Starbucks’ CEO should be commended for handling a crisis swiftly and sensitively. He responded to an incident in Philadelphia where a store manager called the police to remove two African-American men who were waiting for a person in the store. There was no justification for an intervention, and the men were not arrested or charged […]
Posted on April 17th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 151 Comments »
It’s a risky PR tactic to blame a victim who was using a company’s product. Sometimes it is necessary, especially when lawsuits are pending. Tesla finds itself in this predicament: It is blaming the driver of one of its cars for a fatal accident. This has put a strain on its relationship with the accident investigator, […]
Posted on April 13th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 155 Comments »
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is retiring from Congress. There are bets being taken already that this presages a defeat for Republicans in the next election. If so, the Party is in crisis due in no small part to the President. Ryan is putting a positive spin on the future, but it seems hollow. […]
Posted on April 12th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 135 Comments »
Experts say we all lie. Some lies are big and some small to protect ourselves and others. However, when we get the chance to be honest, we tend to be. In PR, as I have preached since the beginning of my career, lying is deadly. The reason is the media believe we lie and the […]
Posted on April 11th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 132 Comments »
The Bayer-Monsanto merger has put a spotlight on relations with their principal customers — farmers. They are concerned and fearful that the combination will increase prices of seed and fertilizer. Only time will tell if they are right, but in the meantime, the merged companies will need to cultivate good relationships with the agricultural base. […]
Posted on April 10th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 137 Comments »
NASA has always been adept in generating publicity for itself and its activities. Ever since the beginning of the space age, it has found ways to generate headlines. Here is the most recent example. Should its new plane prove to be as quiet as planned, it still won’t guarantee that plane manufacturers will build the […]
Posted on April 9th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 157 Comments »
Google is facing an internal crisis with more than 3,000 employees objecting to its work with the Pentagon. The workers signed an open letter to top management calling for cessation of applying artificial intelligence to the Defense Department’s drone imagery program. The activity is not designed to help identify targets on the battlefield, but it […]
Posted on April 6th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 147 Comments »
It is a bad idea and poor PR to ignore a regulator. This is what happens. The company, Triangle Pharmaceuticals, blew off the FDA’s requests for a recall of their kratom herbal supplement. The FDA wasn’t worried about kratom, itself a controversial remedy, but about salmonella food poisoning, which had contaminated the ingredients. Who knows […]
Posted on April 5th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 142 Comments »
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, is being verbally assaulted these days but he hardly should be worried. The attacker is President Trump, and as usual, the President has his facts wrong. The criticism has hit the price of the stock, but that should be passing as the […]
Posted on April 4th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 146 Comments »
Sinclair Broadcast Group is receiving criticism for having its approximately 200 local TV stations read “a message about bias and fake stories in news outlets.” It is seen as a pro-Trump move since Trump inveighs frequently about fake news. Sinclair, the critics say, is flexing its conservative political muscle and there is a general alarm. […]
Posted on April 3rd, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 145 Comments »
