to embrace an intellectual property model, where11 their 20 attributes and emotions can resonate RANKINGS OF ENTERTAINMENT with consumers. 27 & SPORTS PR FIRMS 2014 WILL BE THE YEAR OF RELEVANT CONTENT WASHINGTON REPORT How content strategies for rele- vant brands tend to differ from12 those 32 belonging to forgettable brands. COLUMNS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALLING FOUL: BASEBALL’S Fraser Seitel EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2014 PR WITCH HUNT 28 January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s Guide Why baseball's legal and PR GUEST COLUMN February: Environmental & P.A. assault on Alex Rodriguez is misplaced13 and Kevin Foley March: Food & Beverage hypocritical in nature. 29 April: Broadcast & Social Media PEOPLE IN PR May: PR Firm Rankings June: Global & Multicultural PEARSON’S ED BUSINESS 30 July: Travel & Tourism COMES UNDER FIRE BOOK REVIEW August: Financial/I.R. Controversy has hit the Bill and 14 31 Kevin McVicker September: Beauty & Fashion Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as PR BUYER’S GUIDE October: Healthcare & Medical U.K.-based multinational publishing and November: High-Tech education company Pearson. 34 December: Entertainment & Sports

ADVERTISERS

Brodeur Partners…...... …BACK COVER Ruder Finn...... …..3 French|West|Vaughan...... 9 Shoot Publicity Wire………...... 17 Live Star………………………...... 8 Sitrick and Company……...... …7 Log-On...... 23 Strauss Media Strategies………...... 18 Omega World Travel……...... ….25 Taylor...... 5 Rogers & Cowan...... INSIDE COVER TV Access…...... …29

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www.odwyerpr.comDaily, up-to-the-minute PR news Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 6

EDITORIAL Council of PR firms needs a new name

he Council of PR Firms, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary, needs a new name EDITOR-IN-CHIEF to reflect changing conditions. A name that was used initially was “American Jack O’Dwyer It’s Not What You Say About Yourself That Matters TAssociation of PR Firms,” no doubt modeled after the American Association of [email protected] Advertising Agencies. However, this was dropped in favor of CPRF. We think the ad con- glomerates, the major funders of CPRF who have extensive holdings worldwide, played a ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER But What Others Say role in that decision. But “PR,” meaning relations with the public, is a uniquely American Kevin McCauley invention. [email protected] We urge Council leaders to put “America” back in the title. Many established, legally-rec- EDITOR ognized professional associations — American Bar Association, American Medical Jon Gingerich Here’s what has been said about Sitrick And Company: Association, and American Institute of CPAs — all [email protected] start out with the word American. America stands for democracy, justice, fairness, and equality for all. The SENIOR EDITOR communications counseling business should align Greg Hazley itself as much as possible with this image. [email protected] “The City’s Most Prominent Crisis Management Firm.” We spoke with CPRF members during their October 23 anniversary dinner in New York. The New York Times “There’s no question that a majority of the people in this room want a new name,” said one CONTRIBUTING EDITORS member. “PR does not reflect what we do any more,” said another. John O’Dwyer The term is too identified with media relations, when a great deal of today’s work involves Fraser Seitel “Now (they) have hired Michael Sitrick, whose Los Angeles public-relations firm is known for going dealing directly with consumers. Counseling on broad client issues is a main occupation. Richard Goldstein atomic on opponents, using “truth squads” (which dig up alleged inaccuracies in the media), “wheel-of- Some firms are taking on the role of management consultants. CPRF Chair Dave Senay told the dinner that use of the term “PR” by members is declin- Sarah Nicole Smetana Ostiz pain” tactics (negative publicity to quicken settlements), and high-profile journalists (who write profiles).” ing. He said a survey of members in 2010 found that 69% refer to themselves as “PR firms” Editorial Assistant & Research — Business Week and 31% said they don’t. A 2013 survey found 46% refer to themselves as PR firms, 38% said yes, but not exclu- ADVERTISING SALES Sharlene Spingler “The firm is also home to perhaps the most concentrated congregation of journalistic talent in the public sively, and 16% said “no.” Only 13 of the current 110 members use “PR” in the title of the Associate Publisher & Editor firm, down from 18 in 2003 when there were 99 members. relations business. The vast majority of its senior professionals are former editors, reporters, and corre- [email protected] Only two of the firms in the “top 50” of the O’Dwyer Co. ranking use “PR” anymore: spondents at such publications as Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, CBS News, Coyne and 5W. Sixteen of the firms in the O’Dwyer top 25 are members of CPRF. That John O’Dwyer and NPR, with most of the others having spent time in senior corporate communications positions.” means nine major firms have decided not to join: Ruder Finn, ICR, DKC, Qorvis, Allison + Advertising Sales Manager Partners, Regan, Zeno, Atomic, Hunter and 5W. Some of the non-joiners said they are not [email protected] — The Holmes Report going to pay fees of up to $40,000 yearly (.65% of U.S. net fees) for the privilege of being in CPRF. O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 Besides the expanded duties of Council members, there is an image problem with the term a year ($7.00 for a single issue) by the “Like more than one figure caught in a media cyclone, (he) had turned to one of the most accomplished practi- “PR” itself. A $150,000 study of believable sources of information, published in 1999 by PR J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc., tioners of the dark arts of public relations ... The Winston Wolf of public relations had arrived. Wolf, as you Society of America after five years of research that involved interviews with 2,500 members 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. of the public, found “PR specialist” ranked 43 on a list of 45 industry titles, even worse than (212) 679-2471 will recall, was the fixer in Pulp Fiction … he washed away assassins’ blood and gore. Sitrick cleans up the Fax (212) 683-2750. “political party leader” (no. 42). messes of companies, celebrities, and others, and he’s a strategist who isn’t adverse to treating PR as combat.” The bulk the Council’s 2012 revenues of $1,368,872 came from the conglomerates: — Fortune Omnicom, WPP, Interpublic, Publicis and Havas. © Copyright 2013 An initial goal of CPRF in 1998 was taking control of the ranking of PR firms that was J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. being done by the O’Dwyer Co., PR Week/U.S. (which began publishing in 1998) and The Holmes Report. Jack Bergen, CPRF President, said members were fed up dealing with three To learn more about what people are saying about Sitrick And Company, go to our website: different rankings and that henceforth members should only submit financials to the CPRF OTHER PUBLICATIONS & www.sitrick.com itself. SERVICES: The Council used a 5,000-member mailing list supplied by PR Week/U.S. to gather infor- www.odwyerpr.com 4 breaking news, mation from firms. PR Week/U.S.’s initial circulation in the U.S. was the PR Society mem- commentary, useful databases and more. bership list. The Society urged members to support PR Week/U.S. with ads and subscriptions, drawing a complaint from 2000 Chair Steve Pisinski who said the Society had no business Jack O’Dwyer’s Newsletter 4 An eight- interfering in the private marketplace. Whereas the O’Dwyer rankings required top pages of page weekly with general PR news, media income tax returns, W-3s and other documents and kept non-PR income to a minimum, CPRF appointments and placement opportunities. required no such documents and allowed up to 49% of income to include commissions on O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms has corporate and issue ads, profits from graphics, printing and video production, and research in 4 listings of more than 1,600 PR firms through- Corporate, Financial, Transactional, Reputational and Crisis Communications support of PR. out the U.S. and abroad. CPRF’s move to take over the rankings failed. It gave up completely in 2002 when Sarbanes-Oxley promised heavy penalties for any public company that provided misleading O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide 4 Products or false financials. and services for the PR industry in 50 cate- The Council still shows too much influence by the conglomerates. Taking a new name that gories. includes “America” or “American” would show that its conglomerate-dominated days are Los Angeles • New York • San Francisco • Chicago • Washington, D.C. over. £ jobs.odwyerpr.com 4 O’Dwyer’s online job center has help wanted ads and hosts — Jack O’Dwyer resume postings. 800-288-8809

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It’s Not What You Say About Yourself That Matters But What Others Say

Here’s what has been said about Sitrick And Company:

“The City’s Most Prominent Crisis Management Firm.” The New York Times

“Now (they) have hired Michael Sitrick, whose Los Angeles public-relations firm is known for going atomic on opponents, using “truth squads” (which dig up alleged inaccuracies in the media), “wheel-of- pain” tactics (negative publicity to quicken settlements), and high-profile journalists (who write profiles).” — Business Week “The firm is also home to perhaps the most concentrated congregation of journalistic talent in the public relations business. The vast majority of its senior professionals are former editors, reporters, and corre- spondents at such publications as Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, CBS News, and NPR, with most of the others having spent time in senior corporate communications positions.” — The Holmes Report

“Like more than one figure caught in a media cyclone, (he) had turned to one of the most accomplished practi- tioners of the dark arts of public relations ... The Winston Wolf of public relations had arrived. Wolf, as you will recall, was the fixer in Pulp Fiction … he washed away assassins’ blood and gore. Sitrick cleans up the messes of companies, celebrities, and others, and he’s a strategist who isn’t adverse to treating PR as combat.” — Fortune

To learn more about what people are saying about Sitrick And Company, go to our website: www.sitrick.com

Corporate, Financial, Transactional, Reputational and Crisis Communications

Los Angeles • New York • San Francisco • Chicago • Washington, D.C. 800-288-8809 Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 8

MEDIA REPORT Bernstein raps media’s emphasis on political circus The greatest failure of today’s media is reporting facts with- out context, said Carl Bernstein, of Washington Post fame, who delivered the annual presidential lecture to Stony Brook University students in November. By Kevin McCauley

cal system and whether it can be fixed, ernstein blamed the media for and whether we are going to to be a amplifying Washington’s dys- nation of the wealthy, for the wealthy, by Bfunction by focusing on “ideo- the wealthy at the expense of the great logical and partisan ammunition,” majority of the our people.” reported Stony Brook’s “Happenings” It will take at least a generation before Carl Bernstein. online newsletter. the political system is fixed, according Bernstein echoed veteran journalist to Bernstein. “The government can looking for practical solutions would Leslie Gelb, saying truth has been begin to work only until the next gener- “come together to benefit the common reduced to a conflict of press releases ation undoes” the current mess in good,” he said. and a contest of handlers. Washington. This isn’t the first time Bernstein has Truth is judged by “theatrical per- He contrasted D.C. with the Kennedy excoriated the media for its penchant for formance” rather than evidence. Truth era of 50 years ago, a time when it sensationalism. In 1992, Bernstein is “fear of opinion polls, fear of special would have been unthinkable that the wrote the cover story “The Idiot interests, fear of judging others of fear federal government could “become Culture” for The New Republic, in of being judged, fear of losing power completely dysfunctional, that money which he analyzed modern journalism’s and prestige,” said Bernstein, Visiting could become the most important ele- love of gossip over investigative report- Presidential Professor at the Long Island ment in the political system or that ing. school. working class people and middle class Bernstein, age 69, is a Pulitzer Prize- Bernstein believes the U.S. is on the people would be struggling.” winning journalist best known for his “edge of plutocracy.” The biggest news Though fractious debate existed dur- reporting on the Watergate scandal, stories are the “breakdown of the politi- ing the 1960s, the national interest and which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. £

Media news brief FORBES GOES ON AUCTION BLOCK Forbes Media is mulling the sale of its 96-year- old business magazine flagship that has battled declines in revenue and circulation, according to a memo from CEO Mike Perlis. He told staffers that Forbes “has received more than a few ‘over the transom’ indications of inter- est” and Deutsche Bank has been hired to organ- ize the process to test the waters regarding the sale.” He said he expects “interest from numerous suitors.” Elevation Partners, which is backed by U2 singer Bono, bought a 45% stake in FM in 2006. Perlis noted the company has a thriving confer- ence and licensing business and solid digital growth. “I’m proud to say that we’ve accomplished what no other traditional media company appears to have done: established a huge digital audience by efficiently creating quality content at scale, and we’re innovating around new business models to maximize that relationship,” he wrote. Print circulation, however, is down 12.3% dur- ing the first-nine months of 2013 and ad revenues are off 45% since 2008, according to the Publisher’s Information Bureau. B.C. Forbes launched the magazine in 1917 and his son, Malcolm, put the magazine on the map. Steve Forbes, former CEO, ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000.

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E-cigs group ramps up PR The Electronic Cigarette Industry Group, one in a small group of Critics say an end to the demonization, however, would trigger an acceptance of trade associations for the fast-growing e-cig industry, is ramping cigarette smoking causing more lung can- up PR as nicotine vapor devices explode in popularity. cer, heart disease and emphysema. By Kevin McCauley Electronic cigarettes are typically com- prised of a heating element that vaporizes a cigarettes. States are also weighing various liquid solution containing a mixture of arti- he ECIG has brought on Norwalk, measures to regulate and rein in ficial flavors and nicotine. E-cigarettes Conn.-based ICR to guide ongoing e-cigarettes. contain fewer toxic chemicals than tra- Tcommunications, said account rep Industry estimates peg 2013 ditional cigarettes, and are therefore John McKenna. The firm also counsels sales of the devices topping $2 touted as a safer alternative to smok- founding member, FIN Branding Group, an billion. ing, or as a cessation tool. However, Atlanta-based e-cig maker. ECIG is one of a handful of the risks of e-cigarettes remain The group made a splash in late trade associations that have popped unknown, and their benefits have September when it hired former American up to represent the sector, including been the subject of debate. According Lung Association CEO Charles Connor as the Tobacco Vapor Electronic to the World Health Organization, e- a consultant to serve as liaison between the Cigarette Association and the Smoke cigarettes’ efficacy in smoking cessa- industry and the public health sector. Free Alternatives Trade Association. tion has not been scientifically ECIG chief Eric Criss told the Downey McGrath “vapes” NJoy demonstrated. Washington Post last month that the indus- Downey McGrath has picked up NJOY, The American Lung Association is con- try wants to distinguish itself from ciga- a leader in the burgeoning electronic ciga- cerned about the safety and health conse- rettes and not as a tobacco product. “We rette business, in response to White House quences of e-cigarettes and claims that they believe the product is a good alternative, and Congressional activity regarding possi- may be wrongly marketed as a way to help and the goal should be to move people ble federal regulation of e-cigarettes. smokers quit the habit. down the risk ladder from cigarettes,” he NJOY and the e-cigarette business main- The Food and Drug Administration is said. tain their products are safe alternatives to assessing the need to regulate e-cigarette The e-cigarette industry is bracing for conventional smokes. products. proposed FDA rules to govern the sale of CEO Craig Weiss wants to remove the Former Congressmen Tom Downey and the devices, which deliver nicotine as a stigma, associated with smoking, according Ray McGrath are working the NJOY busi- vapor without the smoke and tar of normal to the Oct. 26 New York Times. ness. £

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FEATURE 2014 Super Bowl could be game-changer for brands With 2014 approaching, it’s difficult to recall a year that promised so much excitement and opportunity for leading sports marketers. Highlighting the brand marquee will be the FIFA World Cup, hosted by the most passionate and decorated of soccer nations, Brazil; the Sochi Olympics, the first Winter Games contested on Russian soil; and of course, Super Bowl XLVIII, the first Super Bowl in the New Jersey/New York region and the first NFL title game contested outdoors in a cold weather climate. By Bryan Harris

York just to inhale the Super Bowl expe- video platforms or just having a smart he 2014 Super Bowl will present a rience. community management strategy, lot of variables — both known Weather the storm. The prospects of brands should be Tand unknown — for marketers. a Super Bowl played in bitter cold, wind planning to localize For leading brands with an eye on the and ice can actually be quite appealing the experience for coveted NFL fan, it could be a perfect from a marketing play. Yes, there have their target audi- storm in activating awareness around the been Super Bowls played indoors ence — whether world’s most watched single-day sports (Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas) where Mother they’re in the New event. In order to fully leverage this Nature wreaked havoc on the region. York / New Jersey historic sports platform, however, mar- But brands that embrace the winter cli- area or spread keters should consider the following mate in their programming — think of across the globe. strategies in the coming months. ways to keep people warm (from mobile Avoid clichés. Focus on location. The old axiom for apps to pop-up stores to creative appar- Veteran adman Bryan Harris business success still holds true. For el) in mind and spirit; celebrate “old Paul Enables told Super Bowl XLVIII, location affords an school” football, where weather is sup- Adweek prior to opportunity like no other destination for posed to be a factor in February; help the 2013 Super Bowl, “Do it because U.S. sports and entertainment marketers. celebrate New York as one big winter you love your craft and want to make Prior to the start of the current NFL carnival — will create a true point of something great,” when asked what season, Taylor, which has been an differentiation from marketing platforms advice he had for creatives embarking agency partner to corporate sponsors of of Super Bowls past. Penguins, polar on their first Super Bowl spot. To that the Super Bowl and other major sports bears, and frozen commuters could be end, brands should be leveraging the properties for three decades, conducted a popular themes come February. ramp-up to the Super Bowl by building a survey of marketers representing brands, Target the avid fan. The Super Bowl, story around the biggest of American agencies, sports organizations and more than any event, appeals to the sporting events in what will be a very leagues. The consensus? The unique casual fan and marketers often cater untraditional environment. Spare us the location of Super Bowl XLVIII will be a their programming against this broad talking animals, frat-boy humor and “game changer” for marketers. demo. But brands cannot shy away from recycled celebrities. Let New York and Of those surveyed (three quarters of the avid NFL fan, whose buying power the winter elements be your canvas. whom have activated an NFL sponsor- and impact to the bottom line is second Paint a fully integrated campaign — not ship), 89% indicated they would recom- to none among U.S. sports consumers. A just a single 0:30 spot — that is bold and mend to brands that they should activate consumer engagement strategy that tar- original. in 2014. The recommendation is based gets avid fans — male and female — is Leave a lasting legacy. Brands that on a number of factors, including the the most prudent approach. have decided to activate against a longer fact that this inaugural league title game Be flexible, be social. Digital and term strategy will build a greater equity will be played in the nation’s largest social media must be a powerful ampli- stake with fans across the New York media market, and the unprecedented fier to any Super Bowl campaign. region as well as with NFL fans nation- engagement opportunities that will exist According to the Taylor survey, only 6% wide. Innovative programs built around among the nearly 20 million inhabitants of respondents indicated that first screen philanthropy, for example, will resonate in the New York metropolitan area, as (TV) and traditional media should be the strongly with consumers. Legacy pro- well as close proximity of other major primary channel for brands to engage grams are common in Super Bowl desti- NFL markets such as Boston, consumers around the game. Rather, a nations, but the scale of the New York Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and large majority — 70% — favor a bal- metropolitan area makes for a much Baltimore; and the uniqueness of the anced approach that integrates digital stronger, lasting impact than afforded by cold weather, outdoor environment. with traditional media. It’s not going to other host cities. Initiatives like play- Tickets to the game itself are always be enough to just have “great content” to ground builds and restoration projects, scarce, but the opportunities to engage engage consumers around this unprece- legacy school programs that can with fans to enhance their experience dented Super Bowl. enhance learning, and programs that will be plentiful. The ancillary events Brands will have to be highly relevant give fans access to many of the special leading up to the game will scale larger in their content, targeted with their activities leading to the game can all and bolder than ever before and will be delivery platform and have a deep have great impact. attractive not just to the locals but to the understanding of consumer insights. Bryan Harris is COO and Managing swelled crowds who will travel to New Whether it’s leveraging evolving social Partner of Taylor. £

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2014 Super Bowl could be game-changer for brands Entertainment brands should own content, not rent it The traditional product placement model has died, resulting in brands now developing intellectual property concepts where are trying to reach the same audiences and their attributes and emotions can resonate with consumers. looking for a unique approach. For instance, Zachary Levi (star of NBC’s hit However, creating a platform to share these messages is no show “Chuck”) and prop master David simple task. By Tom Tardio Coleman launched their Nerd Machine brand building a fan community to spread created through the distribution of the the “nerd” culture and spurring the cre- here’s a surplus of chatter making brand’s owned entertainment assets ation of NerdHQ at Comic-Con. Over the its way through many circles across multiple channels and platforms. past three years, Nerd HQ has grown Tregarding content marketing with a IP also allows for greater flexibility of exponentially by particular focus on sponsored and brand- direct social sharing with the brand’s tar- joining forces with ed content strategies. The chatter is a geted communities. IP then becomes the like-minded brand byproduct of a vocal demand by contem- nucleus of a campaign targeting earned, partners, such as porary brands to retain creative control of shared and paid media channels to extend Verizon, Fiat, Intel how their products are utilized within all the brand’s reach to a broader consumer and Asus, that pro- forms of entertainment content. audience. The linear progression of con- vide the financial fuel Previously, it was common for brands tent that is of consumer value builds trust to sustain the event to place their products in television shows and ultimately drives sales. while hosting con- and films. This traditional placement So, what is the catalyst for brands cre- sumer sweepstakes model, where the ROI for “seconds” of ating their own IP? What are the key ele- and customized Tom Tardio onscreen exposure is minimal to non- ments that lead to successful IP? As with onsite activations for measureable, has disappeared. Brands most marketing initiatives, IP was born NerdHQ fans. now have limited creative control on how out of a void that needed to be filled. This Secure distribution their products are utilized and no owner- comes in the form of launching a new While there are some brands that have ship unless they write a large check, product or service, a desire to promote a their own built-in distribution platforms, cross-promote at point of retail or make a lifestyle inspired by the brand or a the majority do not. This is a challenge if large media buy. demand from audiences for more ways to you have a great, creative idea but no way As a result, brands have transitioned connect with and experience the brand to distribute it to your audiences. The key from renting media to an intellectual through multiple touch points. IP strate- is to seek out partnerships with brands property (IP) strategy where they create gies need the right blend of ingredients to and media whose target audiences are in entertainment ideas, content and plat- get a successful result, which includes a sync or are part of a segment you have forms they can own. Historically, IP has great idea, an audience, funding, distribu- been struggling to reach. Similar to the been used as a legal concept to define tion and engagement. issue of funding, there are other ways to exclusive rights for intangible assets or Create an ownable idea secure distribution for your IP through creations of the mind. For today’s suc- Develop a creative idea that meets the partnerships with brands, media and tal- cessful marketers, the term has broadened need or void you need to fill and repre- ent who have their own broadcasts, publi- to include entertainment franchises such sents your brand. You can develop the cations, websites, blogs and social media as the Vans Warped Tour, Park City Live’s creative idea from scratch or mine your platforms to push out content and assets. Winter Concert Series, Nerd HQ at existing marketing activities to determine Create engagement Comic-Con and Sony Crackle “Playing it if there is a concept or initiative that can One of the most important ingredients Forward.” be turned into an IP platform. For to ensure success is engaging with the Why would a brand want to own instance, EKOCYCLE was an extremely audience through an integrated marketing IP? Why create a concert series, event, successful idea created by The Coca-Cola campaign to promote the IP through web series or an app? Why shift a media Company and will.i.am as a “stand-alone earned and shared media. It’s possible for buy from paid advertising like banner, brand initiative dedicated to promoting a brand to create a very unique, creative print and TV ads to IP? It’s quite simple. sustainability through aspirational, yet idea, but if it is not promoted properly to IP is about owning the idea to tell the attainable lifestyle products made in part engage mass and niche audiences then the brand story and engaging with audiences from recycled material.” While Coke is likelihood of success is limited. Earned through a variety of media channels. IP embedded in the very name, EKOCYCLE and shared media strategies have become pushes brands to start thinking beyond a is a program that supports the company’s a way for brands to organically reach new singular campaign to create a franchise of sustainability efforts, and it lives beyond audiences via the voice of passionate, tal- lasting value that lives beyond the brand the brand through numerous partnerships. ented evangelists. It’s important to make itself. Find the funding sure you have a team who understands Brand marketers continue to realize that Brands are seeing the value in creating how to use the recipe to deliver the right IP is a form of storytelling that stays clos- IP and some already have the financial result. This requires having the team with er to the production of the idea and that resources to invest. If you do not have the right experience and right connec- will resonate with the brand’s attributes these resources, there are other ways to tions. and emotions, lending authenticity among fund your IP through partnerships with Tom Tardio is CEO of Rogers & consumers. Revenue opportunities can be other like-minded brands and media that Cowan. £

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FEATURE Why 2014 will be the year of relevant content Do people actually read your news releases? Are the articles about your brand moving the needle in terms of sales? Are your social media activities building a community of people who care about you? Are you really getting what you need out of PR? It’s natural for brands to take a step back and assess the efficacy of their PR investment. Sometimes, however, our communications efforts leave us wanting more. By Andrea “Andy” Coville

Fictional characters are okay, but and influential topic of conversation ven though we’re getting our authenticity counts. So if you’re post- was not the hotel’s bed but the water name out there, we’re failing to ing a photo on Facebook, consider a pressure of the shower (a different sen- Emake the profound connections real person triumphing over an obstacle sory concern). That guests might spend that the world’s best brands have rather than a stock photo. If you’re an extra $20 or $100 to stay in a room formed with their prospects. For those writing a case study, tell a down-to- with an awesome shower is something brands, the customer connection is earth story about a real person, with a worth knowing. deep, emotional and lasting. In a noisy real business problem, making a real So let’s try an exercise. If you sold world with way too many products to decision. If you’re tweeting, dare to barbecue grills, how would you posi- choose from, they’ve somehow become tweet like a human speaks. With all the tion them to, say, relevant. BS in the world, people are developing the 50-to-60-year- In a world focused on buzz, eyeballs, really strong BS detectors. And they old female seg- follows and search rankings, we often love to use them. ment? You could Relevant brands go beyond logic forget about relevance. What we really tout the grill’s fea- want are meaningful bonds that go Logic is overrated. Any pickup truck tures, you could beyond changing perceptions. You want will let you rescue that calf, but it’s implore women to a relationship that helps others fully Chevy that made that powerful emo- be the “man” of experience your product, brand, candi- tional connection. What really makes the house. But date or cause, and take action: buy, an audience connect are shared values what if you tied share, evangelize, sign up, or vote. (I’m dedicated to my animals), emo- the product to Andrea Coville Social media has worked some mira- tions (I’m desperate to find her), senso- something that we cles in this regard. Over the past few ry stimuli (the truck looks boss all cov- know is extremely years, PR people have devoted enor- ered with mud), and social concerns (all relevant to this audience: friends and mous effort to mastering the science. my friends buy American). In all of our family? We’ve thought about what platforms to research on relevance, logic and reason How about: you have to eat. How be on, whom to follow, how often to may be a point of entry, but it is the about: grilling is really fun. How about: post and how to measure it all. social values and sensory elements that grilling brings friends and family Advanced practitioners tweak their pro- often close the sale. And this isn’t just together and is a great excuse to contact grams in response to their results and with consumer products. We recently people you haven’t seen in a while. continuously improve engagement. But worked for a medical device company How about: it’s exciting to learn a new what has all that gotten us? and found that what most appealed to skill. It’s really not that hard, and can As 2014 approaches, I’m advising surgeons was not the device’s technical be creative. How about: you know clients and prospects to step back from specifications but the sound it made you’re great in the kitchen, now you the mechanics of our communications when activated. can also be great outdoors. You can lead Relevant brands go beyond ‘you’ programs — the platforms — and con- an urban grilling trend. One more myth sider the content. Now that we’ve pret- It’s easy to overestimate the degree to of male superiority busted! ty much nailed the science of pitching, which people will engage with what Whether that’s good or bad, we’re posting, following, measuring and lis- you are selling. You may think your now at least heading in the direction of tening, it’s time to get back to the art. message/story is fascinating. The fact aligning the message with the target It’s time to make content relevant. is that very few people are natively customer’s state of mind. We’re giving Here are three ways content strate- curious about what anyone else has to her something she can connect to. gies for relevant brands differ from for- offer. Fewer still think about our prod- We’re invoking senses, social concerns gettable brands: ucts and ideas the way we do. We need and values.We’re starting to open rele- Relevant brands tell stories to think how customers think. Sounds vance pathways. Relevant brands employ elements of easy, but it is incredibly hard to do. As 2013 winds down and we an ancient form. Whether it’s in the Start with challenging assumptions as reassess, we should all ask ourselves: Bible or in the latest sci-fi flick, a story they are often ill placed. For example, what pathways can we open? What sto- has characters you care about who face although many hotel brands spend mil- ries do we have left to tell? How can we challenges, struggle with them, and lions of dollars to market and in many align what we say with what people arrive at a resolution. Whether it’s cases even brand their beds and bed- care about? How can we be relevant in Progressive’s Flo saving a policy hold- ding, our online conversational rele- 2014? er in distress or the Silverado owner vance audit about hotels uncovered a Andrea “Andy” Coville is CEO of rescuing a calf, stories have power. surprising fact: that the most animated Brodeur Partners. £

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Calling foul: baseball’s PR witch hunt Baseball's legal and PR assault on Alex Rodriguez equates to a modern day witch hunt. For years teams, leagues, sports marketers and much of the media turned a blind eye when it was obvious that spinach wasn’t responsible for those wins. Why all the attention now? And should athletes be held to a different standard of behavior than the rest of us? By Arthur Solomon a commissioner is a warden. broken laws and caused monetary and t happens in real life, as well as on the While concussion-causing hits to the physical injury to others receive fairer big and small screens: the “good” head haven’t been a big problem in what treatment in the civilians’ justice system Ichase down and dole out punishment once was known as the “street game,” than do athletes, whose major crime was on the “bad.” But in baseball, as in other basketball, let’s not forget the National embarrassing their leagues while hurting sports, the “good” was often a willing Basketball Association has had a cast of no one but, maybe, themselves. partner until Congress, and the media, its own bad actors. Bad behavior by athletes on the field is made it too big of an issue to ignore. There is a long tradition among obviously a league matter. But when the Thus it is with the monarchs of all American sports entities of trying to commissioners punish players for off-the- sports, especially those rulers of baseball establish a good citizen and patriotic field behavior before a non-prejudiced and their relentless quest to punish users image by wrapping themselves around jury decides on the of PEDs. What diff erentiates baseball’s the flag to create an aura of patriotism guilt of the person, mission to rid its game of players using and by supporting various charities. But that is a step too far banned substances from other sports is these do-good endeavors are an attempt for me. Also, “the that it easily can be used as a post-gradu- to cleanse their sports from a sordid his- good of the game” ate course in hypocrisy. tory of scandals, abetted by the leagues punishment is espe- Ever since baseball became a big that for years have refused to admit that cially troubling. It money making business, and for decades they are part of the problem regarding is so broad that it before, cherished players have behaved their stars’ sorry behavior. can be used for any badly without being punished for their USA Today reported that baseball par- situation by a com- unsportsmanlike conduct and are still cel- ticularly targeted Ryan Braun and missioner. In Arthur Solomon ebrated by the baseball establishment and Rodriguez in its “clean up the game” effect, it not only the media. investigation, which baseball denied. If gives the commis- However, baseball’s punishment also the report is true, it seems like discrimi- sioner the power of the judge and jury but equates to witch-hunting, especially in natory punishment. Other published places sports in a judicial league of its the A-Rod situation, because for years reports said money was offered for infor- own. during the home run “steroid era” the mation, which makes me wonder what Arthur Solomon was a senior VP/senior teams, leagues, sports marketers, the price revenge? Even if the reports are counselor at Burson-Marsteller. £ commissioner’s office and much of the untrue is there any doubt that baseball media turned the other way when it wanted to make Braun and A-Rod exam- became obvious why players were hitting ples because they dared challenge the PR news brief longer balls. commissioner’s office? A-ROD MOVES TO BLOCK But are players’ uses of PEDs or other Should athletes be held to a higher banned substances as bad as the National standard of behavior and receive more PR SUBPOENA Football League and National Hockey punishment for unlawful acts, as defined The legal team of embattled New York Yankees League, which for years turned a blind by commissioners of leagues, than Joe third baseman Alex Rodriguez has asked a federal eye to life-altering hits to the heads of and Jane Citizen? In a just society justice judge in New York to block the subpoena of records from his PR advisor Sitrick and Company. their warriors? Not in my opinion. PEDs should be equal and most people deserve Sitrick chief Michael Sitrick also argued, among only affect baseball’s treasured records a second chance. But the sports cabals other claims, in a brief that his records related to book. Hits to the head can affect lives. (A have provided athletes with numerous Rodriguez are privileged because the player’s legal New York Times article on October 13 second chances, sending the wrong mes- team hired him. Major League Baseball, which has suspended said researchers from the Mayo Clinic sage to sports-crazed future athletes and Rodriguez for a record 211 games, asked a judge determined that the way hockey is played young people in general. So yes, some to subpoena the PR records in the league’s arbitra- must be changed because it causes too punishment is warranted. In the August 2 tion hearing for Rodriguez’ appeal. much brain trauma, and the NFL concus- USA Today, baseball columnist Bob MLB alleges that Sitrick leaked documents sions problems are not new; they’ve been Nightengale pointed out that Manny from a Florida clinic linked to performance- enhancing drugs to Yahoo! Sports, which penned covered for years.) Ramirez is allowed to play despite being a story about players involved with the clinic, When it comes to multi-image prob- suspended twice for testosterone use and Biogenesis. lems, The NFL is in a league of its own: former pitcher Steve Howe was suspend- Rodriguez’s lawyers, in seeking to quash the concussions, players’ use of banned sub- ed seven times for cocaine problems. Is subpoena, argued in their court filing that MLB is out to destroy the former MVP’s public reputation. stances and a gangster aura. The Aaron there any doubt that other players fall into Bloomberg reported that Sitrick’s lawyers also Hernandez murder problem is not new to the same category? said the PR executive can’t be compelled to fly to the NFL, whose league rap sheet includes I believe the fairness of the punishment New York to testify, but he would not oppose giv- other players who have been involved in doled out by the sports leagues has some ing a deposition in California. murders. What the NFL needs instead of troubling elements: nonathletes who have

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REPORT Pearson’s big ed business comes under fire Attacking disease and poverty is good business, said PR executive Kate James, who delivered the annual Distinguished Lecture to the Institute for PR at the Yale Club in November. James is leaving the Gates Foundation to be Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pearson at the start of 2014. By Jack O’Dwyer

obtained a quote from Gates Foundation nalism was “the banter.” He said, he Bill and Melinda Gates trustee Warren Buffett saying that spend- “Reporters and photographers have a Foundation, which is funded by ing shareholders’ money on CSR is not light-hearted yet fiercely intense TMicrosoft founder Bill Gates and the right approach. approach to their work. Theirs is a clear- U.K.-based multinational publishing and Therefore, thinking about philanthropy eyed view of the mess that power will education company Pearson, gives away as just the right thing to do has its limita- leave behind if it moves carelessly $4 billion a year to battle disease and tions, James admitted. through society. The good ones also poverty worldwide “but it’s a drop in the The top Gates priority now is eliminat- maintain distance to folk in power.” ocean in terms of what needs to be invest- ing polio worldwide. About 99% of the Controversy hits Pearson, Gates ed to solve these big, complex problems,” cases have been eliminated so far but the Pearson is portrayed by PR Watch and Gates Foundation communications head disease is still present in Nigeria, others as a for-profit octopus that has its Kate James told the Institute for PR Pakistan and Afghanistan. tentacles around practically every aspect November 21 at the Yale Club in New James, who is joining Pearson after the of U.S. education, reaping billions of dol- York. first of the year as Chief Corporate lars in revenues. James, a native of the U.K. who’s been Affairs Officer, said Pearson has “a mas- Gates, funded by Microsoft Founder Chief Communications Officer at the sive responsibility — the education of the Bill Gates, is charged with putting too Gates Foundation since 2010, delivered next generation. And it may be clearer at much emphasis on online learning and the annual Distinguished Lecture at the a place like Pearson where market forces testing while giving short shrift to build- 52nd annual IPR event, which boasted an and social changes intersect, but if you ing writing skills. audience of nearly 300 and included look closely — they’re intersecting PR Watch cites instances of Pearson numerous PR leaders. everywhere. When your companies look working with elements of the American “In a tough global economic environ- to you, they aren’t just asking for your Legislative Exchange Council, which PR ment, we need governments and other communications insights. They look to Watch says is an organization of 2,000 donors to see investment in aid as a good you for your understanding of the world mostly Republican state legislators and return and we need the public to see and in which they operate.” 300 corporate representatives that has an believe in the progress that’s being Edlund: PR can lead undue influence on state lawmaking. made,” she said. Bjorn Edlund, Chairman of Europe, Only one Democrat is among 104 legisla- Since 2000, she noted, the lives of 1.1 Middle East and Africa for Edelman, who tors in its leadership posts, it says. PR million African children have been saved received and Alexander Hamilton Medal Watch portrays ALEC as a conservative from malaria. for contributions to PR practice and group that impacts state laws but does not She saw the economic as well as the effective use of research and who report- register as a lobbyist. Almost all state leg- humanitarian impact of disease while ed for 12 years for UPI and Reuters, said islators who are members are working in Saharan Africa for Standard “PR at its most ambitious is about how to Republicans. Charter bank. lead. It is the job of PR to help leaders Mickey Revenaugh, Co-Founder and Up to 10% of the workforce in Kenya meet that deep-seated human need of SVP of state relations of Connections was either ill or looking after somebody groups to be included, engaged, inspired Academy, a unit of Pearson, was “private who was ill, she noted. “It didn’t just and rallied towards a shared goal.” sector” co-chair of ALEC’s Education impact our employees, but our suppliers The job of PR people, he said, is to Task Force from 2008 until May 2010, and our customers as well.” An “help leaders think things through. We according to PR Watch. HIV/AIDS epidemic was ravaging the add context, depth. A chief communica- PR Watch says ALEC has been area. tions officer’s job is about culture, brand, engaged for 20 years in an effort “to pri- CSR needs to alight to bottom line purpose, reputation, the narrative, and vatize public education through an ever- “Corporate Social Responsibility stakeholder engagement. It is about how expanding network of school voucher efforts,” she said, “need to alight to the to shape behaviors, both our behaviors systems which divert taxpayer dollars bottom line — to facilitate market access, and that of others.” away from public to private schools.” consumer engagement, employee moti- Edlund said he “probably grew most in Allison Bazin, Connections’ Senior vation — and it’s only then that you start the situations when I deeply disagreed Director of PR, told PR Watch in July to see the return on investment. It’s not with the CEOs but was compelled to 2012 that the company withdrew from just about the size of the check, but how understand their priorities, and to faith- the ALEC Education Task Force in mid- companies use their intellectual expertise fully act on them.” May 2010 and no longer funds ALEC. and human capital.” He has worked for 11 CEOs as head of PR Watch also charges Pearson as hav- James noted that a recent piece in communications. Employers included ing undue influence on legislators and DealBook charged Goldman Sachs with Shell, Sandoz and ABB. Continued on next page spending too much on CSR. DealBook The thing he missed most about jour- 0

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improperly funding trips abroad for edu- counterparts, share experiences, and recalls a sorry chapter in PR’s history cators. come home armed with new strategies because it was revealed that the Dept. of According to the blog bigeducationape, and ideas to raise achievement, espe- Education hired Ketchum to promote the “In essence, every facet of our public cially achievement for our most strug- Act and Ketchum paid $240,000 to com- educational system, from teacher prepa- gling students. mentator Armstrong Williams to use his ration, curriculum design and content, “Regrettably, state and local educa- contacts and on-air appearances for that and testing/assessments from womb to tion budgets could never provide the purpose. tomb are now owned by a private corpo- resources necessary for state chiefs and A firestorm of coverage broke out that ration whose profits skyrocketed into the others to travel and collaborate in per- included a 3,000-word feature in the billions of dollars.” son with education ministers, reformers Sunday, Feb. 13, 2005 New York Times Pearson, with revenues of $8.29 bil- and innovators from Finland, by Tim O’Brien titled “Spinning Frenzy: lion, is called “the largest education com- Singapore, Brazil, or other nations who PR’s Bad Press.” Numerous PR figures pany in the world” and the “largest book are more than willing to share their were quoted but no one would talk to publisher in the world” by Wikipedia. insights and best practices with us.” O’Brien from either Ketchum or parent Its properties include the Financial This response was on the Pearson Omnicom. Times Group; 47% of Penguin Random website after complaints were made that Ravitch battles school “Privatization” House; 50% of the Economist Group the Iowa education chief violated ethi- Among those battling school “priva- which includes The Economist magazine; cal codes by going on Pearson trips. tization” is Diane Ravitch, former U.S. Prentice-Hall; Connections Academy, New York Times reporter Michael Assistant Secretary of Education. which operates online classes in many Winerip wrote an article headlined She is the author of “Reign of Error,” states, and numerous education-related “Free Trips Raise Issues for Officials in which charges that private interests are entities. Education” which focused on the corrupting public education for the sake Collins of NYT raps Pearson Pearson trips. of profit. School testing has been An original supporter of turned into “a huge corporate “No Child Left Behind” profit center, led by and charter schools, she Pearson,” New York Times became disillusioned with columnist Gail Collins wrote the concepts and withdrew on April 27, 2012. “An her support, saying “We American child could go to a are destroying our educa- public school run by tion system, blowing it up Pearson, studying from by these stupid policies. books produced by Pearson, And handing the schools while his or her progress is in low-income neighbor- evaluated by Pearson stan- hoods over to private dardized tests. The only pub- entrepreneurs does not, in lic participant in the show itself, improve them. would be the taxpayer.” There’s plenty of evidence Collins said the $32 mil- by now that the kids in lion that New York State was those schools do no better, paying to Pearson was The 52nd annual Institute for PR Distinguished Lecture (from L to R): and it’s simply a way of Frank Ovaitt, Institute for PR President; Kate James, Gates Foundation “small potatoes” compared Chief Corporate Affairs Officer; and Bjorn Edlund of Edelman, winner avoiding their — the pub- to a five-year contact with of the Alexander Hamilton Medal. lic responsibility to pro- Texas that is costing taxpay- vide good education.” ers “nearly a half-billion.” The Chronicle of Collins’ essay, called “A Very Pricey PR Watch takes issue with corporate Higher Education, in a series of stories, Pineapple,” ridiculed a question on a hosting of legislators at ALEC meetings. says Microsoft founder Bill Gates is Pearson exam for New York eighth It says that member companies cover using his money to find ways that stu- graders that asked whether a pineapple or hundreds or thousands of dollars worth dents can complete their college educa- a hare would win a race. State education of plane tickets for lawmakers and hotels tions quicker through technology. commissioner John King had the ques- for them and their families and this “rais- Valerie Strauss, writing in the tion removed from the test. es serious concerns about such gifts Washington Post, says “Gates has exer- Collins says Pearson lobbyists include under many states’ ethics and lobbying cised extraordinary influence in shap- the top White House liaison with laws.” ing modern K-12 school reform to his Congress who was involved in drafting The spending is called a “scholarship” liking, leveraging cash from his vast the “No Child Left Behind Act” in 2001 and filtered through a bank account des- Microsoft fortune to drive the public and that the Pearson’s non-profit founda- ignated as the “ALEC scholarship fund.” agenda — and taxpayer funds — tion “sends state education commission- This has enabled the donors to “maneu- toward standardized test-based ers on free trips overseas to contemplate ver around laws designed to limit accountability.” school reform.” improper influence,” says PRW, adding His vision includes “ways to measure Pearson defends trips that watchdog groups like Common everything, largely through testing,” Pearson has answered such charges Cause, People for the American Way, writes Strauss. by saying the trips “make it possible for Progress Now, and others are calling The Gates Foundation has spent $472 our nation’s education leaders to engage these practices into question. million on higher education since 2006, in an exchange with their international The “No Child Left Behind Act” according to the Post. £

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FEATURE PR CEO wants grads with skills, passion Jim Weiss, CEO of W2O Group, a $62 million firm in healthcare, tech and consumer, told 200 students at San Jose State University in November that his firm is looking for grads that have passion, computer and social skills and who “play to win vs. playing not to lose.” By Samantha Mendoza

the best chances. Rucker introduced Cripps eiss said he wants recruits Serving in internships is “incredibly Bob Rucker, Director, School of “who are ready to step on important” as well as “making as many Journalism & Mass Communications, Wsome toes, tick some people connections as you can,” she said. “Keep introduced Cripps. A presentation was off.” An ability to work quickly is a req- in touch with people. This is a shortfall of made by Michael Brito, group director of uisite at his firm. many students. They’ll meet someone but WCG, which is part of W20 Group. Successful applicants will have devel- they won’t keep in touch with them.” Brito said he spends a lot of time with oped a “positive personal students at UC Berkeley brand.” A “service-oriented” and Santa Clara personality is much desired, University as well as those he said. at San Jose and is eager to “Real world experience” is answer their questions. preferred and especially expe- Students need a “mentor” rience as an entrepreneur. to guide them. Brito said Traditional skills such as that he still has one. writing ability are still at the One reason for the pre- top of the list of desired quali- ponderance of women in ties, he said. PR currently is that they Weiss, who gave the The November San Jose State University panel (L-R): Christine Disalvo, tend to have “more empa- keynote address that was fol- lecturer in PR at San Jose State; Lou Hoffman, CEO, The Hoffman thy and you need empathy lowed by a panel discussion Agency; Tracey Parry, senior VP and partner, Airfoil Group; and Jason in this business,” he said. conducted by four counselor Mandell, co-founder and partner, LaunchSquad. Being able to empathize executives, said rapidly devel- with your customers is oping new ways of getting and crucial, he added. transferring information are Christine Disalvo, lec- stealing the thunder of tradi- turer in PR at SJSU, mod- tional media. erated a panel whose Most of what we now learn members were Lou comes through friends and our Hoffman, CEO, The own expanding networks Hoffman Agency; Jason rather than mainstream media, Mandell, Co-Founder and he said. This includes blogs, Partner, LaunchSquad; Twitter, Facebook and video. Bill Orr, Executive VP, Surveys show that 65% of A student speaks at the San Jose State University event. Burson-Marsteller; and people say they are visual Tracey Parry, Senior VP learners, he said. “Visual and Partner, Airfoil Photos by Samantha Mendoza. trumps copy” was one of the Group. lines in a slide show that Weiss Students said they presented. The career series got its start when a wished there had been more time for The audience was about 75% female. CPRF survey found that “young people questions and answers at the end of the CPRF seeks top students really don’t know what PR was or what formal program. Kathy Cripps, President of the Council it was like to work at a PR firm.” CPRF Cripps, asked whether the Council of PR Firms, which is staging a series of then set up career forums at colleges should change its name after 15 years to career forums at colleges, said the pur- that boast strong PR programs. reflect the expanded duties of “PR” firms, pose of the series is to encourage talented Cripps said there are PR opportunities said she would not take up that topic students to enter the PR counseling in big cities, but students should not since it was not of concern to the atten- industry. neglect the smaller markets where dees. “I’ve enjoyed my career in PR and I breaking in might be easier. A buffet was made available by Spartan want to share that enthusiasm with stu- “You have to be clever and have an Catering at the end of the program. dents,” she said. entrepreneurial spirit and take control of Seven copies of O’Dwyer’s Directory She conceded that snaring a job right your career. Talk to a lot of people. Each of PR Firms were raffled off at the close out of college can be tough but said those agency has a different culture and of the event. who are good writers and understand how speakers love to talk about their agen- Samantha Mendoza is a student at San to help clients solve problems will have cies.” Jose State University. £

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Your company’s been hacked. Now what? You hear about it all the time: a person or major company is sites. Be in lockstep with your social threatened by a cyber attack. For financial and healthcare media manager on what to do in the event institutions, universities, social media sites and more, the of a breach, and remember to monitor consequences can be severe. Here’s why it’s important to your social feeds around the clock. Consider how you might use social media have a crisis communications plan in place before it happens. proactively in the aftermath of an attack. By Jim Rivas And don’t forget to include protocols for what to do if the attack originates in one cyber attack? of your social mployees can be exposed to identity Write (yet another) plan: As PR pro- channels, as in the theft, customers can become victims fessionals, we write a lot of plans. But case of the AP’s Eof financial crime, and companies this document is one of the most impor- Twitter account. can lose valuable intellectual property. tant proactive plans you’ll ever work on. Gone are the Further, hacking can impact the public at After you’ve gathered internal intelli- days when security large. Earlier this year, a false Associated gence on preferred security measures, incidents can be Press tweet regarding an attack on the expectations and vulnerabilities, it is time handled by IT White House led to market-moving panic. to get started. Lay out protocols for mul- alone. To combat Even if there is no immediate or obvi- tiple security breach scenarios, identify this era of pervasive ous damage following a cyber attack, the impacted audiences, prepare commu- threats, communi- Jim Rivas many regulations require public disclo- nications materials for different channels cations profession- sure of any security breach that exposes and the most likely scenarios, set up cov- als must find new — or potentially exposes — personally erage monitoring (online and social) for strategies, work in tight coordination with identifiable information, such as sales key decision-makers and put aside any many parts of their organizations, and — databases, financial records and human budget needed. most importantly — plan ahead. resources documents. In a report Check Emphasize social media: In the age of Jim Rivas is head of Corporate Point released earlier this year, 54% of 140 Characters, make sure your plan Communications for Check Point studied organizations had at least one includes a defined approach to key social Software Technologies. £ potential data loss incident. And these security breaches can quickly turn into public relations nightmares. Ideally, all businesses should have tech- nology and protocols in place to protect against known and unknown security threats. But many companies don’t and are therefore vulnerable to cyber attacks, making it essential that every organization have a crisis communications plan ready to put into action on a moment’s notice. Here are a few suggestions to help you develop a strategy: Know who’s in charge: During a cyber attack, your number-one go-to is your Chief Security Officer. Build a rela- tionship with your CSO; find out how to reach him or her in the event of an attack. Be in sync with his/her plans for handling different types of attacks, and as a preven- tative measure, brainstorm together the types of attacks your organization could likely sustain. Determine what your other boss(es) want: While your CSO is your number- one contact in case of emergencies, do your homework to understand what your C-level executives expect in the event of an attack or breach. Ask the right ques- tions: What do they see as your greatest cyber vulnerabilities? Who is motivated to attack your company? What is the com- pany’s holding statement in the event of a

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FEATURE How football fumbled its PR strategy in 2013

From a communications standpoint, the game of football has what right do these kids have to strike when had a lousy year. Here’s why things could get worse. they get to play football and travel around By Andy Hoglund the country? The issue is clearly multifaceted. On one to be able to absorb such powerful hits hand, we’re talking about students being here’s long been talk of football (pardon the pun). But putting aside the given a unique opportunity to excel, and — being the true national pastime. I get politics of today’s NFL, there is an even in the case of sports like football, basket- Tit: the communal aspect of tailgating, more pervasive, and troubling, football- ball, and here in New England, hockey — the smell of nachos and beer, the thrill of related conversation occurring in the receive public ado- watching alpha males demolishing each NCAA, and this one goes directly to the ration. This is a con- other. It’s so grippingly American. heart of inequality and fair play: stituency many At a time when previous seasons cen- The players at Grambling, Louisiana- think should just feel tered on a feel good, Tim Tebow-esque based Grambling State in October staged grateful for the ben- story, however, this NFL season’s headlines a boycott, forc ing the school to forfeit a efits they already have instead focused more disappointingly game against Jackson St. Boston-based receive (most are on recent controversies: programmer WBUR referred to the inci- already on scholar- Native American groups have grown dent as “the Rosa Parks of college foot- ship). increasingly vocal in their request that the ball.” Then again, the Washington Redskins change its name. Pretty big words. gross profit margin Andy Hoglund Based on allegations made by Miami Whether this will ultimately be an isolat- for some programs Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan ed incident is beside the point, as is the fact allowing players to Martin, the NFL has been pressured to that these students were striking for merely put on their uniforms is impressive. 2012 take a stand against an alleged culture of better locker room conditions. Of more Southeastern Conference figures reveal the bullying and hazing in the sport. consequence is the way the brief boycott average total athletic revenue of the top ten Earlier this year, the NFL agreed to set- highlights the treatment of unpaid student to be a staggering $104 million. The tle a $765 million concussion suit athletes and whether their amateur status is Crimson Tide alone recently extended their brought on by 4,500 players. inhibiting their ability to be fairly compen- contract with Nike for a value of an estimat- It takes a brand as powerful as the NFL sated. It’s a firebrand topic, to be sure. Like, ed $30 million. Ignoring what cursory perks these athletes are given, should schools be expected to share the bounty with their ath- letes? After all, schools profit wildly off athletes’ images, yet do not allow them to use their likeness for personal profit. Even with the less high profile sports, where there’s a championship, there is an opportu- nity for schools to promote accomplish- ments, turn to fundraising, etcetera. Maybe a middle ground is achievable. Regardless of the details in crafting a solu- tion, the discrepancy is indisputable. As Tyson Hartnett recently pointed out, “exec- utives are getting $1 million per year while an athlete can’t earn $50 from signing a few autographs.” Ultimately, as much as there have been calls for dialogue around student loans, col- leges should also broach a conversation sur- rounding the archaic amateur status regula- tions placed on athletes. When it comes to the relationship between student and aca- demic institutions, many colleges find themselves at a crossroads. This reflection should extend to student-athletes as well. Every student deserves an affordable, qual- ity education ... and every worker deserves to be compensated for their efforts. That’s what being American is all about. Andrew Hoglund is a public relations executive at Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications in Boston. £

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PRSA CEO Murray gets $61,000 bonus William Murray, who got a title boost to CEO of PR Society of America during its October conference in Philadelphia, received a 12% boost in his pay, bringing his total pay package to $423,647 in 2012. on the filing. Cegielski said it was filed after it was pre- By Jack O’Dwyer sented to the Assembly. An electronic John Robinson who got a $6,071 raise version will is 2012 pay includes “bonus and to $198,444. Yann had received a not be provid- incentive compensation” of $4,975 increase to $191,460. ed to this web- H$61,222, the only staffer to get a Karla Voth, VP/Special Events, was site or anyone, bonus. His 2011 package totaled paid a total of $182,002, a raise of said Cegielski. $382,013. Neither Murray nor any $6,540, and Jeneen Garcia, Members can other staffer received any bonuses in VP/PRSSA/Academic Affairs, had a request a copy 2011, 2010 or 2009. package worth $160,618. in writing or Included in the 2012 total is $53,660 The six highest paid staffers received visit h.q. to in non-taxable benefits. a total of $1,399,936 or an average of obtain it. Murray Murray and VP-PR Stephanie $233,322. The 50 (estimated) other The form Cegielski have been asked what Murray staffers split $3,528,079 in pay/benefits shows occupan- did to merit the bonus. or an average of $70,561. cy costs for 2012 were $802,729 for Cegielski said that Murray is the Pay packages for 2013 will not be 22,500 square feet of office space or COO of an association with a $12 mil- revealed until next November if current $35 a square foot. Previous offices in lion budget for which there is a lot that practices continue. Midtown South at 33 Irving place cost IRS form 990 just under deadline he is responsible. She declined further about $325,000 or $22.50 per square discussion of the topic. The Society on November 5 provided foot. Murray joined the Society in January a printed copy of the 55-page 990 to Total payroll costs in 2012 were 2007 as President and COO and O’Dwyer’s. It was stamped “DRAFT” $4,928,015, a decline from $5,134,342 received the new title of CEO at the and had no date. The 2011 990 was in 2011. 2013 Assembly. That title was previ- filed with the IRS on Oct. 12, 2012; the Revenues exceeded expenses by ously held by the highest elected mem- 2010 form on Aug. 12, $469,260. ber. Joe Cohen will have the title of 2011, and the 2009 form As of Dec. 31, 2012, the Society had Chair in 2014. Society lead- on Sept. 2, 2010. common stocks worth $1,389,723 and ers said having the Cegielski said the 990 corporate bonds and preferred stock titles of, Chair was provided to the worth $1,012,160. CEO, President Assembly on Oct. 26, The fair value of the investments was and COO was con- the day that it met. She $283,854 more than their cost. fusing to the mem- did not say in what D.C. is site of 2014 conference bers and did not form it was provided The program for the 2013 conference reflect the reality that but it was no doubt in Philadelphia revealed that Murray has been act- electronic since the Washington, D.C. will be the site of the ing as CEO for many Society has told 2014 conference. years. Assembly dele- Murray had announced in PR Tactics Murray has yet to gates they must that cities for the next five conferences address the New York download all had been chosen but they will only be chapter membership in documents. revealed one year at a time. open session or any New Initial deadline for The conference was in D.C. in 2010. York group in open session the form was May 15. The The last conference in New York was as far as O’Dwyer’s can Society has been asked what took so in 2004 and before that in 1992. Since determine. long for the 990 to be filed when the there will be no New York conferences The Society has a “business case for audit was completed and published in for at least five years, that means there PR” initiative but no one to carry it out May. will only be one New York conference in public. VP-PR Arthur Yann, who ProPublica, Independent Sector and in 25 years and counting. New York died June 13, did not speak publicly on many other non-profits post their 990s chapter leaders say there are no plans behalf of the Society and PR. on their websites early in the year as on the part of the chapter to bid for the Top six split $1,399,936 recommended by IS, an organization of conference. Second highest paid at the Society is more than 500 non-profits, both Conference cities are chosen on the CFO Philip Bonaventura, who got a 501c/3s and 501c/6s. basis of what chapter makes the $7,968 raise to $243,765. Third highest Each page of the Society 990 is strongest bid in terms of financial and paid is VP-Corporate Development stamped “Draft” and there was no date other support. £

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lines, timely progress reports, es. IMG Consulting works on on-site execution and event behalf of our clients across all results and evaluation. the major global sports and Sports clients include: NFL entertainment properties includ- (National Football League), ing specialized practices in NHL (National Hockey Olympics, Global Football, League), MLB (Major League Motorsports, Golf, Tennis, Baseball), SHOWTIME Event Marketing, Hospitality, CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, Tourism and Public Sector Speedo, OMEGA, Indycar, Services. MGM Mirage Resorts, Humana Challenge, Barclays, Ricoh CONE Women’s Open, Santa Anita Race Track, USTA, AVP, JDP COMMUNICATIONS Communications, ESPN ERT, College Football Awards, SCP 855 Boylston Street Auctions and WSOF. Boston, MA 02116 617/227-2111 CATALYST www.conecomm.com Coyne client Daytona International Speedway broke ground on 220 East 42nd Street, Suite 800A 304 Park Avenue South, 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 Daytona Rising, its multi-year, $400 million redevelopment of its New York, NY 10010 212/894-8320 mile-long grandstand facility, on July 5, 2013. www.catalystimg.com. Twitter: twitter.com/PRCatalyst Jens Bang, Chairman Facebook: facebook.com/Catalyst Bill Fleishman, CEO Spa del Rey, Spinning, and Mark Malinowski, SVP, Head of BLAZE Spinlister. Bret Werner, SVP Entertainment Mktg Ted Fragulis, SVP BRENER ZWIKEL & Bill Holtz, SVP When getting consumers to 225 Santa Monica Blvd., 3rd Flr. relate to brands on a global scale, Santa Monica, CA 90401 ASSOCIATES Catalyst, an IMG Consulting 310/395-5050 we run into one of our most inter- Fax: 310/395-5001 company, is at the forefront of esting challenges of all: trying to [email protected] 6901 Canby Avenue, #105 strategic public relations find actors that aren’t acting. www.blazepr.com Reseda, CA 91335 through its extensive knowledge With nearly 50 combined years 818/462-5600 of digital and traditional media. of expertise managing www.bzapr.com The agency partners with lead- Hollywood relationships, Cone Matt Kovacs, EVP/GM ing brands to reach the hearts Communications Entertainment 1633 Broadway, 16th Floor and minds of consumers who Marketing is skilled at integrat- BLAZE is the nationally rec- New York, NY 10019 are passionate about sports, ing brands, causes and issues 212/708-1703 ognized PR firm that attracts entertainment and leading an with entertainment entities — compelling and aggressive con- Steve Brener & Toby Zwikel, active lifestyle. From 2010 to celebrities, films, television sumer brands that need to win. Principals 2013, Catalyst earned four shows — to create authentic rela- BLAZE develops campaigns agency of the year honors tionships and develop impactful that help our clients create or Brener Zwikel & Associates including consecutive Small programs. We understand the reclaim relevance in the market- is a PR and marketing firm with Agency of the Year awards from value of capitalizing on the place. Utilizing comprehensive more than 60 years of combined PRWeek in 2012 and 2013. celebrity’s brand and network to strategic communications cam- experience in the sports journal- IMG Consulting, a Division maximize exposure. paigns to differentiate and ele- ism and PR fields. BZA has the of IMG, is the world’s premiere Finding a celebrity to align vate our clients from their com- experience and contacts to max- sports & entertainment market- with your causes and issues petitors, we are able to exceed imize client exposure via PR, ing solutions agency with a requires an extra level of scruti- our clients’ expectations when it promotions, event planning, global team of experts based in ny, as the risks are often much comes to positioning them to event production and marketing 21 offices across the globe greater. Cone’s deep expertise in their audiences and attracting plans. including key hubs in New York cause marketing gives us an edge positive attention from both The firm’s network of media City and London as well as long in knowing what to look for and consumers and the media. contacts at the local, national established offices in Brazil, how to find it. Our relationships BLAZE also offers full public and international levels facili- Russia, India and China. IMG with agents, managers and publi- affairs capabilities through its tates media placements. Its Consulting services include cists allow us to create partner- parent company DAVIES. service-oriented philosophy sponsorship strategy & activa- ships between celebrities and Clients include: BodyBlade, includes strategic plan develop- tion, brand marketing, public brands that are organic and gen- Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa, ment, interaction with client relations, digital & social media uine. Lastly, we translate our Converse, ESPN, KeVita contacts, cultivation of media solutions, contract negotiations expertise in engaging consumers Drinks, Mad Dogg Athletics, promotions to enhance advertis- & management and return on to drive stronger and deeper pro- Peak Pilates, Performance Bike, ing buys, adherence to time- investment measurement servic- grams for you.

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PROFILES OF SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT PR FIRMS

to Coyne’s success — and from Walt Disney Studios, MEDIA CONNECT, a spe- COYNE PUBLIC yours — is that we combine where he was Vice President of cialty division of Finn Partners, creativity and enthusiasm with Publicity and Communications, focuses on the promotion of RELATIONS a smart strategic approach and Joe will lead the growth of authors, entertainers, and impeccable client service, DKC’s national entertainment artists. It regularly promotes 5 Wood Hollow Road resulting in outstanding cover- business across the bestselling authors from major Parsippany, NJ 07054 age in both expected and aspi- company. Entertainment book publishers including 973/588-2000 rational places. clients include THE X-FAC- James Patterson, John Grisham, www.coynepr.com TOR, 50 Cent, Sean “Diddy” Janet Evanovich and Dean Combs, Ken Burns, Ed Burns, Koontz. MEDIA CONNECT 1065 Avenue of the Americas, DKC 28th Floor Jay Leno, Bill Maher, Michael helps media companies such as New York, NY 10018 Eisner, Clive Davis, Sesame Condé Nast, HBO, PBS, National 261 Fifth Ave., 2nd Flr. 212/938-0166 Street, Marvel, Sony Pictures Geographic and The Discovery New York, NY 10016 Television, Showtime, Martin Channel by providing Satellite 212/685-4300 604 Arizona Avenue, Suite 10 Guitars, Billboard Magazine, TV and Radio Tours and online Fax: 212/685-9024 Santa Monica, CA 90401 [email protected] Yahoo! Entertainment and social media 310/395-6110 www.dkcnews.com Warner Music Group. campaigns. Currently the division is conducting a USA launch of a Thomas F. Coyne, CEO series of art, photography and John Gogarty, Executive Vice Established in 1991, DKC is FINN PARTNERS President lifestyle books by UK publisher, among the largest independent- Goodman Fiell. Heather Krug, Senior Vice ly owned public relations firms 301 East 57th St. President, General Manager New York, NY 10022 West Coast in the country. We break the mold of a traditional public 212/715-1600 FRENCH/WEST/ Chris Brienza, Vice President, [email protected] Sports and Media Properties relations firm to create a bold [email protected] VAUGHAN David Cooper, Vice President, new hybrid that combines the www.finnpartners.com Sports and Media Properties creativity, expertise and senior 112 E. Hargett St. level engagement of a boutique Philippa Polskin, Managing Raleigh, NC 27601 Coyne PR’s knowledge and agency with the strategic abili- Partner 212/593-6488 919/832-6300 creativity has made it one of the ties, intellectual capital and David Hahn, Partner 212-593-5847 www.fwv-us.com country’s fastest-growing agen- bandwidth of a large corpora- cies and top award tion. With experience that cuts Voted Best New Agency, Rick French, Chairman and CEO winners. Our specialized prac- across nearly every industry and Firm of the Year (Midsize) and David Gwyn, tice areas of Entertainment and geographic region, sports and Best Place to Work in 2012/13, President and Principal Sports & Media Properties rep- entertainment have always been Finn Partners is one of the Natalie Best, Executive Vice President and Director of Client resent an impressive collection cornerstones of the firm’s fastest-growing independent Services, Principal of top national brands, high- diverse client mix. communications agencies in the profile events and first-class DKC’s Sports division is a world with offices in NY, LA, French/West/Vaughan (FWV) organizations. trusted, longtime partner for a SF, DC, CHI, London and is the Southeast’s leading public The Entertainment team multitude of Fortune 100 com- Israel. The firm’s relations, public affairs and brand works with Hard Rock panies, leagues, franchises, ven- Entertainment and Arts & communications agency, inde- International, making the brand ues, sponsors, owners and ath- Culture work falls under two pendent or otherwise. Founded in synonymous with music by letes. With a seasoned staff that major groups at the April 1997 by Agency Chairman generating national and interna- is deeply rooted in all aspects of Agency: POLSKIN ARTS & & CEO Ri ck French, FWV now tional buzz through events with the sports business, from high- COMMUNICATIONS COUN- employs 85 research, public rela- top artists ranging from Karmin level front office posts to sports SELORS, and MEDIA CON- tions, public affairs, advertising to Yoko Ono. The team also journalism, DKC’s Sports team NECT. and digital marketing experts works with Epiphone Guitars knows how to build coverage With its division POLSKIN among its Raleigh, N.C. head- and AEG. In addition, they’ve for clients well beyond the tra- ARTS & COMMUNICATIONS quarters and New York City, managed events with top ditional sports media landscape. COUNSELORS, Finn Partners Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles celebrities including Cee Lo Clients include the U.S. Tennis is home to the oldest and largest and Tampa offices. Green for Meow Mix, Ke$ha Association/U.S. Open, New group specializing in cultural Ranked as the #2 firm for for Casio Baby-G and Miley Balance, Citi, Sprint, New Era, public relations. PA&CC is sports PR and #17 for entertain- Cyrus for the Walt Disney Topps, THQ, Warner Home known for strategic planning of ment PR by O’Dwyer’s, FWV is Company. The Sports and Video, 2K Sports and Fanatics. comprehensive campaigns an industry leader in sports and Media team’s playbook DKC specializes in working focused on major institutional entertainment marketing, and includes winning gameplans for with entertainment at the inter- initiatives, for representing cor- specializes in creating maximum industry-leading companies section of corporate enterprise porations and other funders brand exposure for its clients such as Daytona International and creative pursuits. The engaged in cultural collabora- through strategic partnerships, Speedway, the United States Entertainment team takes a 360 tions and for providing expert paid endorsements, sponsor rela- Golf Association, IRONMAN degree approach to building ongoing counsel and crisis com- tions, event management, social and ESPN The Magazine, clients’ brands – from personal- munications. Clients include media, mobile and experiential among several others. The key ities to entertainment executives The Museum of Modern Art, marketing and traditional earned to corporate clients who use Solomon R. Guggenheim media outreach programs. entertainment sponsorships to Museum and Foundation, The January issue of O’Dwyer’s will fea- FWV’s sports and entertain- help bring their products and Whitney Museum of American ture a company profiles section on crisis ment clients include All-Pro services to life. DKC recently Art, Alvin Ailey American Cincinnati Bengals defensive communications. If you would like your appointed Joe Quenqua as Dance Theater, the J. Paul Getty firm to be listed, contact Editor Jon tackle Geno Atkins, New York Executive Vice President, Trust, the Menil Collection, the Giants starting free safety Ryan Gingerich at 646/843-2080 or Director of Entertainment, Natural History Museum of Los [email protected] based out of the company’s Los Angeles County, Stedelijk 0Continued on page 22 Angeles office. Joining DKC Museum Amsterdam and UBS.

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Jazz Musician Jon Barnes and Thomas Brinkmann, Reg. Mgr. Automobili Lamborghini America, inside the Lamborghini exhibit at the Concours d’ Elegance, where amazing hybrids went on display for thousands of attendees of the world famous auto show.

Squibb, Abu Dhabi Festival and the KEITH SHERMAN Montreal Jazz Festival, among oth- ers. AND ASSOCIATES Excellence. Results. A fresh NFL superstar quarterback Michael Vick engaged FWV to launch point-of-view. Proactive effort. Intelligent strategic think- one of the most comprehensive reputation management and commu- 234 West 44th Street New York, NY 10036 ing. Experience. High stan- nity relations campaigns of any professional athlete. 212/764-7900 dards. Integrity. Creativity. Fax: 212/764-0344 Passion. These are some of the ele- www.ksa-pr.com ments that distinguish KSA’s work. selling musician T.I., actor Keith Sherman, President FRENCH/WEST/VAUGHAN Brandon Mychal Smith, actress Brett Oberman, VP MAYO 0Continued from page 21 Linda Hogan, Olympic Gold Scott Klein, VP Medalist Jessica Hardy, COMMUNICATIONS AstroTurf, Speedo, MoGo KEITH SHERMAN & ASSO- Mouthguards, TVG (America’s CIATES provides strategic public 7248 Bernadine Ave., 2nd Floor Mundy, Baltimore Ravens start- Horseracing Network), Parelli relations counseling and marketing West Hills (L.A.), CA 91307 Natural Horsemanship, Xtreme communications services to a 818/340-5300 ing defensive lineman Chris Fax: 818/340-2550 Canty, Philadelphia Eagles Fighting Championships diverse roster of entertainment, www.mayopr.com quarterback Michael Vick, (XFC), OTB Records, the lifestyles, sports and corporate Orlando Magic forward Glen Carolina Cobras of the Arena clients. Aida Mayo, President “Big Baby” Davis, former NFL Football League, AccuSport KSA has publicized hundreds of Kevin Martin McQuade, Social star Terrence Holt, NFL legend- International, Premiere films, network and cable television Media turned-filmmaker Simeon Rice, Management Group, the broadcasts, Broadway shows, Dan Lai, San Diego Bureau SKINS compression wear, Tasc Atlantic Coast Conference national touring productions and Renee Robinson, NY Bureau Performance apparel, (ACC), the Aggie-Eagle high profile events nationally and NATHAN, Peter Millar, United Classic, Urban Sports and internationally. Clients include: MAYO communications, States Speedskating, best-sell- Entertainment Group, North Universal Pictures, Focus Features, based in Los Angeles, offers ing author Nick Schuyler and Carolina Amateur Sports and Adrian Grenier, Olympic Medalists Social Media, Corporate Social the Southwestern Athletic the N.C. State Games, among Brian Boitano, Paul Hamm and Responsibility, Corporate Conference (SWAC). others. Michelle Kwan, Tony Awards on Communications and Branding. The agency has also done Additionally, FWV Chairman CBS for 18 years, Colin Quinn, A short list of entertainment work on behalf of the Central & CEO Rick French is a nation- Lang Lang, Mike Birbiglia, Bolshoi clients this year includes: Jazz Intercollegiate Athletic al trustee of the Rock and Roll Ballet, Kimpton Hotels, Portuguese Musician Jon Barnes, who Association (CIAA), United Hall of Fame and Museum. As a Gourmet Food Festival, 54 recently toured Europe and per- States Polo Association, member of the board of trustees, BELOW and 300 Broadway, Off- formed in the daCarbo Jazz Professional Rodeo Cowboys French is among a small num- Broadway and touring shows. Festival along with Arturo Association, Eurosport/SOC- ber of America’s most promi- KSA’s clients include: The New Sandoval and former lead singer CER.com, leading international nent business and music indus- York Times, Visiting Nurse Service Skip Martin, Kool and the Gang. swimwear brand Arena, Seattle try leaders who are stewards of of New York, Hertz, Sony, The A short list of other entertain- Seahawks quarterback Russell the Hall of Fame and Museum Onion, Architectural Digest, ment clients include: Actor Wilson, All-Pro NFL running and are also asked to represent Columbia University, Memorial Jeremy London, Actor/Producer back Arian Foster, Detroit Lions the Rock Hall’s mission and Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Timothy Woodward Jr; safety Glover Quin, NBA veter- goals at programs and events New York Marriott Marquis, The Continued on page 24 an Dahntay Jones, platinum- around the world. Broadway League, Bristol-Myers 0

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ing, full-service entertainment PMK*BNC marketing and PR agency work- ing with a diverse roster of clients Pacific Design Center ranging from A-list celebrities to 8687 Melrose Ave., 8th Floor content creators and consumer Los Angeles, CA 90069 technology companies to social 310/854 4800 entertainment brands. The www.pmkbnc.com agency offers brands an entertain- Twitter: @pmk_bnc ment insider’s “POV” on evolv- Facebook: pmk*bnc ing lifestyle, consumer, technolo- Leading the Travel Industry 622 Third Ave., 20th Floor gy and social entertainment New York, NY 10017 trends as well as deep relation- 212/582-1111 ships with media and influencers within the entertainment commu- by Providing Professional Sony Crackle teamed with John Legend for an impromptu performance 7-11 Herbrand Street nity. in Los Angeles on November 26th as part of their “Playing It Forward” Lon WC1N 1EX Our core entertainment and United Kingdom Travel Services Since 1972 music movement of good will to generate awareness and funds to sup- +44 20 7837 3737 sports expertise is in working port education programs in schools. Rogers & Cowan was hired by Sony with celebrities, athletes, record- Crackle to manage artist relations, on-site event activation, event pro- Michael Nyman, Chairman & CEO ing artists, cable and network TV, duction, charitable partnerships, brand management and traditional and Cindi Berger, Chairman & CEO film production and distribution, social media outreach. Chris Robichaud, CEO record labels, video game produc- ers, sports leagues an d live events PMK*BNC is the global as well as the evolving social authority in Popular Culture and entertainment ecosystem includ- Entertainment. We specialize in ing emerging entertainment tech- MAYO COMMS. MWW creating ideas that move the nology brands and creators of consumer. We are experts who content for multiple screens. Continued from page 22 0 ENTERTAINMENT speak a global language of pop- Rogers & Cowan utilize our ular culture driven by consumer proprietary EMBRACE method- passion points including film, 304 Park Avenue South ology to create customized enter- television, sports, music, arts, Hollywood Film Magazine; New York, NY 10010 tainment strategies for brands, 212/704-9727 fashion and technology. including the development of Status L.A. Magazine; www.mww.com With extraordinary access to “Hollywood East” (HULU) Teen intellectual property, celebrity the entertainment industry, we spokespeople and partnerships, drama; Global Onslaught- created a Science Series to share Australia-UK; Buddy Princeton Michael W. Kempner, President & branded storytelling / integration, CEO unique data and insights, and and the Incorruptibles (Jackson celebrity and influencer outreach, have developed a proprietary music and culture events, social Browne, Steve Miller Band), and TM tool that measures celebrity Operation Blankets of Love (ani- To Matter More , brands media activation, celebrity brand must build relationships with influence called Fanatomy. We ambassadors, lifestyle media mal rescue charity), to name a represent approximately 800 few. the influencers who matter relations and relationship build- most. MWW Entertainment clients ranging from celebrities, ing with entertainment industry Last Summer MAYO went on producers, directors, cable and tour with Music Master Jon connects clients with top talent influencers. Based on the cam- • Business Travel Consultants in music, sports and entertain- network TV properties, produc- paign, we develop an integrated Barnes. Recently, Barnes per- tion companies, musicians, formed with Arturo Sandoval and ment to inspire action and media campaign to activate and increase awareness, brand authors, sports figures, con- amplify the message and to • Strategic Meetings Management Kool and the Gang’s former lead sumer brands and events. Singer Skip Martin at the Catalina image and sales. Clients turn to engage media, consumers and MWW Entertainment experts to With a staff of roughly 250 online communities through Jazz Club and on tour in professionals in New York, Los • Government Travel Contractors Locations: Germany. All were sponsored by tap into our relationship net- owned, earned, and shared media works and connect with celebri- Angeles and London, our channels. MONSTER CABLE and daCarbo agency delivers inspired solu- ty endorsers that move the nee- We embrace the power of tradi- North America Trumpets, which makes the only tions that include public rela- • Over 200 Offices Worldwide dle to establish cachet, credibil- tional and social media to build carbon-fiber instruments in the tions, event production, experi- ity and relevance. MWW brands, drive viewership for Middle East world. The new luxury sports cars ential marketing, celebrity and Entertainment is a joint venture broadcast and mobile entertain- such as 2014 Porsche and influencer outreach, sponsor- • Competitive Online Booking between MWW and KWL ment programing, increase atten- Lamborghini are also made out of ship, promotions, product place- Europe Enterprises, led by Kevin Liles, dance for live events, activate carbon-fiber, so it was appropriate ment and integration, digital former President of Def Jam brand sponsorships, grow online • One-on-One Travel Consultation that Barnes played August 17, at content creation and brand con- Music Group and EVP of fan communities and increase Asia the Rolex Monterey Motorsports sultation. Reunion (car show) in Monterey Warner Music. Our team crafts downloads of mobile apps. Find out about cruises sailing from New York multi-dimensional campaigns Recent clients/projects have • Leisure Travel Experts County, CA. Barnes played his hit ROGERS & and other worldwide destinations song, That’s Monster Love (Jon for artists, entertainers, and included Rdio, Amazon Studios, Barnes on Reverbnation) at the sports/entertainment properties. COWAN Target, Sonos, Food Network, Pebble Beach Concours d’ MWW Entertainment services HGTV & DIY Networks, GRAM- 888-333-3116 Elegance event. brands in the areas of celebrity MY and Latin GRAMMY acquisition and branding, fash- 8687 Melrose Ave., 7th Floor Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Los Angeles, CA 90069 ion and entertainment publicity, 310/854-8117 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, PGA View and download entire issues of O’Dwyer’s full service celebrity brand inte- Tour, Haunting Melissa, Dolphin magazine in PDF format, as well as hundreds Fax: 310/854-8106 gration, positioning and mes- www.rogersandcowan.com Digital, Sony Pictures Home of company profiles in our searchable online saging, talent management, dig- Entertainment, Sprite Refreshing database. ital and social media, and con- Tom Tardio, CEO Films, The Coca-Cola Company, sumer lifestyle marketing and Cinemacon, Fox Consumer 212-563-3500 • OmegaNewYork.com WWW.ODWYERPR.COM public relations. Rogers & Cowan is the lead- Products, Miramax, and Kabam. World Headquarters • 3102 Omega Office Park • Fairfax, VA 22031• 703-359-0200 24 DECEMBER 2013 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 4 ADVERTISING SECTION Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 25

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212-563-3500 • OmegaNewYork.com World Headquarters • 3102 Omega Office Park • Fairfax, VA 22031• 703-359-0200 Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 26

PROFILES OF SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT PR FIRMS

branding, design, digital, social of the most recognized and media, interactive, influencer iden- respected brands in the world in tification and engagement, social cooperation with the major sports and traditional marketing, predic- franchises, leagues and athletes. tive modeling, location based mar- Our programs give our clients keting, corporate and product PR competitive advantages enabling and media, as well as investor and them to elevate their brands, advocacy relations. Entertainment enhance consumer loyalty and clients include Warner Bros. Home increase sales. Video, for which WCG maintains a highly accurate predictive model of WEBSTER & DVD sales based on technical vari- ables and social signals. ASSOCIATES For more information, visit our website at www.wcgworld.com or 33 Music Square West, #100B follow us on Twitter Nashville, TN 37202 @WCGWorld. 615/777-6995 x232 Fax: 615/369-2515 WEBER [email protected] Webster Associates President Kirt Webster with Bob Romeo, [email protected] www.websterpr.com Academy of Country Music CEO and client Big Kenny. SHANDWICK Kirt Webster, President 919 Third Avenue Jeremy Westby, VP Awards. New York, NY 10022 212/445-8000 Webster & Associates has guid- TAYLOR Taylor’s client partners include www.webershandwick.com Diageo, P&G, Allstate, Capital ed the publicity and marketing One, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Gail Heimann, President, Chief campaigns for such legendary The Empire State Building music artists as Hank Williams Jr., 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3800 Nike, 3M, Taco Bell, NASCAR, Strategy Officer New York, NY 10118 and Nestlé. Jerry Gleason, Senior Vice Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers 212/714-1280 President; Director, Sports as well as artists as diverse as www.taylorstrategy.com WCG Marketing North America Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pat Benatar, Sam Moore and Kid Rock. All are Tony Signore, CEO & Managing Weber Shandwick’s Sports musicians who are the best in Partner 60 Francisco Street Marketing practice combines the their respective genres and our San Francisco, CA 94133 Bryan Harris, COO & Managing agency’s industry-leading con- firm is at the forefront of creating Partner 415/362-5018 Fax: 415/362-5019 sumer marketing practice with an innovative campaigns not only on www.wcgworld.com expansive global network of behalf of established heritage Named “Consumer Agency of [email protected] sports marketing experts focused artists but actualized effective the Decade” by the Holmes Group, Blog: blog.wcgworld.com on creating award-winning pro- strategies launching new careers. Taylor has forged a reputation of Twitter: @WCGWorld grams for many of the world’s Corporate brands such as Cracker excellence in public relations and best known brands in cooperation Barrel Old Country Store, brand marketing over the past 30 Jim Weiss, Founder and CEO with the major sports franchises, Wrangler and Blaster have also years by partnering with the Chris Deri, President of WCG leagues and athletes. trusted the guidance of Webster & Bob Pearson, President of W2O world’s leading corporate mar- Group We bring together athletes, Associates. keters utilizing their sports, David Witt, Practice Leader- products and campaigns to tell Through our solid relationships lifestyle, and entertainment assets Consumer engaging stories across multiple with talent bookers, tastemakers, to engage consumers and foster platforms that help connect with music supervisors and other brand relationships that drive busi- WCG, part of the W2O Group consumers and fans alike to give industry professionals we create a ness growth. The agency’s roots family, is a global communications our clients competitive advan- customized campaign with a mul- are firmly planted in the world of agency offering integrated creative, tages enabling them to elevate tidimensional approach that sig- sports and its legacy of developing interactive and marketing commu- their brands, enhance consumer nificantlybuilds our clients’ pro- and activating hundreds of award- nications services to clients in loyalty and increase sales. files and also raises industry winning campaigns for leading healthcare, technology, consumer We build visibility and prefer- awareness. The increased media brands in support of sports sponsor- products, and entertainment. WCG ence for our clients and their presence also helps build bridges ships is unparalleled. From global is creating the positive future of products and services through to new ventures from corporate properties like the Olympic Games communications by focusing on consumer outreach, media rela- opportunities to new compelling and FIFA World Cup, to the crown the corporate, product marketing tions, event marketing, fan projects. We have a proven track jewels of U.S. sports — the World and communications needs of the engagement, sponsorship activa- record of these results. Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, world’s leading companies. tion and social media. We also provide a host of addi- and Daytona 500, among others — Established in 2001 by Jim In addition, we work closely tional services that can enhance Taylor has long been a trusted Weiss, a 25 year veteran in health- with our Interpublic Group sports your public relations and market- counselor for many of the world’s care communications, the agency marketing partner Octagon to ing campaign. This broad spec- most influential sports marketers. has grown to 425 employees, with offer our clients a full range of trum includes Media Training, The agency has also successful- 190 housed in WCG, serving counsel and support surrounding Satellite Media Tours, Crisis ly aligned its client partners’ busi- clients globally with offices in San sponsorships, athlete representa- Management and Special Events, ness goals with the most recogniz- Francisco, New York, Austin, tion, on-site physical activation for which we can act as sole pro- able properties in the entertainment Atlanta, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and hospitality, negotiation and ducer or serve as consultants. Our industry, including the Academy and London. benchmarking. goal is always to seamlessly inte- Awards, Grammy Awards, Latin WCG’s seasoned professionals Our sports marketing profes- grate these activities with a client Grammy Awards, Sundance Film remain the greatest asset we offer sionals have created and lever- or brand’s publicity and market- Festival, and MTV Music Video our clients. Our teams specialize in aged sports sponsorships for some ing campaign. £

26 DECEMBER 2013 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 4 ADVERTISING SECTION Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 27 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS TOP ENTERTAINMENT PR FIRMS

1. 18. Edelman New York $12,946,953 Public Comms. Chicago 387,340 2. 19. Finn Partners New York 5,793,261 LaunchSquad San Francisco 382,200 3. 20. MWW New York 5,359,000 PadillaCRT Minneapolis 290,724 4. 21. Taylor New York 3,246,034 Hirons & Company Indianapolis 285,000 5. 22. Jackson Spalding Atlanta 2,513,911 Schneider Assocs. Boston 213,500 6. 23. Allison+Partners San Francisco 2,200,000 Hope-Beckham Atlanta 176,998 7. 24. APCO Worldwide Wash, D.C. 2,083,034 Ruder Finn New York 160,415 8. 25. 5W Public Relations New York 1,800,000 McNeely Pigott & Fox Nashville 134,764 9. 26. W2O Group San Francisco 1,691,000 Rosica Mulhern & Assocs. Paramus, NJ 129,025 10. 27. Hunter PR New York 1,270,753 Landis Comms. San Francisco 120,000 11. 28. Coyne PR Parsippany, NJ 1,242,000 VPE Public Relations S. Pasadena 115,871 12. 29. Regan Comms. Group Boston 1,215,000 Linhart PR Denver 83,762 13. 30. Zeno Group New York 597,800 Beehive PR St. Paul 78,611 14. 31. rbb Public Relations Coral Gables, FL 587,302 Stuntman New York 70,400 15. 32. Kaplow Comms. New York 525,000 Furia Rubel Comms. Doylestown, PA 40,000 16. 33. CooperKatz & Co. New York 453,447 Bridge Global Strategies New York 40,000 17. 34. French | West | Vaughan Raleigh 398,005 Levick Strategic Comms. Wash, D.C. 20,427 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS TOP SPORTS PR FIRMS 1. 12. Taylor New York $10,492,501 Allison+Partners San Francisco 250,000 2. 13. French | West | Vaughan Raleigh 5,092,539 Blaze Santa Monica 234,413 3. 14. Edelman New York 2,750,249 Beehive PR St. Paul 217,023 4. 15. Ruder Finn New York 2,445,733 rbb Public Relations Coral Gables, FL 205,537 5. 16. Coyne PR Paramus, NJ 1,914,000 Jackson Spalding Atlanta 173,695 6. 17. Gregory FCA Ardmore, PA 1,589,300 Hirons & Company Indianapolis 140,000 7. 18. Regan Comms. Group Boston 1,265,725 McNeely Pigott & Fox Nashville 115,804 8. 19. PadillaCRT Minneapolis 988,330 Rasky Baerlein Strategic Comms. Boston 78,443 9. 20. CooperKatz & Co. New York 354,321 Zeno Group New York 50,305 10. 21. Sachs Media Group Tallahassee, FL 320,090 Maccabee Minneapolis 27,218 11. 22. Rosica Comms. Paramus, NJ 259,422 Red Sky PR Boise 26,088

© Copyright 2013 The J.R. O'Dwyer Co.

© Copyright 2013 The J.R. O'Dwyer Co. Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 28

OPINION Professional Development

Department, and a meeting with Barneys’ Dealing with snakes in PR top management presumably adds heft to By Fraser Seitel Barneys’ brass. their charges. How the refined merchant deals with its But as long as you understand the risks slithering adversary should be an object les- — and Barneys clearly does — the meet- f you’re a liberal left-winger, you posi- son for any high profile firm which finds ing becomes a symbolic testament of your tively adore Michael Moore and Morgan itself in the sights of a bad publicity gun- willingness to listen to the other side and ISpurlock, the film makers who’ve made for-hire. consider acting on what they’ve said. mince meat out of fat cats from General Stated metaphorically, here’s the antidote That’s why Barneys’ CEO Mark Lee sat Motors to McDonald’s. for the snake venom: down with Sharpton and his battalion to If you’re a conservative right-winger, you 1. Take the charges seriously. hear them — and get them — out. can’t get enough of James O’Keefe, the Is Al Sharpton a phony who specializes in 4. Control the post-meeting agenda. film maker who brought community group targeting vulnerable, deep-pocketed adver- This is the tricky part. Al Sharpton is out ACORN to its knees. saries in high-volume controversies that are for one thing — Al Sharpton. He wants the Despite their diver- often short on facts but long on righteous meeting to lead to actions that he will dic- gent ideologies, indignation? tate and perhaps even profit from. The trick Moore, Spurlock and Yes, yes, yes, but ... is to steal the agenda away from him. O’Keefe share a com- Takes the accusations seriously, regard- To do this, Barneys must be ready to mon trait: They are less of the suspect credibility of the accuser announce its action plans to ensure that race snakes who will sacri- and the fact that the alleged offenses hap- discrimination never again rears its ugly fice anything — pened months ago. head in a Barneys’ store. Its plan should including truth, fair- Accusations of discrimination are good include actions growing out of the Yaki Fraser P. Seitel has ness and propriety, to copy. Today, with web sites and blogs — Audit, a diversity training regimen for been a communications skewer their targets. from Huffington Post to TMZ.com, from Barneys’ personnel, and an internal adjudi- consultant, author and This brings us to blackamericaweb.com to christianpost.com cation program to deal with allegations of teacher for 30 years. the current flap — eager to leap on any brewing controver- discrimination. He is the author of the Prentice-Hall text, The between the upscale, sy, very little slips under the radar. Once the CEO Lee should make these plans public Practice of Public Upper East Side pan- blogosphere gets hold of the looming bat- and promise to report periodically on Relations. theon of discriminat- tle, it’s only a matter of time before the progress. Sharpton won’t like it, because ing fashion sense, more legitimate journalistic web sites — such an approach will neutralize his bluster. Barneys, and the aging-yet-still-feisty nytimes.com, abcnews.com, et al — run 5. Mobilize your third-party allies. snake among snakes: Al Sharpton. with it as well. To rid the premises of snakes, use your Rev. Al, of course, has become a bit So if you’re a high-profile target, take allies to corroborate your good intentions defanged from his early heyday 25 years every charge seriously. and actions to remedy the problem. ago, when he burst on the national stage to 2. Preempt with quick action. In the case of Barneys, the chain’s secret perpetrate a colossal hoax involving When charged by a provocateur like weapon is none other than one Shawn African-American teenager Tawana Sharpton, don’t wait for a sit down to act. Carter aka Jay Z, the rags-to-riches rapper, Brawley, who falsely accused six white Move immediately to preempt the charla- who has triumphed over childhood in the men of raping her. After furiously pumping tan before he gets the drop on you. Bed Stuy projects and scatological, sexist the fictitious story to a gullible media and In Barneys’ case, as soon as the Sharpton lyrics to become an art-buying, President- ruining the lives of the men in question, publicity bomb was dropped, the company friending, budding member of the estab- Sharpton was fined $65,000 for master- announced it had retained Michael Yaki, a lishment. minding the ruse and then got his support- member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Now he has collaborated with Barneys to ers to pay the freight. Rights, to review the operations and proce- benefit his foundation and inner-city edu- Where others might have slunk away in dures at its Madison Avenue store, the cational advancement. shame, Sharpton rejuvenated himself as a scene of the alleged customer inquisitions. Carter understands that while Barneys, kind of civil rights stalker, throwing himself In acting quickly to hire an experienced, like any store, may have a few bad apples, headlong into any controversy anywhere unbiased arbiter to find out the true facts it isn’t fundamentally racist. He also under- that involved a whiff of discrimination. behind any racism at Barneys, the chain stands that Sharpton isn’t exactly the “cru- For the past year, Sharpton has bided his preempted Sharpton from hand-picking a sader for truth and dignity” that he purports time as an MSNBC broadcaster, Democrat crony to audit its activities. to be. He also knows that in the current Party king maker and FOB (Friend of 3. Accept a meeting. pecking order, he outranks Rev. Al, who Barack). But in October, when Barney’s It also makes sense to allow the snake thus far has backed off on criticizing Jay Z was reported to have interrogated two black into the tent, rather than denying him a for his Barneys tie. shoppers because of the color of their skin meeting he demands. Clearly, this is What Carter does next — either sever his — Rev. Al was back in business. always risky. ties with the store or reaffirm his commit- After presumably spending months plot- Accepting a meeting with thugs elevates ment to a chain that disavows discrimina- ting strategy with the two — one of whom, them in stature, confirming that they and tion — may tell the tale on whether a 19-year-old woman, paid $2,500 with a their concerns merit top management’s Sharpton gets more. temporary debit card in February; the other, attention. In effect, the meeting legitimizes The bet here is that Jay Z, conscious of a 21-year-old man, purchased a $350 belt the adversaries. In Barneys’ case, both of the big picture for the people he has prom- in April — Sharpton screamed “racial pro- the “victims” are suing (surprise!) the ised to help as well as himself, will back filing” and demanded a sit down with retailer and the New York Police Barneys and the snake will slither away. £

28 DECEMBER 2013 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 29

Guest Column My PR company is saving $60K under Obamacare By Kevin Foley words: mission accomplished. Rep. Tom Price: “The last thing Recall this is the same crowd who espite their “I told you so” procla- that this nation needs is this law that showed no interest in accountability after mations, what Republicans fear will destroy quality healthcare in this President Bush, on the wings of his infa- Dmost is happening at my broadcast country.” mous “mushroom cloud” lies, sent and Internet public relations firm in Rep. Phil Gingrey “This (roll-out) American troops to Iraq in search of non- Georgia. fiasco is yet another warning sign of existent WMD and 4,487 of them came My company’s annu- Obamacare nightmares to come.” home in caskets. al healthcare costs Rep. Paul Broun: “Obamacare But Obama gets no benefit of the doubt, will drop at least will destroy everything in America.” let alone any help from the GOP as he $60,000 in 2014 reforms a broken system while providing thanks to the health If Obamacare is so awful, why not just decent insurance coverage to 40 million insurance exchange let it fail? Democrats will suffer political- Americans and lowering the nation’s run- the U.S. Department ly and Republicans will pick up seats in away healthcare costs. of Health and Human Congress and maybe even win the White Conservative hypocrites are bound to Services is operating. House in 2016. be exposed as the real liars when stories This financial relief Kevin Foley is CEO Here’s the answer: “People will like it,” like mine are repeated across Georgia and and founder of KEF comes just in time. Tea Party Sen. Mike Lee admitted during the U.S. by individuals and business own- Media, an Atlanta area After Obamacare a recent interview with Rush Limbaugh. ers who discover Obamacare’s bottom broadcast and digital was signed into law Yes, the on-line rollout was botched. line benefits. PR services firm. in 2010, my health Problems will be fixed by Nov. 30. Some This time next year, when Republicans insurer rushed to insurers cancelled junk policies that can are claiming credit for healthcare reform, cash in while it be replaced with superior plans, in many voters need to remember their deceitful could, jacking up our premium 29 percent cases for the same or less money. words and ask why it was they who so dis- over the last two years and another 13 Nevertheless, Republicans branded honestly stood in the way of something so percent in 2014. Obama a heinous liar and demanded good for Americans and American busi- Our new costs would likely drop fur- accountability. For them, I’ve got just two ness. £ ther if Georgia had a state-run health insurance exchange. Unfortunately, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, like so many other red state governors, is deliberately undermining Obamacare and has refused to implement a state exchange. Nor has the Georgia Chamber of Commerce — the purported advocate for small busi- ness — lobbied Deal to establish an exchange. So our 24 employees will go to the federal exchange to select policies. Silver Plan benefits offered there closely match what I currently provide. The cost for most of these plans is lower than what we now pay and about half of my employees will qualify for tax credits they can use to purchase their health insurance. As I have always done, I will pay a portion of their premiums. My employees are free to decide what coverage they buy, no longer stuck with- in the limits of the insurance we offered. Unlike pre-Obamacare days, they cannot be refused coverage for pre-existing conditions and their policies won’t be cancelled if they get sick or injured. Small businesspeople continue to be swamped with relentless Chicken Little prophesies coming from the conserva- tive media and GOP politicians. Here’s a sampling of what Georgia politicos are saying:

DECEMBER 2013 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 29 Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 30

PEOPLE IN PR

FH president and CEO Dave Senay Chamberlain’s Wilson noted the firm’s ability to “gather, make Ingersoll Rand taps sense of, and apply” research and analytics takes Spectrum prez for clients is now “critical.” £ comms head for spinoff

onathan Wilson, an 11-year veteran ngersoll Rand, the Ireland-incorporated of Chamberlain Healthcare and WCG’s Jones moves to global industrial conglomerate, has Jpresident for the last four, will Edelman Irecruited veteran relocate to Washington to take the corporate communi- President slot at Spectrum Science cations exec Susana Communications, effective Jan. 4. delman hired WCG’s Spike Jones in Duarte de Suarez to Austin as Senior VP to oversee busi- head communica- Eness development and regional strate- tions for Allegion, gy in the southwest. the $2 billion securi- At San Francisco-based WCG, Jones was ty unit being spun off Group Director of next month. de Suarez engagement for its Duarte de Suarez, Austin outpost. who has run her own WCG ranks No. 1 shop, Media Moon Communications, for in Austin with 2012 the past four years, was previously VP of fees of $10.1 million. Corporate Communications for two global John Seng, CEO; Lissette Capati, Sr. VP; Edelman’s Austin/ building materials giants, Holcim and Jonathan Wilson, Pres.; Maureen Varnon, Sr. VP Dallas/Houston units CEMEX. Previous roles included chief combined for fees of Jones communications officer of The Peace $9.1 million. Corps from 2002-05 and assistant director Spectrum Founder John Seng continues Earlier, Jones was for FEMA. as CEO and takes the chairman position. with FleishmanHillard’s office in Texas’ At Allegion, she leads communications He said Spectrum is in a “transforma- capital and a 10-year veteran of Brains on and corporate affairs as VP for the Carmel, tional stage” and Wilson has the major big Fire (Greenville, SC). Ind.-based company, which makes locks, healthcare brand experience and business- Jones is author of “Brains on Fire: Ignite steel doors and other security barriers and building savvy to guide the firm’s growth. Powerful, Sustainable, World of Mouth products for residential and commercial Wilson was at Ketchum before moving Movements.” applications. Its brands include Kryptonite, to New York-based Chamberlain, which is Edelman’s Austin office is the independ- Legge and Steelcraft. part of inVentive Health. ent PR firm’s “center of analytics.” Helen Ingersoll Rand moved its corporate base Spectrum posted $5.3 million in net fees Vollmer heads Edelman’s southwest from Bermuda to Swords, Ireland, in £ during 2012. operations. £ 2009. It is slated to spin-off Allegion as a publicly traded entity on Dec. 1. FH recruits data chief Allegion met with investors Nov. 18 in Finn Partners bolsters New York to outline its strategy. from Coke Allegion had previously tapped Ray Hollywood savvy Lewis Senior VP of HR and communica- leishmanHillard has brought in tions in August. £ Christina Liao from The Coca-Cola inn Partners has added entertainment FCo. to lead research, analytics and pro Hope Grayling vet to Levick data for the firm. FBoonshaft as Liao headed Coca-Cola’s knowledge senior partner at its and insights team as group director, specif- Rogers/ Finn eslie Wolf-Creutzfeldt, who served ically focused on determining return on Partners unit in Los as Managing Director of Grayling investment across the beverage giant’s Angeles. LUSA to help the British PR operation paid, earned, shared and “owned” media. Most recently at gain a footfhold here, has gone to She was previously VP of Analytics at Carmen Group Washington’s Levick. market research firm CMI. West, she once Boonshaft Mark Irion, Levick’s President and for- At Omnicom- served as general mer head of Dutko Worldwide, which was owned FH, Liao, a manager of Hill & acquired by Grayling’s parent China native and Knowlton’s LA and Irvine outposts, coun- Huntsworth, admires Wolf-Creutzfeldt’s Ph.D. candidate at seling Sony Pictures Imageworks, “seemingly effortless ability to connect Georgia State Univ., Lionsgate Entertainment, Mazda, clients to top-tier media analysts and busi- is a Senior Partner LinkedIn, Adidas, Yahoo, Dolby and ness partners.” and Senior VP, Technicolor. Prior to Grayling, Wolf-Creutzfeldt led charged with man- Prior to H&K, Boonshaft was executive Interpublic’s life sciences investor rela- aging the firm’s VP/group external affairs at Sony Pictures. tions unit and headed the technology unit Liao alliance with sister Boonshaft will work closely with Ron of Thompson Financial. unit Annalect. She is Rogers, who has known her for more than Her new job is to build Levick’s New relocating from Atlanta to St. Louis. 20 years. £ York presence. £

30 DECEMBER 2013 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 31

Book Review New book tackles NFL’s code of silence “League of Denial — The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for the Truth” something was amiss when he gave a remembered almost none of it. rambling, incoherent speech when he was Other well known players, including By Mark Fainaru-Wada and inducted into the Football Hall of Fame. former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim Steve Fainaru Fainaru and Fainaru-Wada chronicle McMahon, are also reported to be suf- Webster’s rise and fall. He escaped fering from short-term memory loss. Crown Archetype (October 8, 2013) • 416 pages poverty to play football at the University Former New York Giants linebacker of Wisconsin and then on to the NFL Harry Carson even used his Hall of where he played on four Super Bowl Fame induction speech to call on the amed Green Bay Packers coach Champion teams. He made enough NFL to pay more attention to concus- Vince Lombardi said, “Football money to last the rest of his sions. Fisn’t a contact sport. Dancing is a life. His behavior became The authors also obtained contact sport. Football is a collision erratic. He lost his big house, extensive access to doctors and sport!” Over the last half century, thou- and lived in train stations. He researchers on both sides of the sands of players and millions of fans would forget where he was. concussion debate — those have witnessed exactly that. Notes written by Webster and who dismissed them as a work- In recent years, a disturbing number of obtained by the authors place hazard and those whose suicides of former NFL players have reveal an addled mind no work broke new ground in this opened a new discussion into the dangers longer capable of linear field of study. of the most lucrative professional sport. thought. The competiveness of these In “League of Denial: The NFL, When Webster died in researchers, the authors show, Concussions and the Battle for the Truth” 2002, he was only fifty years reached the same level of (Crown Archetype, 2013), Mark Fainaru- old. The authors explain that when intensity of the players they studied. Wada and Steve Fainaru, who are brothers Webster’s body was brought to the coro- Readers will want to read and perhaps and investigative reporters with ESPN, ner’s office, a young Nigerian doctor re-read the chapters on the science of explore a twenty-year span in which con- name Bennett Omalu was on duty. concussions carefully. The book has a cussions in pro football players took on a Unlike most doctors featured in League list of key participants, including play- new level of seriousness and their long- of Denial, Omalu was not a football fan ers, doctors, and NFL executives. term consequences. and had no loyalty to Just as tobacco executives can no The authors took a risk any team or the NFL. longer deny the ill effects of smoking, even writing this book During the autopsy, he the NFL can no longer deny the substan- considering ESPN pays examined Webster’s tial risks to football players’ heads. In more than $1 billion per brain and was stunned fact, just before the publication of year for the broadcast by what he saw under League of Denial, the NFL settled a law- rights for Monday Night the microscope. suit with 18,000 players for $765 mil- Football. Omalu’s discoveries lion. Since the early 1990s, set the NFL and the The reader will have to weigh the evi- the seriousness and long- scientific community dence as to whether or not the NFL term effects of concus- on a new course of engaged in a Nixonian cover-up or is sions have been a point of concussion investiga- guilty of willful blindness, but the contention within the tion. Following the sui- authors’ meticulous research presents NFL, the media and the cides of former players evidence that cannot be dismissed. The medical community. Dave Duerson and evidence presented by the authors reads Many players consid- Junior Seau, medical like cracks in the NFL’s dam — and the ered it a badge of honor to researchers competed league may soon be under water. play injured. Players were with each other to Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru have taken constantly in fear of los- Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru obtain their brains to sports journalism to a new level by ing their status as starters. examine them for weaving vivid, heartbreaking narratives Medical personnel could repeated trauma. with eye-opening facts unearthed from advise players, but only One former player original sources. However, League of head coaches could bench a player. When who receives little attention, but whose Denial will probably do little to affect the press started to ask questions about concussion is one of the book’s more football’s popularity. Die-hard fans will this phenomenon, then-Commissioner memorable examples is former Dallas be left wondering about the futures of Paul Tagliabue dismissed it as a “pack Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. current stars like Ben Roethlisberger and journalism issue.” Aikman was accidentally kneed in the Peyton and Eli Manning. The authors begin with the death of head in the 1993 NFC Championship It should be read by anyone who Mike Webster, who played for the game. He spent the night in the hospital thinks about donning a football helmet, Pittsburgh Steelers. “Iron Mike,” as he repeatedly asking his agent why he was those who care about them and those was known, set a record for playing more there and if he had played that day. who may have to care for them. £ than 600 consecutive offensive plays. Aikman went on to lead the Cowboys to Webster’s former teammates realized a Super Bowl victory. A year later, he — Kevin McVicker

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WASHINGTON REPORT Security screener that vetted Snowden finds PR help

S Investigations Services, the background screener and security firm that vetted rogue contractor Edward USnowden for government work, has engaged crisis PR counsel as it faces legal and image fallout. The Falls Church, Va.-based company, which is the federal government’s top contractor for employee background checks and conducted a check in 2007 on Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, is working with Sard Verbinnen & Co. Sard has advised parent company Providence Equity Partners in the past. Managing director Brandy Bergman is speaking for USIS. DHS’ Smith to lead MWW DC USIS was dealt another blow Oct. 30 when the U.S. Dept. of Justice said it joined a two-year-old whistleblower lawsuit oug Smith, a public and private sector communications against USIS alleging it failed to execute quality control reviews advisor, is stepping down from an assistant secretary role at on its background checks. Dthe U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security for the GM slot of “We will not tolerate shortcuts taken by companies that we MWW's Washington operation. have entrusted with vetting individuals to be given access to our Marilyn Berry Thomspon, who led the DC office of MWW until country’s sensitive and secret information,” said Assistant July, is now non-executive chairman and senior adviser. Attorney General Stuart Delery. Smith led the Private Sector Office in four years at DHS, The Wall Street Journal reported that USIS rushed background advising Secretary Janet Napolitano on strategic communications checks for security clearances to meet quotas. Former company and fostering ties with private sector companies and other institu- officials told the paper that CEO Bill Mixon demanded employ- tions. ees “do what it takes” to finish checks, “even if they aren’t thor- He was previously Managing Partner of PA shop T Street oughly vetted.” Partners, handling the push for Chicago to be a U.S. designate city Bergman told the Journal that USIS takes the allegations seri- for the 2016 Olympics. He was also a VP at Leo Burnett ously: “Since they were first brought to our attention over one Worldwide on the U.S. Army’s “Army of One” PR and advertising year ago, we have acted decisively to ensure the quality of our account, and worked in PA and press roles in the Clinton adminis- work and adherence to [government] requirements.” tration at Housing and Urban Development and the Dept. of USIS earned $253 million in federal work last year. £ Transportation. President Barack Obama has nominated Jeh Johnson to take over DHS, following Napolitano’s exit. Rand Beers is interim secretary. FoodMinds offers compass to Smith takes an EVP and GM title at MWW.£ guide regulatory overhaul Jewish agency for Israel hicago-based FoodMinds has developed the Food Label Compass to help marketers deal with the Food & Drug establishes lobby beachhead CAdministration’s impending overhaul of nutrition labeling. Bill Layden, Co-Founder and Partner, sees a robust demand for he Jewish Agency for Israel, which promotes its FLC as many food companies lack the internal savvy required Zionism/Judaism and Jewish immigration to Israel, has to handle the complex FDA process. Tregistered as a lobbyist with the U.S. Justice Dept. Since the FDA nutrition guidelines are 20 years old, many com- The Government of Israel has granted a legal and public panies need to be educated about how the process plays out, voluntary status upon JAFI, authorizing it to “develop and set- Layden told O’Dwyer’s. tle the country, absorb immigrants from the diaspora and coor- FoodMinds partnered with Nutritional Impact, a consulting firm dinate activities with other groups in the country, according to that analyzes dietary intake trends and develops science-based the federal filing. messages for clients, and EAS Consulting Group, a regulatory Haaretz reported Nov. 7 that Israel plans to hike overseas consulting company, for the creation of the FLC. spending by “hundreds of millions of shekels during the next The FLC will analyze food and nutriental content of a brand rel- few years” for outreach to Jews abroad and on college cam- ative to the new FDA rules, develop labels modified to comply puses across Americas as part of new campaign to strengthen with the updated requirements and forge PR programs to ensure Jewish identity abroad and diaspora ties to the Jewish state.” bands are used in the way that is intended. Jewish Agency director Alan Hoffman said the government The FDA may make an official announcement about the change currently spends $125 million a year on outreach effort. More in food labeling by the end of the year. than 120 Israeli and Jewish leaders have just wrapped up an FoodMinds recruited Robert Post, USDA’s Center for Nutrition outreach “brainstorming summit” in Jerusalem, which JAIF Policy and Promotion associate executive director, last month as its praised as a “historic moment.” first chief science officer. JAFI’s programs also promote the study of the Hebrew lan- He will lead the Washington office with Foodminds co-founder guage, Jewish culture, history, philosophy, traditions and the and partner Susan Pitman. £ achievement of the Zionist ideal. £

32 DECEMBER 2013 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 33

International PR News

Egypt defends Glover Park pact Oct. 18. Mohamed Tawfik, ambassador to the U.S., signed the contract on behalf of the Arab Republic of Egypt. WPP owns he Egyptian Foreign Ministry is defending the hiring of GPG. £ Glover Park Group to a monthly retainer of $250,000, Tone of the fattest government-relations contracts on file at the Justice Dept. Nigeria awards $3M D.C. pact The contract, according to the Egyptian press, is under fire by opponents of the junta that ousted freely elected president igeria signed Patton Boggs to a one-year $3 million Mohamed Morsi. contract for counsel on defense and security issues with On the evening of Oct. 26, the Ministry released a statement Nthe U.S. to say that hiring a PR firm is “customary among the nations A key focus for PB’s partner Gordon Arbuckle and senior of the world.” It wants to use GPG to make an impression in defense policy advisor John Garrett is donation of U.S. military the U.S. because America is a “large country with interests and and law enforcement equipment to oil-rich Nigeria. connections in different parts of the world.” Arbuckle works with PB clients on matters related to the The Ministry assured Egyptians that the government, not business and environmental impact on energy and infrastruc- GPG, would decide the “content of the message to be directed ture projects. and targeted at either the U.S. administration, Congress, Amnesty International in November issued a report on wide- research centers or media.” spread oil spills in Nigeria. It blamed pipeline corrosion and The role of GPG is to use its contacts and connections to equipment failures as the major cause for the spills and named relay Egypt’s position, according to the FM. Shell Oil and Italy’s ENI as culprits. The junta’s statement noted that past Egypt governments Garrett, a retired Marine Corps colonel, focuses on lining up have hired PR and lobbyists. It added that No. 1 adversary PB clients for federal grants/awards in the homeland security Muslim Brotherhood political/cultural group has used outside and Iraq/Afghanistan reconstruction markets. paid pitchmen. On Nov. 13, the U.S. State Dept. designated Nigeria’s The Government said the GPG is not a financial burden to Islamic breakaway group Boko Haram a terrorist organization. the people of Egypt because an unnamed third-party is picking The U.S. marines have been working with the Nigerian mil- up the tab. itary to combat piracy off the African nation’s coast. GPG’s work began Oct. 15. Contract details became public PB’s contract is with Nigeria’s national security advisor. £

FARA News ¸ NEW FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT FILINGS Below is a list of select companies that have registered with the U.S. Department of Justice, FARA Registration Unit, Washington, D.C., in order to comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, regarding their consulting and communications work on behalf of foreign principals, including governments, political parties, organizations, and individuals. For a complete list of filings, visit www.fara.gov.

Venn Strategies, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered October 31, 2013 for Government of Mongolia, China, to educate key stakeholders regarding opportunities for trade and investment in/with Mongolia as well as building awareness and recognition of the efforts of the government of Mongolia's leadership and economic, geopolitical, and social policy initiatives of importance to the United States.

Patton Boggs, LLP, Washington, D.C., registered November 21, 2013 for Office of the National Security Advisor, Three Arms Zone, The Presidency, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria, to provide comprehensive security/defense advice, to include pursuing potential donation by the U.S. Government to the Government of Nigeria excess military and law enforcement equipment.

Development Counsellors International, Washington, D.C., registered October 31, 2013 for Tourism & Events Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, regarding public relations activities, including media pitching, developing key influencers, and producing key messages content. Lobbying News G NEW LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT FILINGS Below is a list of select companies that have registered with the Secretary of the Senate, Office of Public Records, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Legislative Resource Center, Washington, D.C., in order to comply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. For a complete list of filings, visit www.senate.gov.

Cornerstone Government Affairs, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered November 22, 2013 for National College Players Association, Norlo, CA, regarding concussions, educational funding, anti-trust issues and general college athletics.

Gephardt Group Government Affairs, Washington, D.C., registered November 22, 2013 for National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, D.C., regarding issues related to carriage of television broadcasting signals.

Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., Washington, D.C., registered November 20, 2013 for Brady Center and Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Washington, D.C., regarding anti-violence public health and safety initiatives.

Lincoln Policy Group, Washington, D.C., registered November 20, 2013 for American Health Care Association, Washington, D.C., regarding long-term care reform, Medicare and Medicaid funding, bad debt relief, and SGR replacement.

DECEMBER 2013 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 33 Decmagazine_Layout 1 11/27/13 5:41 PM Page 34

To be featured in the monthly Buyer’s Guide, PR Buyer’s Guide Contact John O’Dwyer, [email protected]

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION MEDIA & SPEAKER TRAINING WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

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