septmagazine layout 1 8/30/10 5:33 pm page 1dwyer's magazine - sep. 2010.pdf · er before...

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 0 | w w w . o d w y e r p r . c o m

The Fashion issue

septmagazine_Layout 1 8/30/10 5:33 PM

Leading Feature News Distribution Service

MULTIMEDIAEXTRAVAGANZA!

COVER ALL YOUR MEDIA BASESPRINT, ONLINE, RADIO AND TV

Also IncludedIn the Lineup:• Posting on NAPSNET.COM

• Search Engine Optimization

• Twitter Feeds to Editors

• Social Media

• Blogging

• Anchor Texting

• Hyperlinking

• RSS Feed in XML

• Podcasting

• YouTube CSNN Channel

[email protected] • www.napsinfo.comNew York Chicago Washington Los Angeles San Francisco

212-867-9000 312-856-9000 202-347-5000 310-552-8000 415-837-0500


• www.napsinfo.com Chicago Washington Los Angeles San Francisco

2


w w w . r u d e r f i n n . c o m

r

O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 a year ($7.00 for a single issue) by the J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc., 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. (212) 679-2471; fax: (212) 683-2750. Periodical postage paid at NewYork, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to O’Dwyer’s, 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. O’Dwyer’s PR Report ISSN: 1931-8316. Published monthly.

www.odwyerpr.comDaily, up-to-the minute PR news

EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2010

January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s GuideFebruary: Environmental & P.A.

March: Food & BeverageApril: Broadcast & Social Media

May: PR Firm RankingsJune: Global & Multicultural

July: Travel & TourismAugust: Financial/I.R.

September: Beauty & FashionOctober: Healthcare & Medical

November: High-TechDecember: Entertainment & Sports

Vol. 24, No. 9

Sept. 2010

ADVERTISERS

16

CONTENTS

10

COLUMNS

Cover and insert photos by Michael OShea

Fleishman...............................................BACK COVER

Kaplow.........................................................................7

KEF...............................................................................3

Log-On.......................................................................17

NAPS....................................................INSIDE COVER

Omega Travel............................................................23

Ruder Finn...................................................................5

TV Access..................................................................18

zcomm.......................................................................11

PR BUYER’S GUIDE

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTFraser Seitel

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENTRichard Goldstein

GUEST COLUMNTony Jaques

OPINIONJack O’Dwyer

28

29

30

34

31

PROFILES OF BEAUTY AND FASHION PR FIRMS22

VERONIS PREDICTS PRREBOUND FOR 2011While recovery is expected to be

slow, PR and word-of-mouth marketing arepoised for modest growth in 2011.

18EDITORIALPoliticians are using the constructionof a mosque in lower Manhattan tocement their own political agendas.

6

CONSUMERS, COMPETITORSDERIDE INTERNET PACTGoogle and Verizon have unveiledthe details of their future intentions in ajoint policy proposal to Congress.

8

STUDY: TABLETS COULD HELPSAVE MAGAZINES iPads and other e-reader devicescould create as much as $3 billion in sub-scription revenue in the next three years.

9

PR, MEDIA FAULTED FORAIDING IN ‘BEAUTY BIAS’Does the $200 billion-plus beau-ty business perpetuate a double stan-dard for women in today’s society?

10

MAGAZINE CLOSURESSLOW IN 2010, SO FARWhile newsstands aren’t seeingnew magazine titles like they used to,fewer are going out of business like theywere in 2009.

11

BRANDS TEMPT FEMALEBLOGGERS WITH ‘SWAG’Corporations have begun ‘payingoff’ bloggers with large amountsof freebies in the hopes of getting on thegood side of a key influencer market.

12

THE PROS (AND CONS) OFFREELANCE FASHION PRSome important factors to consid-er before embarking on a career as a free-lance fashion PR practitioner.

14

NYC PR PRINCIPLES TRUMP BARCELONA’SPR groups met in Barcelona,Spain to devise a lofty “BarcelonaDeclaration of Measurement Principles.”

15

SHAPING TODAY’S FASHION MEDIA WORLDStrategies that work in an agewhere tastes and attention spansshift every other minute.

16

RANKINGS OF BEAUTY AND FASHION PR FIRMS27

WASHINGTON REPORT32

BAD HAIR DAYA PR firm helps the Oxygen chan-nel kick off the season premier of

its newest show by staging a ‘battle royal’hair styling tournament in Times Square.

19


T h e A m e r i c a s • E u r o p e • A s i a P a c i f i c • M i d d l e E a s t w w w . r u d e r f i n n . c o m

rfrelate@ruderfi nn.com

socialstorytelling

socialnetworking

socialactivation

Cover and insert photos by Michael OShea


SEPTEMBER 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM6

EDITORIAL

FALL IN LOVE.Kaplow helps people fall in love with your brand.

For nearly two decades, Kaplow has helped best-in-class companies tell their stories. In

beauty and wellness, retail and lifestyle, and emerging technologies, Kaplow reaches consumers where they live

today with an innovative mix of social networking and traditional media.

The result is a connection that changes the conversation. See what a little love can do for you.

Kaplow. Changing Conversations. www.kaplowpr.com

To learn more about Kaplow’s brand-building communications approach, contact Liz Kaplow at 212.221.1713 or [email protected]

Politicos using NYC ‘mosque’ for their own agendas

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jack O’[email protected]

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Kevin [email protected]

EDITOR

Jon [email protected]

SENIOR EDITOR

Greg [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Fraser SeitelRichard GoldsteinChristine O’Dwyer

ADVERTISING SALES

John O’DwyerAdvertising Sales [email protected]

Jack FogartyNational Advertising [email protected]

O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 a year ($7.00 for a single issue) by the J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc., 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.(212) 679-2471Fax (212) 683-2750.

© Copyright 2010J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS &

SERVICES:

www.odwyerpr.com 4 breaking news,commentary, useful databases and more.

Jack O’Dwyer’s Newsletter 4 An eight-page weekly with general PR news, mediaappointments and placement opportunities.

O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms 4 haslistings of more than 1,850 PR firms through-out the U.S. and abroad.

O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide 4 lists 1,000+products and services for the PR industry in 54categories.

jobs.odwyerpr.com 4 O’Dwyer’s online job center has help wanted ads and hostsresume postings.

It’s often the dumbest news stories that get the most traction. Runaway bride, sharksummer, Monica Lewinsky, SARS — believe me, I could go on all day.

Leave it to the American conversation to hone in on the most inane, milquetoast con-cern and drive it into the ground. We have a habit of painting the years with trivial, rat-ings-wary, hot-button topics set in motion by vote-hungry politicians and book-peddlingtalking heads who fill redeye media tour circuits so they can enlighten a nation of riledrubes and their bloviating, bovine worldviews.

This month’s flavor: Park 51, the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque to bebuilt in New York City’s financial district, near the former site of the World TradeCenter.

And here I am like an idiot, ready to add to the conversation.First, contrary to what Fox News will tell you, for many New Yorkers and for the

dozens upon dozens of fellow borough residents I’ve spoken with on this matter in thepast month, the proposed mosque remains a relative non-issue. Why? For one, as youprobably know, there are already hundreds of mosques everywhere in New York City —in the financial district and beyond — as well as churches, synagogues, cathedrals,chapels and temples. Little known fact: we even have an Arby’s.

It irritates me to absolutely no end that politicians living in Tennessee and Alaska con-tinue to use my city as a means to score cheap political talking points in the hopes thattheir home-state voters will remember them in the coming election, that people whodon’t live here continuously feel the need to wax on the developmental integrity of ourdowntown. Please, save your ideas for the next Armchair Architects Guild meeting. Wedon’t need your input.

Second, contrary to what Fox News will tell you, the proposed cultural center andmosque won’t be built “in the shadows of the towers.” It’s located on Park Place, twoblocks away, not even facing the building that’s facing the building that’s facing the site. If you’ve ever walked past the place — some of the most vocal opposition haven’t —you’d know that you don’t even pass the damn thing on your way to the World TradeCenter. In fact, you’d run a better chance of walking past another mosque on WarrenStreet, about four blocks away.

Third, contrary to what Fox News will tell you, the people behind the proposedmosque are not the same types of people who were behind 9/11. Fox knows this, ofcourse — but they have this preconceived agenda, you see — and in order to satisfy therequirements of their premise they must resort to ad hominem attacks and spread delib-erate falsehoods under the pretense of “news.” Hey, I’m over it by now. After all, that’swhat Fox does.

When not attempting to discredit the “moderate” beliefs of mosque Founder and CEOFeisal Abdul Rauf or absurdly positing that funding for the mosque could come fromterrorist groups, Sean Hannity has falsely claimed Rauf wants to “shred ourConstitution” and make the U.S. “Sharia compliant.” Fox News Contributor DickMorris said the mosque would be a “command center for terrorism.” Glenn Beck,among other Fox commentators, even incorrectly stated the Ground Zero mosque wouldopen “on the 10th anniversary” of September 11.

None of this is “news,” of course, because a predicate feature of any news, by design,is truth. Invariably, every fear-mongering Fox argument plays on a variation of thisbeguiling undertone: “9/11 was a terrorist act. The terrorists were Muslims. Therefore,all Muslims are terrorists.” Any way you shake it, it’s ignorant, it’s racist, and it’s notvery smart.

Others politicians have offered the slightly more moderate position that they’d be finewith the construction of a mosque, as long as it was placed just a little further north ofthe Trade Center site. Okay, so how far north? Houston Street? 42nd Street? 125thStreet? Westchester? There’s a reason our zoning laws aren’t written with the legalambiguity of a game of “I spy.” There’s a similar reason our private property laws aren’tsimply overturned when someone decides he doesn’t like his neighbor. If this is one ofyour political platforms, please don’t run for office in my district.

Here’s a question: if Republicans are really the vanguards of “small government” theyclaim to be, why are so many currently calling on the federal government to stop the pri-vate construction of a private center on private property? That ain’t America, folks. £

— Jon Gingerich


FALL IN LOVE.Kaplow helps people fall in love with your brand.

For nearly two decades, Kaplow has helped best-in-class companies tell their stories. In

beauty and wellness, retail and lifestyle, and emerging technologies, Kaplow reaches consumers where they live

today with an innovative mix of social networking and traditional media.

The result is a connection that changes the conversation. See what a little love can do for you.

Kaplow. Changing Conversations. www.kaplowpr.com

To learn more about Kaplow’s brand-building communications approach, contact Liz Kaplow at 212.221.1713 or [email protected]



The proposal’s language makes for acunning PR plan: it’s essentially aframework to assuage Net Neutrality

supporters, offering rallying cries for an“open” Internet while at the same timeestablishing a second, price-tiered networkwhere telecom and search giants can chargeconsumers for content. To put it bluntly, thepartnership seeks to cut the web in two: itcreates an Internet where one half remains“neutral” for the public while another sellspaid, premium content at higher prices, asort of HBO for cyberspace.

The deal lays out several key principles,including transparency guidelines amongISPs and rules against content favoritismover networks (this strikes down the much-rumored notion that Google’s partnershipwith Verizon would allow the search giantto pay for the privilege of getting content tousers faster than competing providers). Thepact also calls for an enforcement arm with-in the Federal CommunicationsCommission to serve as a watchdog forcontent discrimination.

The most contentious piece of policyhowever, is their recommendation that theFCC have the authority to regulate “tradi-tional,” wired broadband connections dif-ferently than wireless networks and othernew Internet technologies.

It’s for this reason opponents say theGoogle/Verizon pact is not the “open”Internet compromise it purports to be.Because the proposed guidelines wouldlimit the FCC’s authority to wired net-works, ISPs in compliance with the aboveprinciples would be free to establish new,separate networks unencumbered by rulespreventing content prioritization or evenoutright favoritism.

The news comes as a blow to supportersof Net Neutrality, or the idea that networkproviders should treat all data that flows ontheir networks equally. Net Neutrality pro-ponents claim telecom companies likeVerizon are essentially left with the defaultpower of Internet “gatekeepers,” potential-ly preferring content with which they havepolitical or monetary affiliation, or slowing

and even blocking user access to websiteswhich they don’t. The result could leavedeep-pocket providers like Google the lonevoice in the web’s conversation, while therest sit in cyberspace’s equivalent of theslow lane.

“If this proposal were actually adoptedinto policy it would be the end of the freeand open Internet as we know it,” saidCraig Aaron, Managing Director of Savethe Internet, a pro-Neutrality coalition thatfights for equal web treatment policies. “Tothe consumer, we benefit from competitionin the marketplace. The beauty of NetNeutrality, and the beauty of the Internet,means everyone gets the same shot. That’swhat spurs new innovation. It’s not a placewhere only the biggest guys get to play.”Google takes public ’beating’Public response to the Google and

Verizon announcement hasn’t been pretty.Nonprofits like the Free Press and MoveOn have spoken out against the proposedpolicy. Hundreds of thousands of consumerpetitions have been sent to both companies.Wired magazine called Google a “NetNeutrality surrender monkey.” Theannouncement even drew protests outsideGoogle’s Mountain View offices.

Ironically, Google had previously beenseen as an outspoken vanguard of an“open” Internet, filing pro-Neutrality testi-mony with the FCC and going as far as tojoin causes like Save the Internet.

“It’s a complete reversal of their posi-tion,” Aaron said. “They used to be one ofthe leading companies out there in supportof an open Internet, and they admitted theywouldn’t even exist without it. Google wasthe company that said ‘don’t be evil,’ and alot of people see this as a complete betrayalof what they stood for.”

Google and Verizon’s proposal that wire-less networks be free from FCC regulationalso has many content providers up in arms,given more websites are accessed each yearon mobile networks. Facebook on August11 issued a press statement reiterating itssupport of an “open” Internet. The state-ment, while avoiding any specific mention

of Google or Verizon, made clear the objectof its ire.

“Preserving an open Internet that is acces-sible to innovators — regardless of their sizeor wealth — will promote a vibrant andcompetitive marketplace where consumershave ultimate control,” the statement read. FCC powerlessA Bush-administration restructuring of

the FCC redefined the commission’s abili-ty to regulate Internet services. In April,several years after the FCC chidedComcast for using data encryption to blockuser access to file-sharing site BitTorrent, afederal appeals court ruled the FCC hadoverstepped its boundaries, as the Bush-erarehaul meant the commission did not havethe authority to regulate Internet communi-cations to the same degree it regulates serv-ice like telephone, radio and television.

Net Neutrality supporters say that bythrowing the FCC an authoritative bone tore-regulate wired networks, ISPs that cre-ate a wild west of wireless zones (i.e. thevery networks where Google and Verizonplan to sow the seeds of their future part-nership) remain free to do whatever theywant.

“All forms of communications haverules that govern them,” Aaron said.“Cable has to make content available forcompeting providers, and I can’t just startbroadcasting a radio station. It’s the samething when you’re talking about a free andopen Internet. You have to ask: what arethe rules going to be?”

A series of legislative attempts to intro-duce Net Neutrality into law have appearedas far back as 2006, though each has failed.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, aswell as President Obama, have both pub-licly voiced their support of Net Neutralitylegislation. According to Aaron, the safestway to now ensure the web’s safety is if theFCC votes to restore its ability to reclassi-fy broadband. In August, five members ofthe Committee on Energy and Commercesent a letter to the FCC asking for theirstance on the Google and Verizon pact. Sofar, a public statement has yet to be made.

“This has become a political hot potato.Because public reaction has been so nega-tive, Congress doesn’t want to touch it,”Aaron said. “All of Genachowski’s state-ments have been great, but actions speaklouder than words. The FCC has the optionto treat the Internet the way it was treatedbefore, but they haven’t had the politicalwill to make that decision, and their failureto act has caused Google and Verizon to stepin and deliver a proposal of their own.” £

MEDIA NOTES

Consumers, competitors deride Google / Verizon pact

After weeks of deafening scrutiny from the public and an arrestingsilence from the accused, Google and Verizon in August finallydisclosed the details surrounding their much-speculated partner-ship in the form of a joint-policy proposal to Congress. Experts saythe plan will not only shape how future partnerships occurbetween content and service providers, but will forever changethe face and scope of the Internet as we know it.

By Jon Gingerich


The recent popularity of tablets, e-readers and devices like the iPadcould be just what the news industry

needs to recoup lost subscribers and van-ished advertising revenues, if recent indus-try reports are any indication.

iPads and their ilk could create as muchas $3 billion in subscriptions and $1.3 bil-lion in incremental revenue by 2014,according to a new consumer demand sur-vey conducted by Oliver Wyman forCondé Nast’s digital publishing arm NextIssue Media.

The study, which charted the periodicalreading habits of 1,800 U.S. consumers,finds many place a unique value in the e-reading experience and a surprisingamount are willing to pay print subscrip-tion prices for access to digital content.Specifically, 9% of device-owning sub-scribers said they’d be likely to buy sub-scriptions if their preferred magazineoffered an interactive edition at the sameprice.

The Oliver Wyman study didn’t pontifi-cate on how digital subscription numberscould affect ad revenues or single copymagazine sales. However, a separate,recent study — conducted by AdvertiserPerceptions Inc. — found that 62% of adexecutives plan to increase their mobilemedia ad spending over the next year, andnearly half (46%) have already integratedmobile media into their overall advertisingstrategy.

Taken together, the numbers could beencouraging news for publishers weighingthe idea of making their titles interactive.Fashion, lifestyle mags flock to iPadiPad currently leads the number of mag-

azine titles available for e-readers andtablets — with nearly 150 titles — thoughaudience response has varied among titlesand the rules of the roost are currently apublishing no-man’s land (Time Inc. andCondé Nast, for example, have kept iPadsubscription prices close to their printcounterparts; Hearst is considering increas-ing the cost of interactive versions).

So far, especially popular for interactiveperiodicals — perhaps as a result of con-sumer demand or preemptively launchedas a safe way to test the waters — havebeen magazine titles that focus on fashionand lifestyle.

Popular titles such as Men’s Health,Women’s Health and Prevention haverecently moved to iPad, and each have

released editions filled with “perks” toentice readers, including audio and videoextras as well as special “editor’s picks”sections and commentary not available inprint editions.

In early August, Runner’s World madeits iPad debut. At $4.99, the first issue waspacked with multimedia enhancements,including a free 26-page extra editionsponsored by Puma. The freebies seem tobe commonplace for recent interactive edi-tions, an unspoken rule that publishersoffer a new user experience to match newmedia.

Like many publications, Glamour’s newiPad edition gives users plenty of extras inthe way of blog posts, as well as video andaudio content. Glamour goes a step furtherhowever, and recreates itself as a sort ofportal to the marketplace, with an applica-tion that offers direct access to online shop-ping.

Like all Condé Nast publications avail-able for iPad, Glamour also comes with afree application where users pick the indi-vidual magazine issues they want to buy,thus offering users á la carte alternatives toyesterday’s subscription procedures. Gadget industry responds More than three million iPads have sold

since the device’s April debut. These stag-gering figures have changed not only themobile industry and the technology sectorthat designs it, but have invigorated andinspired its very muse: the consumers whouse and appropriate mobile communica-tions in their day-to-day-lives.

The result has been a modern day goldrush, enticing developers to create a slewof new iPad apps and inspiring competitorsto create copycat versions of the device.

Dozens of competing devices have nowflooded the market. Popular tech blogTechnologizer in August cited “at least 32”iPad competitors that are making their wayto stores this year, including new devicesby Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Notion Ink.

While most experts believe tablets alonewon’t save the print industry, it’s safe tosay the software and mobile device markethave found a new cash cow.Ad profits questionable As tablet mania has ignited a gadget

boom, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has arguedthat ads targeted within applications ondevices like the iPad would be more suc-cessful than ads targeted on websites orin search engines. The question remains:will advertisers have faith in the mobilemarket?

The world’s largest mobile advertising

service, Google’s AdMob, expects salesto double this year. Apple’s iAd mobileadvertising platform, which allows third-party developers to integrate advertise-ments in a variety of formats on iPhone,iPod Touch, and iPad devices, is receiv-ing favorable reviews from companiesthat have used the platform (two ofApple’s earliest iAd advertisers, Nissanand Unilever, have reported success).

Overall however, iAd is having a hardtime getting off the ground. Few compa-nies have currently signed on, and othershave been openly critical of a reporteddevelopmental noose Apple has placedaround ads’ creation process, a commontheme for the notoriously secretive com-pany. Others have complained aboutreported lengthy ad turn-around times (8to 10 weeks in some instances, accordingto an August Wall Street Journal report).

Some predict mobile ads could rake inabout $220 million next year, but itremains to be seen if many companieswill fork over the hefty fees Apple is cur-rently asking to advertise on the device(iAd gives Apple 40% of ad revenuesand charges advertisers $2 each time aninteractive ad is clicked).

An August eweek.com report statedthat Apple could begin charging up to 10times the normal amounts for ads run-ning on its iPad and iPhone devices,reaching up to $1 million for a single ad,compared to $100,000 on comparablemobile ad platforms. £

SEPTEMBER 2010 3 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM 9

Condé Nast plans to relocate from its swankycorporate headquarters at 4 Times Square to thesite of the former World Trade Center.

The publisher of Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan,Esquire, Vogue, Bon Appetit, GQ, Details, Self,Glamour, Golf Digest andNew Yorkerwould anchorthe $3.2B building now under construction.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jerseyowns the planned 1,776 ft. building that was oncedubbed Freedom Tower. It will open as 1 WorldTrade Center.

Condé Nast sent a memo to employees, sayingit is in “active negotiations” concerning the move.A final decision is “months away.”

Condé Nast’s corporate shift would be a dramat-ic boost for the economy of Lower Manhattan,which is struggling to replace jobs lost in the finan-cial sector.

The move also would bring “instant credibility”to the new WTC site, according to developer CarlWeisbrod.

Condé Nast currently occupies 800K sq. ft. Itwould take up 1M sq. ft in the 2.6M sq. ft towerthat will be the highest building in New York whenit opens in 2013.

Media Briefs

CONDÉ NAST TO GROUND ZERO

Study: tablets could help save the magazine industryBy Jon Gingerich



FEATURE

Baby You’re a Rich Man” could bethe sound track for “The BeautyBias,” a book written by Stanford

law professor Deborah Rhode and pub-lished earlier this year by OxfordUniversity Press.

She believes attractive people gethired and earn more than those lesslooks-blessed, sloppy or overweight.The good-looking are viewed as moreintelligent, athletic, sociable and more incontrol of their lives than the rabble.Women are the biggest victims ofappearance bias, though short men facea similar treatment.

Rhode feels discrimination againstpeople on the basis of their looks is justas bad as race and sex bias. Hence thebook’s subtitle: “The Injustice ofAppearance in Life and Law.”

The author’s point is hardly a newone. “A rose is a rose is a rose,” wroteGertrude Stein. Rhode does break newground with a clarion call for legalremedies to head off appearance bias.

In a world wrestling with economicdistress, war, environmental degradationand poverty, beauty bias may appeartrite. Some worry about courts cloggedwith petty cases involving grooming,weight and appearance while lawmakerswaste time drawing up “appearancecodes.”

Rhode is unfazed, pointing out thatMichigan and six cities/counties (SanFrancisco, Washington, D.C.) alreadyhave appearance discrimination laws onthe books.

Cases are rare because most suits getsettled before trial. Rhode’s biggerpoint: laws deter unjust bias. PR under attackPR people working the $200B beauty

business aren’t going to be handing out“The Beauty Bias” as holiday gifts thisyear or any time soon. In the book,media, advertisers and PR come underwithering attack.

Rhode takes on the media for endless-ly “magnifying the importance ofappearance and the pressures to enhance

it.” PR people are scolded for promotingappearance-related products cloaked in a“veneer of pseudo-science” promising“effortless perfection.”

Madison Avenue is blistered fortelling women that as long as a doublestandard exists, “they might as well dowhat they need to do and get on withtheir lives.”

Beauty items, diet and cosmetic sur-geries are advertised as “be all they can”and “express who they really are.”Personal fulfillment is butskin deep, not from within.

Results from the communi-cations onslaught are farfrom beautiful. Endlessexposure to “airbrushed, sur-gically enhanced fashionmodels and Hollywoodcelebrities” reinforces unre-alistic standards, accordingto Rhode.

Since only five percent ofAmerican women are in thesame weight category asactresses and models, effortsto “replicate their figures often lead toeating disorders and related psychologi-cal dysfunctions.”

Millions of hard-earned dollars arewasted on diets as 90 percent of dietersfail to keep the pounds off over time.

Rhode points out that sexualized por-trayals of prominent women are ineverything from athletics to politics.That overemphasis on appearance“deflects attention from their perform-ance and reinforces sex-based doublestandards.”

Hillary Clinton’s cleavage, SarahPalin’s beehive and Michelle Obama’supper arms are played up and chuckledabout, diverting attention from theiraccomplishments.

Rhode finds it telling that the highestpaid member of Palin’s VP campaignwas her make-up artist, which “speaksvolumes about our misplaced priorities.”

She bemoans the absence of attractiveolder women in the media who actuallylook their age. Walter Cronkite and Tom

Brokaw retained their influence as theyaged and male movie stars play roman-tic leads in their later years. When in hissixties, Sean Connery was voted “sexi-est man alive” by People magazine.

Women, by contrast, “are expected toplay opposite men thirty years their sen-ior, and to bow out gracefully or havework done when the signs of agebecome pronounced.”

Rhode quotes a Boston Herald colum-nist writing about an overly-made upKatherine Harris, who was in the midstof the Florida recount mess, as “awoman of a certain age trying too hardto hang on.” Harris was 43 at that time.Hardwired at birthBeauty is said to be in the eye of the

beholder, but “aesthetic preferences areto large extent hardwired, based on cir-

cuits in the brain shapedby millions of years ofsexual selection,” wroteRhode.

Over the eons, “indi-viduals whose genes sur-vive are those who choosemates with characteristicsconducive to reproductivesuccess.” Attractiveness is one of

those characteristicsbecause it signals healthand fertility, particularlyin females, according to

Rhode, who has 75 pages worth of foot-notes in the 238-page book.

Evolutionary imperatives encouragedparents to favor good-looking childrenbecause they have the greatest potentialto marry and produce kids. It’s a case ofsurvival of the fittest and loveliest.What to do?Besides advocating for appearance dis-

crimination laws, Rhode believes indi-viduals, business and the media can affectpositive change.

For starters, women can get rid of“killer high heels,” which are majorsources of back and foot problems.

Smart accomplished women are wear-ing flesh-biting shoes and “ignoring therisk that heels this high will catch ingrates, flatten arches, breed blisters andhurt like hell on any extended walk,”according to Rhode.

Some women undergo painful andrisky foot surgery for the sake of “toe

PR, media faulted for aiding ‘beauty bias’

“How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?” theBeatles once sung. If you are one of the blessed per-ceived as attractive, it feels pretty good. If not, it’s toughluck.

By Kevin McCauley

0Continued on page 19



U.S. newsstands aren’t seeing manynew magazine titles, but at leastthey’re not folding like they were

in 2009.While only about 90 new magazines

opened during the first half of 2010 —down from the 187 new titles to launchduring the same period in 2009 — maga-zine closures only affected about another90 titles this year, a big improvement fromthe 279 magazine titles that closed theirpages during the first half of 2009,according to recent data published byMediaFinder.

The study also found that only sixmajor U.S. print magazines restructuredtheir publication to an exclusively onlineformat during the first half of 2010, asopposed to 43 for the same time period in2009.

According to MediaFinder, leading thegains in new titles were magazines thatspecialize in food, with 10 new titlesappearing during the first half of 2010. Bycontrast, home improvement magazineswere hit hard, losing a total of 10 titles sofar this year and gaining five. Business-to-business magazines fared worst, losing 35

titles while gaining only 17. The slow rebound for magazines may

be global. U.K. publishing companyUnited Business Media — which ownsPR Newswire — added one magazine toits publication roster and shed four titlesthis year, which is a vast improvementfrom the 15 it killed during the first sixmonths of 2009 alone.

First-half revenue for the company wasessentially flat, falling 0.2% to £434.3million (about $690 million comparedwith 2009), but revenue at its distributionand monitoring division rose 7.4% duringthe period to £91.2 million ($145 million)in 2010. Overall profit at UBM had beendown 5.2% over the first half of 2009 to£45.4 million.

The same can’t be said for newspapers.U.S. weekday newspaper circulation fellnearly 11% in 2009 and lost another 9%between Oct. ’09 and March ’10 alone,according to data released by the AuditBureau of Circulations. According to anannual survey published by the PewProject for Excellence in Journalism, theU.S. newspaper industry has lost a third ofits newsrooms jobs — or $1.6 billion inreporting editing capacity — since 2000.

Ball State Journalism professor DavidE. Sumner argues that magazines have a

better chance of survival than newspapersdue to their niche targeting and historicability to adapt during hard times. In hisnew book, “The Magazine Century:American Magazines Since 1900,” whichcharts decade-by-decade growth of theprint periodical industry, Sumner claimsthat while total circulation of the top 50leading consumer magazines fell 6% from2007 to 2009, 32 of them saw circulationgains during the same period. Sumner alsoclaims magazine growth was surprisinglystrong during the Great Depression.

“No one can predict the future, and Ithink there will be more restructuring andmaybe even more downsizing, but printmagazines have done remarkably wellcompared to newspapers and will continueto do so,” Sumner said. “Magazines are notsimply selling content — they have bigemotional connections with their readers.It’s more of an experience, one that youcan’t recreate by placing them on a web-site.”

Sumner believes titles specializing infood, lifestyle and fashion — areas whichhe said have each seen readership increasesin recent years — will fare especially well.He believes the “escapist” nature of theseperiodicals offers a glimpse into why someniches remain popular at newsstands. £

By Jon Gingerich

Magazine closures slow down in 2010, so far



REPORT

The sixth annual BlogHerConference, one of the world’slargest conferences for women in

social media, took place August 6-7 at theNew York Hilton. A who’s who for thefemale blogging community, this year’sconference brought more than 2,400attendees together for a series of work-shops on a variety of subjects — fromfashion blogging to site monetization tousing the Internet to create social change— and the opportunity to connect withonline peers in the real world.

At the center of the conference wasBlogHer (blogher.com), the leading par-ticipatory news, entertainment and infor-mation network for women online, whichreaches more than 20 million womeneach month according to Nielsen.

Also making a noted appearance werethe 100-plus brands that helped sponsorthe event, which included Fortune 500

companies such as Walmart, Procter &Gamble and PepsiCo. While the primaryfocus of the conference is hands-on-learning, discussions, and networkingopportunities, the sponsors’ presencesimply couldn’t be ignored.

BlogHer is well known for doling outmassive amounts of free “swag” to itsmembers, and this year’s conferenceproved no exception. Bloggers received atote bag full of freebies upon check-in,were treated to makeovers and giveawaysat parties over the weekend, and feastedon complimentary food and drink cour-tesy of sponsoring companies likeTropicana, McDonald’s and JimmyDean.

Throughout the two-day conferencebloggers were also given the opportunityto stop in at the Expo Hall to meet withrepresentatives from every company,view product demonstrations and receivefree samples and coupons. All gifts were

provided with a no-strings-attached policy.Of course, there isalways that unspokenhope that some of thesewomen might mention orreview these products ontheir respective blogs.

Why?Myths and marketingIt’s clear that U.S. cor-

porations now recognizethe growing influencethese women have on theblog-reading communityand want to harness thatpower for their own ben-efit. There are over 160million adults on theInternet in the U.S. andwomen represent themajority of that popula-tion. Women make 85%of all consumer purchas-es and control $4.3 tril-lion in U.S. consumer

spending. It’s predicted that by 2014women may control $15 trillion in globalconsumer spending. In March, aBlogHer/iVillage study found thatwomen often go to blogs for advice andrecommendations about purchasing newproducts. Among BlogHer Networkusers, blogs were the second most popu-lar media source for product purchasinginformation, after online searches.

“We’ve seen a dramatic shift in con-sumer purchase behavior that is largelyinfluenced by the proliferation of femalebloggers and blog networks like BlogHer.We found through our 2010 Cone OnlineInfluence Trend Tracker that more than80 percent of consumers go online to ver-ify product or service recommendationsthat they receive from even their mosttrusted sources of offline information,”said Mike Hollywood, Cone’s Director ofNew Media. “As the Chief DecisionOfficer of their households, female blog-gers have taken a leadership role in voic-ing their opinions and creating the vastamounts of content on which consumersnow rely to make more informed pur-chase decisions.”

“The conversations happening onwomen’s blogs are just as important asthe advertising messages companies sendout,” said Holly Buchanan, marketing towomen consultant and Co-Author of“The Soccer Mom Myth — Today’sFemale Consumer” (marketing-towomenonline.typepad.com). “Smartbrands are stimulating and participatingin those conversations.” An unmatched influenceIt would be an understatement to say

that female bloggers are changing the PRand marketing industries. BlogHer co-founder and CEO Lisa Stone hasdescribed the female blogger as “one ofthe most powerful communicators insocial media today” and many PR profes-sionals seem to agree.

“There is no doubt that female bloggershave emerged as powerful sources ofinformation,” said Jason Winocour,Partner and Social Media Practice Leaderof Hunter Public Relations. “Female and‘mom’ bloggers develop trusting and last-ing relationships with their communities,and as a result, brands want to be knownto bloggers because of the consumerinfluence they wield. Bloggers are par-tially influential in recommendingfood/beverages, health/beauty and con-

Brands tempt female bloggers with ‘swag’

Corporations have taken notice of the power of the femaleblogging community, and for good reason. As a result, a newcorporate courtship has evolved, where companies showerbloggers with freebies in exchange for the possibility thatthese key influencers will say something — anything —about their brands.

By Abby Rose Dalto

0Continued on next page

BlogHer’s Co-Founders (L to R): Jory Des Jardins, ElisaCamahort Page and Lisa Stone ranked #4 on Katie Couric’slist of the “seven most powerful people in media” for Forbeslast year.

Photo by Tricia Okin, www.papercutny.com



sumer products/services because theiropinions are read as unbiased and authen-tic.”

At this year’s conference, New York-based PR powerhouse Kaplow helped topromote HauteLook (hautelook.com), aleading online retail site offering dis-counts on items from top apparel, acces-sories, beauty, kids’, home, food andwine brands, that recently partnered withBlogHer.

“We’ve seen first-hand the power offemale bloggers whose influential reachcan convert their readers into activatedconsumers,” said Shannon Eis, SeniorVice President at KaplowCommunications. “Female bloggers aretech savvy, trend-leaders, and dedicatetime to researching topics and productsthey cover — and their authentic pointsof view have established trust with theirfollowers in ways that brands can’t dupli-cate alone.”

Like HauteLook, many companies arenow eager to engage the blogger commu-nity, especially female bloggers.

“Female bloggers are so importantbecause they are a trusted source of cred-ibility,” said Kelley Skoloda, BrandMarketing Practice Director forKetchum, who served as a bronze spon-sor for the conference. “Virtual friendsand family have become a top source ofcredible recommendations for womenwhen making purchase decisions, andbloggers are at the top of that list.”

Attendee registration fees generallycover about a third of the true cost ofattending BlogHer, with the other twothirds — among other amenities — pro-vided by sponsors. BlogHer’10 sponsor-ing companies and brands includedHillshire Farm, Chevrolet, Ubisoft, T-Mobile, Yahoo!, AOL, Microsoft,Mozilla, Hallmark, Nikon, JVC,Audiovox, Bosch, Johnson & Johnson,Bausch & Lomb, Eucerin, Arm &Hammer, Aquaphor, Tempur-Pedic,ECCO, Sears, Stride Rite, Timex, WhiteHouse Black Market, ASSETS by SaraBlakely, Fisher-Price, Playskool, MyLittle Pony, Nickelodeon, Huggies,Earth’s Best, Healthy Choice, Pillsbury,Laughing Cow, Filtrete, SOYJOY,Hershey’s, Kraft, Terra Chips, JELL-O,Scotch-Brite, Thermos, 1-800 Flowers,and more.Disclosure and discretionIn the wake of last year’s revisions to

the FTC Guidelines for Endorsements,which require bloggers to disclose anycompensation or other “material connec-tion” with a company or product theyreview or endorse, some bloggers had

voiced concernsprior to the confer-ence about theabundance of freegifts from sponsor-ing companies.

In response, theconference teammade every effort toensure that free giftsand other sponsor-ship engagementswere optional:Attendees coulddecline their com-plimentary tote bagsand avoid the ExpoHall; unofficialparties boastinghuge giveawayswere not allowedon-site. Many com-panies also provid-ed their own dis-closure guidelinesfor bloggers whowished to reviewtheir products andStacey Ferguson, arepresentative fromthe FTC, participat-ed in a panel dis-cussion to clarifymisconcep t ionsabout the guide-lines.

Ferguson sug-gested a rule ofthumb for deter-mining when a dis-closure statement isnecessary: “Whenin doubt, disclose.”She also reassuredquestioners thatbloggers would notbe fined for violat-ing the guidelinesand explained that there is no specificwording that must be used.

Eager to maintain a level of credibilityand reader trust, some bloggers havetaken the “Blog with Integrity” pledge(blogwithintegrity.com) which was creat-ed last summer after a series of polarizingdebates about blogger compensation,sponsored posts, product reviews and ideatheft within the blogging community.Today many BlogHer members proudlydisplay “Blog with Integrity” badges ontheir websites and strictly adhere to theFTC guidelines.

Gloria Feldt, activist and Author of “NoExcuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change

How We Think About Power,” spoke ofthe potential power that women bloggershold at the closing keynote address. Shementioned that while many women feltconflicted ethically about receiving freegifts from sponsoring companies, she sawit as a missed opportunity.

“These people who are giving the swag… they understand that women make85% of the consumer goods purchases.And if we bloggers decided to, we coulddefine and determine every single con-sumer product that is sold to us,” she said.“If we wanted healthy food for our chil-

More than 2,400 bloggers, marketers, journalists and brand represen-tatives attended the sixth annual BlogHer conference.

Photo by Justin Hackworth for BlogHer

From L to R: Alison Stewart (“Need to Know” PBS anchor), MarieWilson (Founder and President of The White House Project), GloriaFeldt (author and activist), P. Simran Sethi (journalist and environ-mentalist) speak during BlogHer’s closing keynote address.

Photo by Justin Hackworth for BlogHer




FEATURE

In Fashion/Beauty PR, there are threeoptions when it comes to working in theindustry: you can work on multiple client

accounts for a fashion PR agency (eitheryour own or for someone else), in-house fora single brand, or go the freelance route,working primarily for yourself and perhapspicking up some extra work as an inde-pendent contractor. There are certainly prosand cons to each arrangement. However, ifyou feel you’re ready to embark on a life ofcoffee shop offices and autonomy, here aresome important factors to consider. Setting up your businessAs an independent contractor, you forgo

the security of a steady paycheck and healthinsurance for your freedom: the freedom toset your own hours, to work with the clientsyou want to work with, and to execute thePR strategy you believe will be most effec-tive. Nothing beats taking a nap whenyou’re feeling uninspired and staying upuntil 3 a.m. when you are, and you are, ofcourse, now able to subtract things like thesquare footage of your home office andyour Internet bill from your taxes.However, while it can appear quite lucra-tive at first to be paid, for example, a full$100 an hour, rather than an annual salarythat is less than half what your agency actu-ally charges for your services, rememberthat those pesky estimated taxes you mustnow pay quarterly require about 30% ofevery dollar you make be tucked away.

When you add in additional costs likehealth insurance, cell phone bill and rentinga conference room or workspace, suddenlythe image of you rolling in greenbackskicking up your Louboutin comes backdown to reality. Set up an appointment witha financial planner, accountant and yourlocal small business association in order tomake sure you are prepared for the proac-tive financial organization required for free-lance work. Also check in with your city, asyou may need to register (i.e. pay) in orderto be able to legally have your business,even if you’re just a talented chica workingfrom home.Running your business vs. doing your jobThere are a lot of things going on behind

the scenes at an agency — invoicing, soft-ware purchases, following up on payment(this is a biggie in the freelance world),negotiating relationships with vendors,early morning networking meetings andevents, human resources, legal, making

sure the kitchen is stocked with coffee andcreamer ... one of the most difficult andtime consuming parts of the freelance worldis that every tiny business detail belongs toyou. And learning how to successfully run abusiness is a very different skill set fromconvincing an editor that your client is thenext big thing, or sweet talking that 4 p.m.deadline at the UPS counter. Plan accord-ingly, and give yourself one morning aweek where it’s just business. Your businessand not your clients’. Consider taking a fewnight classes at the business school nearbyor even going in for your MBA. If you findyourself overwhelmed by this aspect ofwork, or find yourself avoiding spread-sheets like the plague, consider hiring a vir-tual assistant to help out.Figuring out your servicesWhat are your strengths? Do you have

incredible media contacts at all the month-lies or are you every fashion blogger’sBFF? Are you handy with html or great atevent production? At the start of your free-lance career, don’t make the mistake of try-ing to be or do too many things at once.Doing one thing exceptionally can be a keyingredient in building your empire, so putyour own gifts and talents through a brandexercise, clearly identify your brand prom-ise, differentiators and yes, even your 30second elevator speech. Then, considerthings from a different angle. What type ofclient do you want to work for and what isthe greatest value you can provide thatclient? Build your brandIf you are going to be asking people to

give you money to represent their brand,show them you understand the value of astrong company image. What does workingwith you look like, feel like, even smelllike? Are you a relaxing walk down a tran-quil beach or a bustling French cafe or thelatest downtown club? Don’t skimp on thedesign of your your web site, business cardsor blog. Your Internet presence, done cor-rectly, can give off the impression that you,darling of the dailies, are quite a bit largerthan life. After all, no one needs to knowjust how late you stay in your cupcake paja-mas, nor do they care, when the media iscalling. Creating referrals and affiliatesConsider joining a local networking or

business referral group. Early a.m.schmoozing with bad coffee might not beyour favorite way to wake up, but word ofmouth is your very best friend, and com-mitting to a group of service professionalscan reap huge rewards. Whatever you do,

find strategic partners like a web designer,print shop, videographer, photographer,florist, etc and refer each other business.Expanding your service offerings is greatfor business andknowing you haveseveral other peopleout there promotingyour services topotential clients inneed only helps.Perhaps you caneven split costs on afew things or host anevent together.Getting clientsWithout clients,

the world stops spin-ning, flowers wilt and fairies die. Even ifyou aren’t transitioning from an agency,send emails out to all the PR shops in townand explain who you are, your back-ground, and what accounts you think youcould help out on. You could do the samefor event planners. Certainly send out anemail to your network letting them knowof your new plans and don’t neglectFacebook — you never know when yourbest friend from seventh grade’s mom justhappens to to know someone who knowssomeone. To pick up some quick work,consider signing up at one of the freelancemarketplaces online. Offer your pressrelease skills, your bio writing abilities aswell as consulting services to anyone andeveryone.Commit There is no one that will ever care about

the success of your business more than you.This often means working late, going out toevents to meet new people when you wouldrather stay in bed and eat pie, and having tobe responsible not only for keeping yourclients happy but keeping your businesshappy, which means time out for invoicing,taxes, and on occasion, running out forprinter ink at 2 a.m. The biggest indicator ofsuccess is word of mouth and when itcomes to clients, you really are only asgood as your last hurrah — so push yourselfcreatively, stylistically, and keep focusingon client goals and satisfaction and youmight find the freelance life a pretty fine

Crosby Noricks is Founder and Editor offashion PR and marketing blog PRCouture. As Senior Social Media Strategistfor Red Door Interactive in San Diego, CA,she also works with fashion and consumerclients. She was recently named Blogger ofthe Year at the Inaugural InfluenceSDAwards. £

The pros (and cons) of freelance fashion PRBy Crosby Noricks

Crosby Noricks



Four PR groups in June met inBarcelona, Spain and came up withthe lofty “Barcelona Declaration of

Measurement Principles.”They are:1. Importance of goal setting and meas-

urement.2. Measuring outcomes is preferred to

measuring outputs.3. Effect on business results can and

should be measured.4. Media measurement requires quanti-

ty and quality.5. Advertising Value Equivalency

(AVE) is not the value of PR.6. Social media can and should be

measured.7. Transparency and replicability are

paramount to sound measurement.It should be noted that the “Barcelona

Principles” position PR as marketingwhen that is only one aspect of PR.

The most telling of the seven “princi-ples” crafted by the participants is No. 5:“Advertising Value Equivalency is not thevalue of PR.” Participants could onlydefine “PR” in the negative. This begs thequestion, “What is the value of PR?”

Professor Tim Penning, in theSeptember 2008 issue of PRSA’s Tactics,said it is “dialogue, negotiation and medi-ation.” PR pros, in order to “contribute toinformed decision making in a democrat-ic society, must seek opposing views forthe good of the public,” he wrote.

What the Barcelona attendees should bestudying is how secrecy and information-blocking are affecting the PR industry andthe public it is supposed to be serving.Attendees forgot that “public” is the firstword in the name of their industry.Institute for PR was hijackedAnother participant in Barcelona was

the Institute for PR, which broke awayfrom the PR Society in 1989 because ofdemands that all its directors be APR.

The breakaway went too far — all theway to Gainesville, Fla. — where IPR iscurrently housed at the University ofFlorida. It is a minor factor in the PRworld, a captive of ivory tower-dwellingacademic interests.

It should have stayed in New York toserve the huge communications industrythere. It could easily afford such a facilitynow.

IPR, whose staff is headed by Bob

Grupp, says it provides “the sciencebeneath the art of PR.”

IPR’s board is headed by MichaelFernandez of State Farm Insurance, amember of highly secretive PR Seminarand also its offshoot, the Arthur W. PageSociety.

Seminarians comprise about two-thirdsof Page’s 30-member board.

About 30 of the 45 trustees of IPR areeither Page members or both Page and PRSeminar members. Among those belong-ing to both are Angela Buonocore of ITT;Ray Jordan, Johnson & Johnson; MarilMacDonald, Page president in 2009, andGary Sheffer, General Electric.PR Seminar has huge turnoverIPR should be researching the decline

in influence of PR which is under heavypressure from corporate financial, legaland marketing departments.

One result is high PR job turnover andjob loss. PR Seminar inducted 43 newmembers in 2010 after taking on 47 newmembers in 2009. Fewer than ten newmembers were inducted yearly in the1970s and 80s.

Since Seminar limits its membershipand ousts anyone after one year who losesa job, this means that about 90 memberslost their jobs. Declining attendance alsomeans Seminar has to work hard to attractmembers. Blue chips are clamping downon expensive conferences at plush resorts.

Page members tell us that about 40members are job-searching and weremiffed when the $200K presidency ofPage went last month to a non-member —Julia Hood of PR Week — when so manyof them were in need of such a job.

Page reportedly looked at 200 resumesand conducted interviews but some mem-bers feel Hood was a lock from Day One.Hostility to media apparentThe Barcelona materials reflect the atti-

tude that media are there for one purpose— to promote client aims.

There is no interest in what is good forthe community or democracy, only whatis good for the client and often in the shortterm.

This attitude is one reason for thedestruction of large parts of the U.S.press. About half the journalists workingin 2001 have lost their jobs because ofdeclining ads and circulation.

This means a smaller news hole forpress releases and a deluge of at least50,000 reporters mostly seeking “PR”jobs. PR has become a very insecureindustry in which to work.

Job market needs addressingMedia and PR job shrinkage should be

the prime concerns of the PR tradegroups, not whether press release pickupsold product or not.

Katie Paine, who is known as “theQueen of Measurement,” has told us thatmeasurers want to find out what is notworking so that changes can be made.

How about calling up editors andreporters and asking them how well PR isserving them?

Is there anyone at the end of the releasewho can answer questions? Is the CEOavailable for interview or for press confer-ences?

It is a rare corporate website that liststhe names of any PR pros. Mostly,reporters are provided with an e-mail boxwhere they can leave a question and hopefor an answer.

Kraft describes its PR department (itcalls it “corporate affairs”) as its “secretweapon.” PR is seen as the “war depart-ment” and reporters as “the enemy.”

Viacom has a 48-page PDF that sets upits PR unit as corporate “gestapo” ready topounce on anyone remotely connectedwith the company who utters a negativeword about Viacom. The Village Voicedescribed it as “corporate terrorism.”

Organizational PR pros are under thetightest controls ever, their every wordand e-mail recorded for study by theirsuperiors. £

NYC PR principles trump Barcelona’sBy Jack O’Dwyer

FD is working with Skype as the digital commu-nications giant plans a $100 million initial publicoffering.

Skype is based in Luxembourg and was spunoff from eBay, which acquired it for $2.3 billionand continues to hold a stake. It filed for the IPOon Aug. 9.

The company’s key consumer offering, anInternet phone service, counts 560 million regis-tered users, including more than eight million whopay. First-half profit was $13.1 million on revenuetopping $406 million.

Brian Maddox, Managing Director of FD’s cor-porate communications practice, and LeighParrish, MD in FD’s retail and consumer sector, arehandling the Skype account.

An email to Maddox generated a response not-ing “this announcement has generated numerousqueries” and saying he’ll return the inquiry.

Skype said the number of shares and pricerange have not yet been determined.

Reuters’ Robert Cyran said a successful SkypeIPO could spark interest in a stalled tech environ-ment for public floats. “Investors would presum-ably clamor for more of the same, increasing valu-ations on tech firms that earn money on socialapplications,” said Cyran, who said a runawaysuccess could prod heavyweights like Facebook orZynga to offer shares, as well.

PR news briefs

FD AIDES SKYPE WITH IPO



Just in case you hadn’t noticed, everyfashion and beauty brand has essen-tially become a house of content. It’s

no longer enough to create a product oreven a trend; you now have to meld and dis-tribute messages that translate into theimages you want to project.

It seems that tastes — both in the mediaand the fashion and beauty world — nowchange about every month. What’s more,there’s now an increasing appetite for 24/7,on-demand information from a multitude ofoutlets. So, what strategies work today?

First, recognize the content you have.Content can be the product itself, from thepackaging to the delivery. We need to directeverything from the photo session to infor-mal showroom shows, to cosmetic demosat the retail counter, to marketing events,focus groups, news releases on a brand’sannual report, to what goes on backstage ata commercial shoot or runway show.

Second, proactively create content thatengages the consumer, whether it’s a con-test, a runway show, a “how to” demo, anevent, product giveaways, celebrity andthird party endorsements, or customermakeovers. Create an editorial calendarbased on seasonal events, launches, eventsin different cities, store openings, trunkshows, commercial shoots, new talent orexperts joining your team.

Next, capture the content you have invideo and text. If you don’t have it onvideo, it didn’t happen.

Finally, lengthen the life of the content.Create evergreen narratives full of action-able advice that can apply to trendsthroughout the year. Create a back story thatgives attention and focus to the content.This is like a brand’s own “reporter” givingtheir take on how the story went down.Packaging content for distributionNo content should be created without a

distribution strategy. And, existing contentis a loss without maximizing it for distribu-tion even if it is repurposed for stockholderreports, corporate website, investor rela-tions materials, or direct marketing emailcampaigns. But first, you have to packageand think through customizing the contentfor any kind of distribution.

Social media is paramount. When itcomes to bloggers, the biggest ones areinundated with product-embedded mes-sages. Keep it fresh, tell them somethingthey don’t know. Text works best here, butsome bloggers love video, and many have

video players on their sites or link to livevideo pages.

If you don’t keep your page stocked withfresh content every day, renegade sites candivert your traffic. Add daily video or stillsfrom store openings, new arrivals in store,sound bites from your designer orspokesperson that are broken up into 15-second jewels.

Live TV is quickly becoming one of themost popular trends in PR. It’s easily con-trolled: your spokesman is on-message andyou know exactly what targeted audienceyou’re getting, whether it’s a live satellitemedia tour with your spokesman or a place-ment on a morning show. The most effec-tive use of live TV is keeping the messageon generic trends and telling the audiencesomething they don’t already know. It’salso key to supply great B-roll visuals and agood second camera to capture close upsand provide live B-roll.

Likewise, live Websites are now verymuch in the game of participating in mediatours. Inexpensive ones can be done withSkype.

Meanwhile, B-roll continues to beamong our most popular tools. It’s indis-pensable for archiving, handing out to allmedia, packaging into webisodes, as wellas creating short videos for guaranteedplacements. Don’t forget what we call“background sound.” This supplies flavorand immediacy.

Shorts (from 30 seconds to a minute inlength) are the future. They are serviceable,and actionable, they’re perfect for corporatewebsites, distribution, the web, bloggers,guaranteed placement on broadcast TV orplaced-based. Web editors, TV producers,and corporate content creators need turnkeycontent without getting their hands dirtywith editing or scripting. These are storiesthat hit a trend embedding a client brand ormessage either with a spokesman’s inter-view laced together or a voice over incorpo-rating that interview. The key is keeping itshort and snappy. The right content for the right outletRight now the most successful pitches on

everything from healthcare, beauty, food totravel is happening on live TV. Stations arelooking for live content that attracts femaleviewers, especially in the morning. It’s crit-ical to leverage established and emergingtechnology to reach producers:

The TV news business is transient; a hitin Denver or Chicago is now just as likelyto come as a result of outreach via Twitteror Facebook, and following producers viasocial media allows you to maintain rela-

tionships. The days of TN news stations picking up

VNRs like “Drugstore Beauty Buys” arelong gone, but stations and networks stilltake B-roll that has a legitimate newsangle. FDA approvals, large events andcelebrity vehicles still get grabbed.Pitching has changed; it’s more targeted.Remember that one size no longer fits all,and content dictates the stations and showsto approach.

Guaranteed placements remain popular,especially for clients targeting a specificdemographic, or clients looking to drivetraffic to websites. Guaranteed placementslet clients drive home messaging harderthan on video designed for editorial spaces.

Radio is still a great way to reach mil-lions without a huge investment. Radioworks best for clients that have a morecomplicated story to tell. Radio produc-ers are looking for pitches and topicsthat allow for the development of indepth conversations. Topics involvingharder news like medical/health, financeand social issues tend to play well withradio stations. Pitches that are moremale oriented resonate with produces,particularly for talk radio stations.

When it comes to websites, it all startswith content. Video content needs toappear organic, it needs to speak to theaudience of sites/blogs you’re trying toreach.

Respect for a website or blog’s edito-rial independence is key in any pitch.Your actual pitch should be short andsweet; the subject line of the email pitchis your door opener, and one that doesn’tdeliver a punch won’t see the light ofday. Social media sites like YouTube,Twitter and Facebook get your videosexposure and feedback. Most important-ly, they get you search engine visibility.Measurement of PR toolsIn TV, Nielsen still calls the shots. Clients

want to know when and where their contentaired and how many people saw it. For theweb, social media monitoring software likeRadian6 or Invisible Technologies is theway to go. These software applications “lis-ten” to the web and follow not only yourvideo but what people are saying about it,on blogs, messages boards, Twitter, onvideo sharing sites and an host of othersocial networks. In addition, you want toknow where you video ends up and howmany people have seen it. That softwaregives you the answer.

Christy Ferer is CEO and Founder ofVidicom. £

Shaping content for today’s fashion media landscapeBy Christy Ferer

FEATURE


DIRECT MAILLEADERS FOR OVER 20YEARS

THE MOST EXTENSIVE OFFERING OF SERVICES IN THE INDUSTRY...

WE DELIVER ON YOUR DIRECT MAILING & PRINTING NEEDS

100% OF THE TIME. HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

520 8th Avenue, 14th F loor New York, New York 10018

DIRECT MAIL PRINTING

DATABASE

NCOA

FULFILLMENT PRESS KITS

TARGETER®


Spending on PR, promotions andword-of-mouth marketing isexpected to fall another 2.7% in

2010 before bouncing back.John Suhler, President and General

Partner of VSS, said the expansion peri-od forecast by his firm will be a “longerand slower” recovery because of thebreadth and depth of the recession.

“Advertising and marketing invest-ments, historically the drivers of commu-nications growth during recoveries, areexpected to be more muted due to theshift away from traditional media outletsto more targeted media.”

The VSS forecast found that spendingon PR, promotions and word-of-mouthfell 10.7% in 2009 to $70.54 billion.

PR and WOMM, combined, dipped2.8% last year to $5.05 billion, VSSnoted, amid a downturn in traditional PRoffset by a double-digit gain in word-of-

mouth, which hasproven to be effectiveand cost-efficient, theanalysis found.

“Public relations,meanwhile, suffered asetback in 2009 as aresult of tight budgetsand difficulty in corre-lating PR to sales lift,”said the VSS report.“PR, however, willrebound in 2010 andpost accelerating gainsduring the forecast peri-od, as companies seekto rebuild consumerrelationships followingthe recession.”

For 2011, VSS sees adouble-digit decline in B2B promotionsoffsetting modest growth in consumerpromotions, PR and WOMM. B2B is

expected to bounce back in 2012, butthe whole group, which VSS calls“marketing media,” will be the slowestgrowing and smallest communicationssector through the next few years.“Solid gains in public relations andword-of-mouth marketing will beunable to mitigate sluggish growth intraditional marketing segments …” thereport notes.

VSS said PR and WOMM will bene-fit from an ongoing shift from “tradi-tional” to “alternative marketing vehi-cles” which are seen to generate betterreturn on investment.

Total communications spending,which includes advertising, media andmarketing, is forecast to grow 3.5% in2010.

Consumer advertising is seen todecline through 2011, while businessand professional information and serv-ices, including companies likeBloomberg, Thomson Reuters andNielsen, is expected to be the fastestgrowing industry sector through 2014.

VSS sees the fastest communicationsrevenue growth in the “institutionalend-user space,” which includes TVprogramming and licensing fees, tradeshows, and business and professionalservices.

The report has been compiled everyyears since 1986. £

Veronis predicts PR rebound in 2011


PR and word-of-mouth marketing, a $5 billion business in 2009, are poised for modestgrowth in 2011 after double-digit declines in 2009 will ease this year, according to ananalysis and forecast of the communications sector by Veronis Suhler Stevenson.

By Greg Hazley

VSS’ breakdown of segments in the communications sector.

FEATURE


dren, clothing that’s comfortable, whatev-er, we could make that happen. The mar-keters understand that. Do we?”Not all conferences created equalIn strong contrast to the BlogHer

Conference was the Affiliate Summit(affiliatesummit.com). The AffiliateSummit East, which took place at theNew York Hilton the following week onAugust 15-17, is a biannual symposiumfor affiliate marketers, merchants and

vendors. Women only accounted forabout 25% of this year’s estimated3,500-plus attendees, which included aheavy presence from vendors, onlinemarketers and brand affiliates as well asbloggers.

The sponsoring companies at theAffiliate Summit clearly considered mento be their primary demographic. Manyof the informational materials providedby companies at the event featuredscantily clad women. Young womenwearing bikinis strutted around the ExpoHall in an attempt to recruit new mem-bers to the BikiniBabes Network (bikini-babesnetwork.com), a marketing com-pany that uses slogans like “higher pay-outs are sexy” and “affiliate marketingahead of the curves.” The “swag” wasminimal compared to that at BlogHer;when it was available, freebies typicallycame in the form of logo-emblazoned

candy cigarettes, shot glasses, beercozies, and bottle openers. Website-building company Atomic Shops (atom-icshops.com) even brought a keg of beerto the Expo Hall.

Unlike BlogHer, which offered on-site childcare and a “lactation lounge”for nursing mothers, the AffiliateSummit denied admittance to anyoneunder 21, including infants and tod-dlers.

That’s not to say the Affiliate Summitoverlooked women entirely. Of the 36educational sessions, one focused solelyon marketing to women. The organizers,presenters, and sponsors at the confer-ence likely do understand the signifi-cance of women as online consumers,but perhaps are not yet convinced thatwomen are capable of being powerfulonline influencers, and in turn, onlinesellers. £


Bad hair day

BRANDS TEMPT BLOGGERS0Continued from page 13

U.S. TV network Oxygen in August took over Times Square to kick off the season premier of its newestshow, “Hair Battle Spectacular.”The show, which premiered on August 10, follows “fantasy” hair stylists who compete over the course

of the season to create outrageous hair styles for a $100,000 grand prize. It is hosted by former “Baywatch”star and fashion model Brooke Burns.To build buzz, five of the show’s stylists met in Times Square to compete in a hair sculpting competition.

Each stylist was given a New York City borough to represent — with hair as their canvas. Once the ‘doswere complete, models showed off their new hair on a runway, where a panel of judges crowned the lastcoiffure standing. The Times Square battle royal was the brainchild of LeadDog Marketing Group, which worked in conjunc-

tion with Oxygen Media to produce, staff, and run all programming for the event, as well as secure need-ed city permits.On-site activities for attendees included a photo booth where attendees wore “fantasy wigs” in front of

New York City borough backdrops. Oxygen also hosted an on-site Twitter sweepstakes where consumerstweeted their favorite style for a chance to win $500. Celebrity guest judges included fantasy hair design-er Derek J and “Rock of Ages” star Constantine Mouralis.

cleavage” that will fit into fashionablestyles.” Women account for 80 percent ofall foot surgery.

Rhode feels that “resisting culturalpressures for cosmetic surgery or killershoes makes it safer for others to do so aswell.”

The author wants parents to raise chil-dren with “positive body images, healthydiets and active lifestyles.”

Consumers should educate themselvesabout processed and fast-food productsor what critic Michael Pollan calls “edi-ble food-like substances.”

People can support organizations likethe National Association to Advance FatAcceptance, Council on Size and WeightDiscrimination and International SizeAcceptance Organization.

Rhode recommends that women send ayear’s cosmetic budget to a women’srights group instead.

For their part, the media should pro-mote more diverse, healthy and realisticimages of attractiveness. The authorapplauds authorities in Madrid and Milanfor banning underweight models fromfashion shows. London’s Fashion Weekreceives raves for requiring models tohave a doctor’s note indicating theirhealth is not at risk.

Rhode wants greater and more seriouscoverage of appearance discriminationand more responsible treatment ofweight-related issues.

She concluded: “Beauty may be onlyskin deep, but the costs associated withits pursuit go much deeper. The financialphysical and psychological price ofappearance demands closer attention andcollective action ... That will requiretreating appearance not only as an aes-thetic issue, but as a legal and politicalone as well.”

PR people can certainly enlist inRhode’s effort. It’s payback time. £

PR BLAMED FOR ‘BEAUTY’ BIAS0Continued from page 10


AIRFOIL PUBLICRELATIONS

1000 Town Center Drive, #600Southfield, MI 48075248/304-1400Fax: 248/[email protected]

Lisa Vallee-Smith, CEO

Airfoil, with offices inSouthfield, Mich. and MountainView, Calif., is an independentfirm specializing in marketingcommunications and publicrelations for technology firmsand other organizations that

wish to be known for innova-tion.

Airfoil has cultivated expert-ise in building high-tech beautyand aesthetic brands. Whethersimplifying technical conceptsfor consumer media or position-ing important breakthroughs totechnical and trade media,Airfoil has helped industryleaders successfully launch newproducts and refresh estab-lished brands for more than 10years.

Airfoil delivers HigherThinking®. With a foundationin research-driven strategy, ourHigher Thinking® bringstogether all the means neces-sary to raise your brand abovethe crowd and propel you

beyond the competition. Airfoil delivers the people,

process and performance thattake you to a higher level.

ALLISON & PARTNERS

116 East 27th Street, 4th FloorNew York, NY 10016212/[email protected]

Anne Colaiacovo, Partner

Allison & Partners brings thereach and resources of a globalleader paired with the respon-siveness and expertise of aboutique agency to beauty andfashion brands. With years ofexperience growing some ofthe world’s leading fragrance,cosmetics, apparel and acces-sories companies, our expertscreate integrated campaignswith traditional tactics and dig-ital media strategies to shapeopinions and establish brandloyalty. Our team leverageslongstanding relationships withtop consumer lifestyle editorialcontacts to create successfulpositioning, branding and prod-uct launches; publicity andmedia tours; events, samplingand promotions; social net-working and emerging mediaoutreach; retail marketing;sponsorships and strategicalliances; corporate socialresponsibility and cause mar-keting programs that reach con-sumer audiences and buildmarket share. Our experienceincludes philosophy, L’OréalUSA, GoodSkin Labs, BobbiBrown and more.

CARMICHAELLYNCH SPONG

110 North Fifth Street Minneapolis, MN 55403612/375-8500www.carmichaellynchspong.com

Douglas K. Spong, APR,PresidentCurtis Smith, Director ofBusiness Development

Carmichael Lynch Spong issavvy about fashion and beautypublic relations and has abreadth of experience withthird-party spokespeople,trendsetters and influencers.The firm exceeds clients’expectations in the areas ofmen’s and women’s apparel,beauty products, home décorand high-profile events.

Differentiating itself frommany of the nation’s PR firms,Carmichael Lynch Spong has aunique approach to media rela-tions accompanied by a largemedia relations team comprisedof several former journalists,reporters and editors. The firmhas the experience and know-how to garner exceptionalresults.

Carmichael Lynch Spong hasearned a national reputation asthe champion of best practicesin public relations. With staff inNew York, Minneapolis,Chicago, Denver and SanFrancisco, the firm ignites andsustains momentum for a select,but envied portfolio of big-name clients.

Carmichael Lynch Spong isadmired for its creative, award-winning work; being the desti-nation of choice for like-mind-ed achievement-addicts seekingto produce their career-bestwork; and representing severalof the world’s best-knownbrands.

The firm provides unmatchedexpertise in two primary prac-tice areas: brand marketing andcorporate. Carmichael LynchSpong is a three-time recipientof the PR “Agency of the Year”award by the Holmes Reportand PRWeek.

Profiles

BEAUTY AND FASHION PR9.10

O’Dwyer’sGuide to:


Carmichael Lynch Spong and client Sherwin-Williams partnered withfashion designer Cynthia Rowley to launch Concepts in Color — apaint palette featuring 250 high-demand hues. The agency workedclosely with Rowley to seamlessly integrate the new colors into herfall show at Fashion Week, including the runway, which was lit withcolor from above and below.

The October issue of O’Dwyer’s willfocus on healthcare PR, and will featurea company profile section highlightingcommunications firms that specialize inhealthcare and medical technology.

If you would like your firm to be listed,contact Editor Jon Gingerich at 646/843-2080 or [email protected]


COYNE PR

14 Walsh DriveParsippany, NJ 07054973/316-1665

1065 Avenue of the Americas28th FloorNew York, NY 10018212/938-0166www.coynepr.com

Tom Coyne, CEORich Lukis, PresidentDeborah Sierchio, VicePresident, Beauty & Fashion

Coyne PR has establisheditself as one of the leading inde-pendent full-service public rela-tions firms in the country repre-senting an impressive collectionof international corporations,top national brands, high-profileevents and first-class organiza-tions. No agency possesses abetter combination of unbridledcreativity, limitless enthusiasm,strategic approach, impeccableintegrity and client service thanour nationally recognized firm.Coyne PR’s Beauty & Fashionteam implements campaigns forclients including Mary KayCosmetics, Solstice SunglassBoutiques and CasioTimepieces. The team knowsthat the measure of success isbased on the ability to impecca-bly groom the client’s image.

From product launches to spe-cial events to social media cam-paigns, the Beauty & Fashionteam thinks bigger and acceler-ates buzz for its clients, alwayskeeping a finger on the pulse ofthis fast-paced industry.

FILM FASHION

A Division of Rogers & CowanPacific Design Center8687 Melrose Ave., G684Los Angeles, CA 90069310/854-8195 Fax: 310/[email protected]

Carla Blizzard, Vice President

Film Fashion, an exclusivedivision of Rogers & Cowan,specializes in matching fashionand accessory brands withprominent celebrities to provideheightened brand awareness.This specialty PR firm createscustomized solutions to matchclients and their latest fashionswith the “right” celebrities andtrendsetters that embody theirbrand and promote the desiredimage.

The firm leverages theseHollywood associations intomedia coverage through the exe-cution of strategic media rela-tions campaigns targeting keyfashion, lifestyle, and entertain-ment press. Media activities for

their roster of fashion designers,fine jewelers, luxury goods, andspecialty retailers may includedesigner profiles, collectionlaunches, and fashion shows.Film Fashion’s unique showroomspace provides an optimal loca-tion to introduce media, stylistsand celebrities to our client’sbrands by housing an edited col-lection of samples.

Recent projects have includeddressing celebrities for magazinephoto shoots and red carpetappearances, securing editorialplacements and coordinatingproduct placement working withtalent such as Jennifer Lopez,Taylor Swift, Penelope Cruz,Halle Berry, Eva Mendes, Carrie

PROFILES OF BEAUTY & FASHION PR FIRMS


Casio Timepieces and Coyne PR welcomed “Tik Tok” singer Ke$ha asthe newest watch designer and “Brand Ambassador” for Casio’s Baby-G watches on the red carpet before her live performance at the Casio“Shock the World” event.

Jennifer Lopez (pictured above) shines on the red carpet in a ZuhairMurad evening gown at the 2010 MET Gala. Film Fashion Client:Zuhair Murad. Publication: Life & Style Magazine.





Underwood, Beyoncé and KatyPerry. Clients include A Pea inthe Pod, Catherine Malandrino,Chopard, David Meister,Georges Chakra, Jenny Packham,Pamella Roland, Swarovski,Tadashi Shoji and Zuhair Murad.

HOPE-BECKHAMINC.

17 Executive Park Dr., Suite 600

Atlanta, GA 30329

404/604-2613

[email protected]

www.hopebeckham.com

David C. Van Voorhis, Director

Business Development/Client

Relations

The latest “must have” dressor beauty product, the openingof a brand new retail location …what do these things have incommon?

They lack a voice, a way toeffectively communicate withthe consumer in a way that rais-es awareness and influencesbuying decisions.

Let Hope-Beckham be thevoice that speaks to your audi-ence.

Hope-Beckham Inc. excels inpublic relations and experientialmarketing. The agency providesa variety of services to its clientson a local, regional and nationallevel. In 2007, 2008 and 2009,Hope-Beckham was named oneof O’Dwyer’s Top IndependentPR Firms in Beauty andFashion.

Hope-Beckham servesFortune 500 and smaller compa-nies and organizations with thesame energy, commitment andsolid results.

Why Hope-Beckham?Hope-Beckham is committed

to being the best resource forclients — responding quicker,working faster and smarter andproviding the best possible valuefor its clients.

HUNTER PUBLICRELATIONS

41 Madison Avenue, 5th FloorNew York, NY 10010-2202212/[email protected] www.hunterpr.com

Grace Leong, Jason Winocour,Jonathan Lyon, Claire Burke,Mark Newman, Donetta Allenand Gigi Russo, Partners

Hunter Public Relations is acertified woman owned top-ranked marketing communica-tion firm specializing in con-sumer brands and lifestyle pub-lic relations. In business for 21years, the 75-person, independ-ently owned and operated firmoffers strategic marketing PRservices including creativebrainstorming and facilitation,traditional and social mediarelations, special event produc-tion, product introductions,anniversaries, contests, localmarket events, spokespersontours and crisis counseling.

Revitalizing mature brands,creating buzz for new productsand building awareness amongkey influencer groups andcelebrities are among the firm’sspecific areas of expertise.

Clients have includedJohnson & Johnson, L’Occitane(Melvita U.S. launch), DanaClassic Fragrances, Alberto-Culver, and Church & Dwight.

JAYNE & COMPANY, LLC

16496 Falmouth DriveCleveland, OH 44136440/[email protected]

Jayne Morehouse, President

At Jayne & Company, webuild beautiful relationships fornew, growing and establishedbrands, products, services andpersonalities. We share beauty,fashion, wellness, natural andlifestyle brands’ stories directlyand via targeted traditional andsocial media to the audienceswho matter most to you — fromend consumers to your industry,from your distribution partnersto your own community to cre-ate, build and strengthen aware-ness, leadership positioning,sales and ongoing connections.Our point of difference comesfrom a deep and interactiveunderstanding of our clients’businesses, coupled with anindelible passion for the growthof their brands. But most of all,our fun, entertaining and rele-vant communications processmakes your brand memorable.

Hope-Beckham’s client Belk Inc. unveiled the 2010 fall fashions withbold jewelry as a hot item this season. Check out more fashions atwww.belk.com.

Hunter PR planned and executed the Carefree® Fresh Start Fund, anintegrated brand platform in partnership with the Step up Women’sNetwork. Pictured here is Kelly Rutherford, a Step up Women’sNetwork supporter, congratulating the top recipients of theCarefree® Fresh Start Fund at a New York City event with the organi-zation’s members. Ten women received a total of $25,000 in fundingto make a fresh start.

888-333-3116

Find out about cruises sailing from New Yorkand other worldwide destinations

• Business Travel Consultants• Strategic Meetings Management• Government Travel Contractors• Over 200 Offices Worldwide• Competitive Online Booking• One-on-One Travel Consultation• Leisure Travel Experts

World Headquarters • 3102 Omega Office Park • Fairfax, VA 22031• 703-359-0200

212-563-3500 • OmegaNewYork.com

Leading the Travel Industryby Providing ProfessionalTravel Services Since 1972

Locations:North AmericaMiddle EastEuropeAsia

FILM FASHION0Continued from page 21


888-333-3116

Find out about cruises sailing from New Yorkand other worldwide destinations

• Business Travel Consultants• Strategic Meetings Management• Government Travel Contractors• Over 200 Offices Worldwide• Competitive Online Booking• One-on-One Travel Consultation• Leisure Travel Experts

World Headquarters • 3102 Omega Office Park • Fairfax, VA 22031• 703-359-0200

212-563-3500 • OmegaNewYork.com

Leading the Travel Industryby Providing ProfessionalTravel Services Since 1972

Locations:North AmericaMiddle EastEuropeAsia


KAPLOW

19 West 44th Street, 6th FloorNew York, NY 10036212/[email protected]

Liz Kaplow, CEOEvan Jacobs, CFO

Kaplow is an award-winning,independent public relationsagency with deep expertise inbrand-building, beauty, wellnessand fashion communications.Kaplow exists for a singular rea-son: to emotionally connect ourclients’ brand stories with con-sumers who matter.

With unparalleled access tomedia and unsurpassed connec-tions to influencers, Kaplowreaches beyond traditional pub-lic relations to spark conversa-tions and engage consumers.Through our K:drive division,Kaplow extends brand buzzacross the social media spacewhere consumers live. K:driveexpertise includes viral andsocial media campaigns, brandaudits, blogging and bloggerrelations, video production andmedia training.

Liz Kaplow founded the firm19 years ago after an extensivecareer in beauty, fashion, well-ness and lifestyle communica-tions. Quality, individualizationand measurable results are at thecenter of every client program.As a result, the agency maintains

long-standing client relation-ships with its best-in-classclients, including Avon mark,Alberto Culver, CosmeticExecutive Women, CVS / phar-macy, Shiseido, Timex andTarget.

LOVING + COMPANY

276 Fifth Avenue, Suite 801

New York, NY 10001

212/213-3504

www.lovingandcompany.com

Loving + Company is a full-service public relations firm spe-cializing in building brands thathelp people feel good, look greatand live well. Focusing on con-sumer-engaging, bottom-line-driving lifestyle PR, the agencyworks with major personal care,beauty, wellness, home designand fashion brands.

The agency blends classic PRexpertise with new media know-how to produce consumer-sur-rounding brand experiences.Loving + Company builds clientprograms that change minds,build dialogues, win hearts andmove products. Strategic cre-ativity is a hallmark of the firm.With an eye on pop culture andserious style, agency thinking isadventurous, unexpected andengaging.

Specializing in BrandBuilding, Media Relations,Social Media Marketing, EventManagement, Crisis

Communication and Cause-Related Marketing, Loving +Company delivers true life +style marketing.

MALONEY & FOX

89 Fifth Ave., 4th Floor New York, NY 10003212/243-2000Direct: 646/356-8383Fax: 212/[email protected] [email protected]

Julie Levinthal, FashionConsultant

As a boutique firm that suc-cessfully merges small agencycreativity and attention with bigagency know-how, Maloney &Fox (M&F) continues to seeimpressive growth in its fashionand luxury goods practice.M&F’s savvy and dedicatedteams create freshmarketing/PR strategies andcampaigns to help clients gaininfluence, build and increasebrand awareness and boostsales.

M&F’s Voluptuary Marketing— which plays to and ignitesconsumers’ tactile, sensual,emotional and style prerogatives— has been successful, giving atraditionally static craft a power-ful sensory dimension.

Furthermore, M&F hasbecome an agency capable of“Master Pairings.” Unitingbrands that share visions, yetdon’t compete with one anoth-er, has yielded interesting andfruitful partnerships, promo-tions, editorial coverage andnew customers. VIP andcelebrity relationships are alsoincorporated by the team inboth subtle and substantialways.

Maloney & Fox’s luxurygoods, beauty and fashionexpertise grew out of successfulcampaigns for premier brandsincluding Wonderbra, Peroniand iSaloni Worldwide,footwear leaders Brooks Sportsand Rockport. M&F’s exclusiveroster currently includes the263-year-old signature spiritDrambuie; Mercedes-BenzUSA; Hendrick’s Gin,Glenfiddich and the Balvenie,among other brands fromWilliam Grant & Sons; and TheThomas Riley Artisans’ Guild.This past year, the agency alsoadded Tupperware’sBeautiControl line and leadingfootwear manufacturer Masai

Barefoot Technology (MBT).

MCENTYRE PUBLICRELATIONS

305 Madison Avenue, Suite 1028New York, NY 10165212/856-9777Fax: 212/[email protected]

While accounts new to theagency include publishing,cleaning products and home fur-nishings, beauty and fashionremains the cornerstone of busi-ness at McEntyre PublicRelations. All clients benefitfrom the agency’s big ideas —creative and ingenious ways thefirm uses to get clients noticedfast and favorably. Mediaplacement is key here and thefirm, utilizing all media chan-nels, routinely scores nationaltelevision, print and online hits.Working in tandem with clients’brand managers, the companytakes pride in helping to accom-plish marketing and sales goals— whether it is for one of theworld’s largest beauty compa-nies or a new entrant to thebeauty/fashion marketplace.

PIERCE MATTIEPUBLIC RELATIONS

62 West 45th Street, 3rd FloorNew York, NY 10036212/[email protected]

Pierce Mattie, CEO & Founder

Pierce Mattie PublicRelations remains the industryleader in communications forbeauty and fashion brands.Headed by a wellness andlifestyle expert Pierce Mattie, itis the only firm that has a spa,known as the Media Oasis, builtinto their corporate office inTimes Square. At Pierce MattiePublic Relations our team isinnovative, client-focused andresults-oriented. Collectivelyour executives are stronger withdiversified back-grounds thatmeet the needs of a broad rangeof clients.

Pierce Mattie PR has solidrelationships with the editorialworld of New York and thecelebrity world of Hollywood.Pierce Mattie PR has a proventrack record of collaboratingwith its client partners to deliv-er consistently outstanding



Kaplow has been building brand buzz for the Cosmetic ExecutiveWomen Beauty Awards for 15 years. This year’s star-studded eventhosted beauty authorities, celebrities and influencers includingChairwoman of the CEW Board Jill Scalamandre, Kim Kardashianand Allure Editor-in-Chief Linda Wells.


results.

RBB PUBLIC RELATIONS

355 Alhambra Circle, Suite 800Miami, FL 33134305/448-7450www.rbbpr.com

Christine Barney, Lisa Ross,Tina Elmowitz

Miami-based rbb PublicRelations is a leading PR firmwith a wealth of experienceserving beauty and fashionclients from hair care productsto international accessoriesretail. The agency prides itselfon delivering award-winningcampaigns that use smart com-munications to persuade, moti-vate and influence consumerdecisions, and has been recog-nized for best practices in mediarelations, corporate and crisiscommunications, product intro-ductions and digital/socialmedia.

rbb’s beauty and fashionclient experience includesbrands such as Bijoux Terner, afashion accessories retailer withmore than 550 boutiques in 60countries, and Global Keratin,an international leader in scien-tifically advanced hair careproducts. Three-time winner of“PR Agency of the Year,” rbbgives its Fortune 500 and entre-preneurial clients award-win-ning counsel and results, andthe individual attention avail-able only through a boutiqueagency. Explore how rbb’semployee-driven workplacedelivers extraordinary clientsatisfaction at www.rbbpr.comor call 305-448-7457.

ROGERS & COWAN

919 Third Ave, 18th FloorNew York, NY 10022212/445-8400Fax: 212/[email protected]

Fran Curtis, Executive VicePresident (New York)Maggie Gallant, Senior VicePresident (New York)Carla Blizzard, Vice President(Los Angeles)

Rogers & Cowan, withoffices in New York and LosAngeles, is located in two of thelargest fashion capitals in theworld. We offer extensive

expertise in the fashion, beautyand luxury categories providingpublicity and marketing cam-paigns, special event support,celebrity/influencer seeding,promotions and product place-ment. Our commitment is illus-trated in the work we do in pro-moting men’s, women’s andchildren’s apparel, eyewear,handbags, shoes, jewelry, time-pieces, beauty/skincare prod-ucts, celebrity brands, designersand fashion-related events.

As agency of record forLuxottica Group’s FashionBrand Segment, Rogers &Cowan handles all public rela-tions for brands such as Ray-Ban, Vogue Eyewear, ToryBurch, D&G, DKNY, andSunglass Hut. Rogers & Cowanworks on behalf of Luxottica toimplement strategic marketingcampaigns that encompass con-sumer and fashion PR, productlaunches, celebrity and influen-tial seeding, and entertainmentevents.

Clients have includedSunglass Hut, Ray-Ban,Clinique, Spa Chakra,Innovative Skincare, WrinkleFree Eyes, Pastry, David Babaiifor WildAid, Sponge Skincare,Dylan’s Candy Bar, WhitneyEve, Moody Mamas, ETRO,and Glamour’s Reel Moments.

RUDER FINN, INC.

310 East 57th Street New York, NY 10022212/593-6400Direct: 212/[email protected]

Louise Harris, President,International, New York

Ruder Finn offers award-win-ning brand positioning, mediaexpertise and insider access totraditional press, social mediaand influencers to communicatea clear message to consumers.With global capabilities in theU.S, Europe and Asia, RuderFinn’s team of lifestyle expertshelp to develop storylines,shape strategy and delivermeasurable business results forluxury, fashion and beautybrands.

Our client roster has includedsuch luxury fashion and beautybrands as Sephora, Hermes, andCartier.

One of the earliest interna-tional agencies strategizing withluxury brands to enter China’s

2nd-tier and 3rd-tier cities,Ruder Finn has developed long-standing client relationshipsthat include Canali, Givenchy,Follie Folli, Hennessy,Forevermark (previously DTC /De Beers) and Bang & Olufsento name a few. As China contin-ues to enjoy remarkable eco-nomic growth, wealthy Chineseare catching up with the rest ofthe world and making a globalimpact on luxury and fashionbrands around the world. Chinais now the 3rd biggest luxurygoods consumer, growing at anannual rate of 20%-30%. TheChina Luxury Forecast, a yearlyin-depth annual analysis byRuder Finn Asia, examines andcharts the trends and influenc-ing factors in the market. Thisunique knowledge has allowedRuder Finn China, with officesin Shanghai, Beijing,Guangzhou and Hong Kong, tooffer even more communicationand positioning services in thiskey market.

VIDICOM

1775 Broadway, Ste. 401New York, NY 10019212/895-8300www.vidicom.com

Christy Ferer, Founder and CEO

Vidicom has been in businessfor 28 years now, and we pro-vide the pool camera feed forboth the New York and ParisFashion Weeks. Christy Ferer,our founder and CEO, is a for-mer fashion correspondent forthe CBS Early Show and NBC’sTODAY Show and writes a reg-ular column on fashion for theHuffington Post. Her efforts topromote Paris Fashion Week,the fashion industry and invest-ment in France in general,helped lead to her being award-ed the prestigious French Legionof Honor this year at the FrenchEmbassy in New York.Vidicom’s coverage of NYFashion week is featured on thePeople.com website as well asour NY hotel channel (in over40,000 hotel rooms) and in-flight on JetBlue. Throughoutthe year, Vidicom produces aregular feature called “Beautyon the Go” which is seen onCityBuzz hotel TV systemsnationwide, on DirecTV, in-flight and on cruise lines.Fashion and beauty brands thatwork with Vidicom includeL’Oreal, Calvin Klein, Christian

Dior, Chanel and many others.

VI NELSON &ASSOCIATES, INC.

1560 N. Sandburg TerraceSuite 3410Chicago, IL 60610312/[email protected] [email protected]

Vi Nelson, PresidentKate Cicela, Vice President

Vi Nelson & Associates, Inc.,(VNA) specializes in connectingwith and influencing the beauty andspa industry through highly creativeand integrated communications.Among the firm’s proven strengthsare salon/spa industry research,strategic communications, multi-faceted marketing programs, strongmedia relations, educational andpromotional material development,cause and relationship marketing.VNA combines PR and marketingexpertise with a high level of salonindustry understanding.

We are the communicationsresource for leading associations,events and companies in the beautyindustry, including America’sBeauty Show, AmericanAssociation for Esthetics,ColorAmerica, CosmetologistsChicago, Cosmetólogos Latinos,International Nail TechniciansAssociation (INTA), IndependentCosmetic Manufacturers andDistributors Association (ICMAD),P&G Beauty & Grooming, P&GSalon Professional and Pivot PointInternational, Inc.

Through professionalism anddedication, VNA is responsive andflexible in our working relationshipto fit a client’s needs. The agency iscelebrating its 20th anniversary in2010.

WEBER SHANDWICK

919 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022212/[email protected]@webershandwick.comwww.webershandwick.com

Lisa Sepulveda, President,Global Consumer MarketingJill Murphy, Chief BusinessDevelopment Officer

Weber Shandwick has exten-sive experience in the beauty andfashion category, with clients





ranging from mass-market skinand hair care brands to intimateapparel and outerwear.

The beauty and fashion groupoffers an experienced team ofexperts who know how to breakthrough the clutter of competitive,fast-paced and dynamic markets.Expertise includes brand building,product launches, event and fashionshow planning, grassroots market-ing, social media strategy and exe-cution, branded entertainment andcelebrity and influencer seeding,retailer support, cause marketingand issues management.

A keen sense of style, coupledwith strong relationships with beau-ty and fashion editors — as well ascelebrity stylists, make-up artistsand Hollywood A-listers — enableteam members to produce award-winning results for clients. Fromthe beauty and fashion pages tonational morning shows and enter-tainment media to the Web’s mostinfluential blogs, Weber Shandwickgets client products noticed — bythe right audiences, in the right ven-ues and at the right time.

ZCOMM

7830 Old Georgetown RoadSuite 125Bethesda, MD 20814www.zpr.comwww.twitter.com/zcommunications

Risë Birnbaum, Founder & CEO

zcomm is a Women’s BusinessEnterprise (WBE) national market-ing and communications agency

with a focus on beauty and fashionPR, consumer products, food andbeverage, healthcare, and issuesand advocacy work.

This award-winning, agile-yet-mighty shop works for clients onbehalf of large agencies or directlyfor associations, companies andother organizations.

Founded by former ABCNetwork Correspondent RisëBirnbaum, zcomm producesimpactful audio and video contentthat is successfully delivered to tar-get demos via radio, TV, internetand out-of-home venues includingairport monitors, fitness club TVs,audio in grocery stores and pharma-cies and screens in bars. zcommcreates and executes customizedprograms that combine best prac-tices with out-of-the-box radio andInternet promotions and socialmedia to reach multiple touchpoints. Its blend of earned andstrategically-placed media enableszcomm to guarantee coverage. Andits mix of veteran news and market-ing pros knows how to creativelyand successfully reach the media,bloggers and other niche audiences.

Among its many services,zcomm provides radio media, satel-lite media and IM tours, radio &online news releases, podcasts,PSAs, radio and internet promo-tions, video production and editing,translation services, social market-ing and conference coverage, inEnglish and Spanish to tap into theexploding Hispanic market.

In business for 20 years,zcomm is obsessed with clientservice, innovative services andmetrics, which have generatedlongstanding, loyal clients.zcomm is keenly aware of clients’needs for quick updates and edits,firm budgets and timetables and



Risë Birnbaum, Founder & CEO of zcomm.

WEBER SHANDWICK0Continued from page 25

O’DWYER’S 2010 RANKINGS OFHOME FURNISHINGS PR FIRMS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

Edelman

New York

Gibbs & Soell

New York

L.C. Williams & Assocs.

Chicago

Kaplow

New York

Zeno Group

New York

Hunter PR

New York

Lou Hammond & Assocs.

New York

The Rogers Group

Los Angeles

Luckie Strategic PR

Birmingham, AL

Gregory FCA Comms.

Ardmore, PA

The Kotchen Group

Hartford, CT

RLF Comms.

Greensboro, NC

Intermark Group

Birmingham, AL

Rosica Public Relations

Paramus, NJ

Jackson Spalding

Atlanta

Kwittken & Co.

New York

Public Comms. Inc.

Chicago

$39,621,535

3,121,141

2,916,975

1,800,000

1,614,072

1,497,328

955,809

548,083

503,367

280,000

257,733

211,137

170,039

72,239

32,210

23,000

22,640


O’DWYER’S 2010 RANKINGS OFBEAUTY & FASHION PR FIRMS

© Copyright 2010 The J.R. O'Dwyer Co.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

Edelman New York

Kaplow New York

5W Public Relations New York

Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

zcomm Bethesda, MD

Coyne PR Parsippany, NJ

Hunter PR New York

Gregory FCA Comms. Ardmore, PA

Allison & Partners San Francisco

Airfoil PR Detroit

O'Malley Hansen Comms. Chicago

Hope-Beckham Atlanta

Kwittken & Co. New York

rbb PR Miami

TransMedia Group Boca Raton, FL

Zeno Group Chicago

Linhart PR Denver

RL PR & Marketing Los Angeles

The Kotchen Group Farmington, CT

Rosica Public Relations Paramus, NJ

Seigenthaler PR Nashville

Vollmer Houston

Trevelino/Keller Atlanta

Boardroom Communications Plantation, FL

Kohnstamm Communications St. Paul, MN

Winning Strategies PR Newark, NJ

Shelton Group Dallas

Richmond PR Seattle

$22,722,032

3,073,000

2,011,110

1,298,330

1,024,118

942,000

755,024

585,000

432,777

376,680

287,000

258,012

232,664

224,485

170,000

168,514

155,078

145,411

130,522

114,005

95,336

88,550

52,000

50,000

38,860

37,747

37,210

36,566


JUNE 2010 4 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM28

“The United States has discovered nearly $1trillion in untapped mineral deposits inAfghanistan, far beyond any previouslyknown reserves and enough to fundamen-tally alter the Afghan economy and perhapsthe Afghan war itself, according to senior

American governmentofficials.”

— The New York Times

“Snooki, Pauly D andMike ‘The Situation’Sorrentino havelaunched their ownPSA – The “GUI-DO”campaign – to helpsolve the world’sproblems.”

— popeater.com

“Through key intelli-gence sources inAfghanistan andPakistan, I have justlearned that reclusiveTaliban leader and top

Osama bin Laden ally, Mullah Omar hasbeen taken into custody.”

— Andrew Breitbart, biggovernment.com

Reporters live for scoops. They getrewarded by their organizationsand lauded by their colleagues if

they are the “first on the block to break astory.” In journalism, it has been foreverthus. And today, with non-stop blogs con-stantly battling for recognition, the exclu-sive is even more coveted.

It matters little that the scoop may beexaggerated (The New York TimesAfghanistan story) or non-sensical(Popeater Snooki story) or just plain, flat-out wrong (Andrew Breitbart [surprise!!]story).

What matters most today is that youand your blog or newspaper or cablenews program or radio talk show werethe first to break the story. Every journal-ist wants to be first. And they will bargainto secure that distinction.

Consequently, for PR people, the exclu-sive is an important tool in securing pub-licity for one’s client or organization.And your leverage even with the mostinfluential media in society — New YorkTimes, Wall Street Journal, WashingtonPost – increases with the presumedimport of what it is you are pitching.

The most recent and powerful examplewas the selection by anti-establishment,whistle blower Web site, WikiLeaks, of

three international publications to publish90,000 pages of federal intelligencereports on the Afghanistan war.

WikiLeaks wacky Aussie founderJulian Assange not only leaked the secretreports to the three publications, but liter-ally forbade them from printing the mate-rial for two weeks. Assange called theshots, and the powerful newspapers andmagazine obeyed.

Such is the potential power to an organ-ization of favoring a particular reporter orreporters with an exclusive. So thepoint is, exclusives work. But in dispens-ing them, public relations professionalsmust be careful. Here are rules toremember.

1. Best to offer the exclusive to only

one outlet.

As the word suggests, the best exclu-sives are those offered to only one, privileged organization.

If you agree, for example, to let theWall Street Journal announce the story,you have given your word that no com-petitor organization will beat the Journalto the punch. The benefit of such anapproach is that you can take the time towork with the reporter to help frame thestory, without worrying about othersinterpreting it differently.

In securing the Journal to write thestory, your publicity transforms itself intobona fide news, thus attracting follow upcoverage.

2. If awarding more than one exclu-

sive, admit it.

Infrequently in the case of really bignews — such as the WikiLeaks leaks —

more than one exclusive might be called for.

Most frequently, this would apply toawarding an exclusive to a news dailyand a magazine or blog that covers yourindustry. In no case, should an exclu-sive be given to media which competehead-to-head, say like the New YorkTimes and Washington Post.Competition in journalism — whilegreatly diminished in the fallout ofdaily newspapers — nonetheless stillexists. And public relations peopleshould be respectful of it.

Most important, if you do plan toaward more than one exclusive, youshould acknowledge as such to all recip-ients. With the consolidation of the

media and the popularity of Web-baseddailies, the most powerful organizations— like the Times and the Journal —

often refuse to carry an exclusive unlessthey are the only outlet allowed to break the story.

When this happens, a public relationsperson must decide whether to honor thedemand or take the story elsewhere.

3. Make the reporter a colleague.

Awarding an exclusive allows a publicrelations professional to adopt a role witha journalist, different than the traditional“adversarial” one.

On exclusives, a public relations professional becomes more a colleaguethan an adversary, working with thereporter to identify newsworthy angles orunderlying significance of the announce-ment being made.

This unique relationship increases thepossibility that the eventual story willreflect more closely the goals and intentof the sponsoring organization.

4. Time the release to coincide with

exclusive.

In terms of timing, the public relationsperson should be accommodative to thejournalist.

Occasionally, a reporter will need moretime to research the story fully, conductinterviews with key spokespeople, andprepare a comprehensive article. In suchcases, the public relations professionalshould adjust the timing of the formalannouncement.

Most typically, a formal release on apaid wire would appear coincident withthe story appearing exclusively in thechosen publication. Stated another way,at the moment the story breaks in print oron the web, the organization should formally make its announcement.

5. Share the wealth.

No question that exclusives work. Butthey are also dangerous.

Nothing infuriates competitive journal-ists more than knowing they were beatento a story. The quickest way to alienate areporter is to give competitors repeatedexclusives.

The answer is to reward different exclu-sives to different news organizations.Reporters are big boys and girls. Theyunderstand that some organizations outrank them in terms of audience andclout. But as long as they are treated fairly, they will understand.

And fairness in terms of exclusives ultimately means sharing the wealth. £

Fraser P. Seitel hasbeen a communicationsconsultant, author andteacher for 30 years. Heis the author of thePrentice-Hall text, ThePractice of PublicRelations.

How to handle ‘exclusives’By Fraser Seitel

Professional DevelopmentOPINION


Financial statement analysis is animportant tool in managing youragency. If you monitor the ratios of

your agency on a regular basis, you willgain insight into how effectively you are

managing theagency. For exam-ple, the balancesheet is more than alisting of assets, lia-bilities and owner’sequity. Buried in thecaptions and num-bers is a wealth ofinformation forthose who know thepassword to unlockthe financial infor-mation.

Ratios are amongthe best known and

most widely used tools of financialanalysis.

A ratio expresses the mathematicalrelationship between one quantity andanother. Ratios, however, are just indica-tors to help you better understand youragency and should serve as just one ofthe many tools in your managerial arse-nal.

Beginning with this column, I willexplain some ratios specific to the PRindustry, including industry benchmarks.At the end of the series, readers shouldhave a listing of all industry specificfinancial ratios, including an explanationof the ratio and action steps to helpimprove their agencies.Solvency ratiosSolvency or short-term liquidity of a

PR agency is measured by the degree toconvert assets into cash or to obtain cash.One widely used measure of liquidity isworking capital. The concept of workingcapital is simple: the excess of currentassets over current liabilities. It showsthe margin of safety present to cover anypossible reduction of current assets.Expressed as a ratio, it is current assetsdivided by current liabilities. The higherthe ratio, the greater the liquidity. A lowor negative ratio indicates a lack of liq-uidity and a potential problem in meetingmaturing obligations. A ratio of 1:1means the agency has $1.00 in currentassets to cover each $1.00 of current lia-bilities. Look for a ratio of above 1:1and as close to 2:1 as possible.

A second liquidity ratio is the Quick

Ratio. Its formula is cash plus accountsreceivable divided by current liabilities.This ratio is very similar to the workingcapital ratio and in some cases may beexactly the same. The ratio is often usedby creditors to determine the ability ofthe agency to repay loans. Again, a goodratio is 1:1.

To improve your ratios consider thefollowing:

• Review your billing and collectionpolicies.

• Manage rebillables (do not pay ven-dors until you are paid).

• Consider long term debt rather thanshort term debt.

• Make sure all professionals recordtheir time and bill timely. Keep overservicing to a minimum!

• Add a markup for administrative serv-ices or have vendors bill clients directly.

• Consider leasing instead of purchas-ing equipment.

• Don’t use short term debt to purchaseassets having a useful life over one year.

• Negotiate with vendors for your busi-ness, both as to price and payment terms.If your clients tend to pay you in 60 or 90days, your vendors should be paid usingthe same terms.

• Offer a discount; say 5%, to get paidsooner.Current liabilities to net worthThis ratio contrasts funds that creditors

are temporally risking with funds invest-ed by the agency owners. The smaller theratio the more secure the creditors. Thelarger the ratio relative to industrynorms, the less security there is for cred-itors. The industry ratio ranges from 75percent 66 percent for smaller agencies.(The ratios indicated reflect medianmeasurers for the PR industry. Medianratios are often used to smooth out dis-tortions which would be caused byunusually large firms in the analysispool.)Total liabilities to net worthThis ratio is the most comprehensive

ratio that measures the relationshipbetween total debt to total net worth. Itexpresses the degree of protection provid-ed the creditors by the owners. The higherthis ratio, the higher the risk to the credi-tors.

A cousin to this ratio is “long-term debtto net worth.” This ratio is better known asthe “debt to equity” ratio. A ratio in excessof 1:1 indicates higher long-term debt par-ticipation by creditors as compared to net

worth by agency owners. Another way ofunderstanding this is total liabilities to networth reflects the extent of liabilities usedto finance assets while long-term-debt tonet worth reflects the extent non equitycapital is used to finance assets.

The approximate industry average fortotal liabilities to net worth for smalleragencies is 66% to 99% industry wide.This seems to indicate the industry isfinanced more by debt than owner’s equi-ty. Fixed assets to net worthThis ratio shows to what extent owner’s

equity has been invested in fixed assets.Higher ratio relative to the industry norm can indicate low workingcapital (current assets minus current liabilities) or higher debt levels. The ratiofor smaller agencies approximates 25 per-cent and 24 percent for the industry.

To improve your ratios consider the fol-lowing:

1. Consider leasing excess space to otheragencies or companies.

2. If you are paying above market foryour office space, consider asking thelandlord to renegotiate. This may be possible if there is give and take on bothsides; for example, extending the term ofthe lease.

3. Consider leasing equipment ratherthan buying.

4. Try to sell furniture and equipment nolonger being used. There is a market forused furniture.

5. Review the leasehold improvementgeneral ledger account to see if any ofthese items can be reclassified and depre-ciated using shorter lives. The increasedtax deduction will reduce taxes andincrease cash flow.

6. Consider negotiating extended pay-ment terms with key suppliers for olderaccounts payable and offer discounts tocustomers for paying sooner. Also consider changing 30 day payment termsto 60 or 90 days.

7. Consider outsourcing to other agen-cies in house expertise or facilities. Forexample, if you have an in house graphicdesigner, consider offering this service toother companies who may otherwise use amore expensive alternative.

8. Consider refinancing long-term debt.Bankers may just compete for your busi-ness.

Next month efficiency ratios will bediscussed. £

Financial Management

Richard Goldsteinis a partner atBuchbinder Tunick &Company LLP, NewYork, Certified PublicAccountants.

Financial analysis: A tool for agency growthBy Richard Goldstein




When organizations are facing acrisis or a serious issue, thisis exactly the time for accu-

rate, unambiguous language, not mean-ingless corporate messaging.

But recent over-use of the foolishphrase “an abundanceof caution” seems tobe nothing more thana smokescreen toobscure clear communication.

McDonald’s inJune recalled 13million Shrek-themed souvenirglasses after the dis-covery of toxic cad-mium in paint usedto decorate theglasses. The level ofcadmium was with-in all federal and

state legal safety limits, but McDonald’sannounced the voluntary recall was done“in an abundance of caution.”

Given that most authorities agreedthere was no real risk to users, the phrasejust might have been acceptable in thiscase. But that argument would be hard tosustain two weeks later when Campbell’sSoup announced it would recall nearly15 million pounds of canned spaghettiand meatballs because of “possible

under-processing” (which presumablymeans it wasn’t cooked properly).

Even though the U.S. AgricultureDepartment said it had not yet receivedany reports of illnesses from consump-tion of the products, Campbell’sannounced a voluntary recall “in anabundance of caution.” But did they real-ly have any choice? And even if they did,why not state the facts openly. Maybe:“We don’t believe there is any real riskfrom this product, but we believe this isthe right decision to remove any possibledoubt for our customers. Public safety isour highest priority.” Wouldn’t that bepreferable?

Shortly afterwards, the phrase wasshorn of any last vestiges of meaningafter maggots were found in the over-head locker of a U.S Airways aircraft inNorth Carolina. Airline spokesmanTodd Lehmacher told a highly startledpublic the overhead bin was cleaned,and the aircraft was later taken out ofservice and fumigated out of “an abun-dance of caution.”

With respect, Mr Lehmacher, no it wasn’t. It was fumigated to remove theslightest doubt about the cleanliness ofthe aircraft in order to protect the brandand your passengers. Why not say so?We are intelligent human beings. We

would understand. Did some smartlawyer tell you it was a clever phrase?

It is not quite clear who started usingand mis-using this phrase, though itappears to have gained momentum dur-ing the so-called War on Terror, whenAmerican government officials startedusing it to justify measures such as x-raying shoes at airports.

But it gained the highest endorsementin January 2009 when White House sen-ior counsel Greg Craig explained thatthe newly-inaugurated President Obamawould retake his oath of office in “anabundance of caution.” Perhaps it was acomplicated way of explaining howsomeone in a very senior positionappeared to have made a simple mistake.

However, that all changed at the end of2009 when Unilever tried to blame “anabundance of caution” for recallingpotentially contaminated Slimfast prod-ucts. Use of the term then began tospread faster than a food-poisoningscare.

No-one would question for a momentthe need for caution, especially whendealing with public health and safety.But communicators and public relations professionals need to focus on clear andunambiguous communication and dumpthis abundance of caution. £

‘Abundance of caution’ in crisis PRBy Tony Jaques

Tony Jaques ismanaging director ofthe Melbourne-basedIssue Outcomes P/Lwhich specializes inissue/crisis manage-ment and risk com-munication.

OPINION Guest Column

PSB invests in online news site

Minneapolis-based PadillaSpeer Beardsley and TheDolan Co. are investing

$1M in BringMeTheNews.com,which was founded by former newsanchor Rick Kupchella.

PSB CEO Lynn Casey and JimDolan will join BMTN’s board ofdirectors. The PR firm’s involvementin the venture is to get an “insiders’view into new and emerging ways todeliver news content to consumers,”according to the release announcinghe investment.

Casey says the BMTN model“showcases reporting from respectedsources, credits and links the readerback to those sources and relies onsponsored content instead of tradi-tional advertising to generate rev-

enues.”BMTN “fits within Padilla’s mis-

sion of helping organizations commu-nicate with the people who are impor-tant to their success.”

BMTN has a dozen staffers whogather local news and distribute it viaonline and social media sites. It pro-duces radio broadcasts that are airedon Clear Channel stations inMinneapolis/St. Paul, St. Cloud,Brainerd, Marchall and Warroad.

Kupchella spent 20 years as inves-tigative reporter and anchor atKARE-11 in the Twin Cities.

Dolan was executive VP of theJordan Group, a New York invest-ment banker focused on the media.He also held positions at KummerfeldAssocs, mergers and acquisitions, andbegan his career as a reporter. £

News Corporation has cut the salary of ChaseCarey in half to $4M and increased the amount ofbonus comp tied to performance available to thepresident/deputy chairman of the media combine.

Under the revamped bonus scheme, two-thirdsof executive bonuses are to be based on the com-pany’s financial and operating performance. Bonustargets were formerly budgeted.

Carey has the opportunity to haul in a maximum$20M in bonus comp for fiscal `11, according toNews Corp.’s 8-K filed Aug. 2 with the Securitiesand Exchange Commission.

In the event that Carey is terminated prior toJune 30 `11, he will receive a lump sum paymentof $21.2M. Carey returned to News Corp in June2009 to succeed Peter Chernin. He had been run-ning DirectTV.

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch is eligible toreceive a maximum bonus of $25M. His son,James, eyes a potential $12M windfall. Theyounger Murdoch heads European and Asian oper-ations.

Media Briefs

NEWS CORP. HALVES EXEC. PAY



Acentral theme of “Mad Men,” theAMC series about MadisonAvenue ad execs in the 1960s, is

the degrading treat-ment of women byword, deed and paythat went on in theindustry.

The Aug. 1 showincluded themes thatsecretaries wereconsidered fairgame for ad execs,sometimes paidaround $100 for

their sexual favors and forced to run per-sonal errands such as buying Christmaspresents for execs.’ families.

The show has been getting plenty of inklately, including two pages in the July 25New York Post and the top story in theAug. 1 Styles section of the New YorkTimes, written by author Katie Roiphe.

Roiphe said the nation is “again trans-fixed” by a show that is a “phenomenalsuccess.” She is the daughter of feministAnne Roiphe and author of “TheMorning After: Fear, Sex and Feminism.”She teaches in the journalism departmentof New York University.

Roiphe, although noted for writing onfeminist topics, did not discuss themmuch in her Aug. 1 piece.

She should read the chapter about theplight of women at JWT written by itsfirst female Creative Director, AnneWallach, who appears in “Women of TrueGrit,” a compilation of 40 essays bywomen telling of their struggles forequality with male employees.

Women were “making $40 to the man’s$80,” Wallach writes. They were treatedlike a “different species” who would have“the vapors” at a certain time in themonth and required their own floor wherea nurse tucked them under a blanket fornaps that lasted an hour or two.

No “girl” ever started higher than a secretary and those who advanced tocopywriter or art director then donnedhats to “distinguish ourselves from thesecretaries and maids who broughtlunches on trays to us.”

Ad side stayed out of battleWe couldn’t help thinking what a great

witness Wallach would have been for BettyLehan Harragan, PR pro at JWT whohauled the agency before the New York

State Division of Human Rights in 1971 oncharges of discrimination against women.

Harragan, waging the battle on herown, obtained records showing that in1971 JWT males averaged $20,458 inpay while women got $13,979.

She felt she had a good case and so didthe state Human Rights Division which inAug. 1971 found “probable cause” tobelieve her charges. The battle raged forthree years and resulted in 2,100 pages oftestimony and documents.

She testified she was given no morework after she filed her complaint on July12, 1971. She was fired in February 1972.

Commissioner Jack Sable ruled againsther in July 1974, saying he believedJWT’s contention that she filed the suit todelay her expected firing (after eightyears with JWT).

Harragan called that a “flat lie” and alsodisputed many of the 47 “findings offact” in the case. She had been called “asuperior writer and planner” in an evalu-ation in 1969 by PR Dept. head WallaceClayton and went on to write in 1977“Games Mother Never Taught You:Corporate Gamesmanship for Women,”which was made into a TV film starringLoretta Swit and Sam Waterston. It wasbroadcast by CBS in 1982.

Oddly, the New York Times obit forHarragan, who died in 1998, did not men-tion the epic battle she waged.

This reporter covered the public hear-ings in detail but there was no coverageby the NYT. Ad columnist PhilDougherty told us he “didn’t have time tocover hearings.”

Coverage by other press was light(Advertising Age reporter Don Grant andan AP reporter were present for one dayeach). Only one or two people were in theaudience.

Harragan used division lawyerHarragan was represented by Division

lawyer Sam Singer while JWT had athree-member team from the law firm ofBreed, Abbott & Morgan led by StephenLang.

The team brought in witnesses from theJWT staff and executives of the NationalAssociation of Home Builders, theaccount on which she worked.

Frances Smith, retired PR accountsupervisor, along with Joseph Honick andMichael Lenzi of the NAHB called

Harragan “uncooperative … critical ofassociates and JWT … prone to “longrambling conversations that didn’t get tothe point” … “radiated the idea that shehad all the answers to everything” and hadtrouble “working as part of a team.”

Singer tried to bring up reported sex dis-crimination practices on the ad side butthis was rejected by Sable.

Singer had obtained a statement fromJWT executive VP John Devine but Sablewould not let him read it. “I will subpoe-na Devine as a witness,” said Singer. Langrose to say, “And I will go to the SupremeCourt tomorrow and get it quashed.”

Wallach ‘worked within the rules’Wallach was aware of discrimination

against women and the treatment of themin a patronizing way (men would say“good morning” to each other but com-pliment Wallach with phrases such as“don’t you look pretty this morning.”).

But she says she “worked within the rulesbecause I couldn’t work without them.”

She writes: “There was no machineryfor complaining and you got into a multi-tude of trouble if you did. The prevailingattitude was ‘women were lucky to havea job in this wonderful place. Don’t makewaves. Nice women don’t make waves.’’’

She tells of her long battle to be a VP (“theworst thing that ever happened to me”).

She was the only woman among 16copy group heads and felt she had thesame duties of travel, handling billingand working with big clients. “It took mean amazingly long time to get the title andI knew they would never do anything forme again,” she writes.

Wallach worked on a pro bono NationalOrganization of Women account in the1970s, although she did not get alongwell with its executive committee (“fiveladies with big hats, big handbags andstern expressions” who included “two ofthe most vicious people I have evermet…who did their very best to under-mine me like mad”).

She and copywriter Shirley Kalundarejected their initial ideas but NOW andWallach’s team eventually produced adsthat “caused a lot of talk and wound up inthe Schlesinger Library’s collection ofwomen’s history.”

Wallach said women are still paid only80% of what men make for the samework. £

‘Mad Men,’ new book focus on industry sexism

Jack O’Dw yer

By Jack O’Dwyer



WASHINGTON REPORT

Camille Johnston, Director of Communications forMichelle Obama, stepped down for the VP/corporateaffairs slot at Siemens Corp. as the

U.S. subsidiary of the German electronicsgiant moves its base of operations fromNew York to D.C.

Johnston, who is also a Special Assistantto President Obama, is the former SeniorVP of Communications for the Los AngelesDodgers and VP of corporate communica-tions for Rodale.

She took up the Siemens post on Sept. 7.

She was Communications Director forTipper Gore during and after the 2000presidential campaign after working on the two successfulClinton-Gore presidential bids. She later held similar posts forLabor Secretary Robert Reich and Education Secretary RichardRiley.

Eric Spiegel, Siemens’ CEO, said in a statement that the com-pany’s technologies “can move the national agenda forward” innoting the move to D.C. and the hire of Johnston “to help usposition Siemens more broadly in this country.” £

Siemens taps Obama aideDI adds Shell, Hill vets

Ogilvy PR Worldwide won a competitive process for amid-six-figure pact to revamp the web presence of theArchitect of the Capitol, the caretaker for the U.S.

Capitol complex, from the eponymous building andCongressional offices to the U.S. Botanic Garden.

Ogilvy picked up the $476K award — to stretch to October2011 with the Office of Congressional and External Relations —to guide the overhaul of AOC.gov following an RFP processstarted in April.

Ellen Birek, Manager of External Relations for Ogilvy inD.C., confirmed that the WPP-owned agency has been awardedthe assignment but declined further comment until the contractis signed.

The AOC has overseen the Capitol complex for more than 200years and wanted its history leveraged in the re-design.

The website gets more than 3M visitors a year and is workingon developing panaromic images, videos and 3-D models to addto the AOC’s online presence. £

Ogilvy to revamp Capitol site

Rodney Ferguson, who founded Lipman Hearne’s publicaffairs practice in Washington, moved to Brunswick Groupin the capital as a Partner. Ferguson will focus on public

affairs issues and communications strategy, Brunswick said.At LH, where he left as a Managing Director and Principal, he

counseled The Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute,U.S. Dept. of Education and RAND, among others. He also advisedthe American Council on Education on crisis communications.

He shifted into the PR sector after three years in journalism ledto a management consulting role at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Asa scribe, he wrote for the Wall Street Journal and ClevelandPlain Dealer out of D.C. DI and B-M are part of WPP. £

Brotman-Winter-Fried Communications says Tareq andMichaele Salahi, the couple that burst upon the U.S.scene when they allegedly gate-crashed a White House

dinner last year, owe the firm $15,000. The Falls Church, Va.-based firm says the Salahis hired it to

promote their America’s Polo Cup, a D.C. event that matches aU.S. team with an international partner each year. Americasquares off against Costa Rica in ’11 and sponsorships abound.

B-W-F president Steve Winter claims the Salahis “skipped outon the tab.” An affidavit for “debtors’ interrogatory” was servedAug. 5 at the unsanctioned premiere party for “Real Housewivesof D.C.” Michaele is a member of Housewives cast.

Winter told Us Weekly the affidavit “means they have toappear in court to discuss their financial means — how they arecapable of paying off the debt.” £

Salahis allegedly stiff B-W-F

AOC.gov

Pentagon orders ‘eyes off' WikiLeaks

The Pentagon ordered soldiers, sailors, Marines and air-men not to access the WikiLeaks website that containsthe 77,000 documents that were leaked to the New York

Times, The Guardian and Der Spiegel.An e-mail message from the Navy’s Judge Advocate General

Corps warned sailors not to “access the WikiLeaks website toview or download the publicized classified information.” £

Camille Johnston



Omnicom has created a new corporate communicationsposition for Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East asthe advertising and PR conglomerate eeks to bolster its

profile and eyes those regions for growth.The company has tapped Clara So, Director and head of

Corporate Comms., Asia-Pacific, for Lufthansa for the newdirector-level position. She started Aug. 2 and is based inSingapore.

So was with Lufthansa for 15 years after working on theagency side at The PR Company Ltd. in Hong Kong.

OMC does not break out revenue by country but lumps theAPIMA regions into an “other” category separate from its U.S.,European and U.K. revenue. For the second quarter, revenue forthose areas was $555.4M, representing the largest increase inorganic growth for the quarter by region at OMC at 8.4%. £

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, Washington, D.C., registered August 2, 2010 for Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Washington,D.C., regarding providing counsel and outreach related to the Korean-US Free Trade Agreement.

Brown Lloyd James, New York, N.Y., registered August 3, 2010 for China-United States Exchange Foundation, Hong Kong, regardingorganizing person-to-person exchanges and disseminating information to better increase understanding between the nations.

Gephardt Group Government Affairs, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered August 3, 2010 for Government of El Salvador, San Salvador, ElSalvador, regarding providing lobbying and government relations services.

¸ NEW FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT FILINGSFARA News

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 commu-nications work on behalf of foreign principals, including governments, political parties, organizations, and individuals.

G NEW LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT FILINGSBelow is a list of select companies that have registered with the Secretary of the Senate, Office of Public Records, and the Clerk of theHouse of Representatives, Legislative Resource Center, Washington, D.C., in order to comply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.For a complete list of filings, visit http://sopr.senate.gov.

Baker & Hostetler LLP, Washington, D.C., registered August 2, 2010 for Thomson Reuters, New York, N.Y., regarding legislative and regu-latory issues affecting the interests of Thomason Reuters, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

C2 Group, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered August 3, 2010 for JCPenney, Plano, Texas, regarding issues relating to and affecting retaildepartment stores.

Patton Boggs LLP, Washington, D.C., registered August 16, 2010 for Publix Super Markets, Inc., Lakeland, Fla., regarding healthcarereform and private health insurance issues.

Russell & Barron, Inc., Arlington, Va., registered August 3, 2010 for Land O’Lakes, Inc., St. Paul, Minn., regarding issues related to federalregulation of biotechnology.

OMC takes new overseas role

Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, which helped announce singerWyclef Jean's presidential bid earlier this month and hasworked with his charity, said it remains close to the singer but

is not actively engaged on the account.“Right now there is no formal campaign,” Marian Salzman,

President of the firm, told O'Dwyer’s, noting she last spoke withJean several times on August 17. “Stay tuned.”

Jean, the three-time Grammy Award winner who also serves asambassador-at-large for Haiti, is waiting to hear whether he is eli-gible to run for the presidency of the earthquake-ravaged country.

He would run against his uncle, Raymond Joseph.Jean recently stepped down as chairman of Yele Haiti, the non-

profit group that he founded in 2005 to improve living conditionsin Haiti. Jean and Yele have come under scrutiny for their work in

the aftermath of January's earthquakethat left 300K dead.

Yele Haiti has raised more than $9Min emergency funds to help Haiti recoverfrom the earthquake.

The New York Times on August 17 andLondon's Guardian reported that the firmannounced that it had resigned withoutexplanation from all PR work for thecharity, Yéle Haiti, and Jean's campaign.

Euro had been hired during the Haitianearthquake crisis to manage brand communications for Yele Haiti.The firm blogged in March: “We knew we were doing somethingright when someone asked us if he was planning on running forpresident of Haiti in the near future.” £

Euro no longer engaged with Jean campaignInternational PR News

Weber Shandwick is gearing up a media campaign to bol-ster Canadian tourism as the federal governmentrevamps the Canadian Tourism Commission following

a drop-off in visitors.CTC’s Global Tourism Watch released last month shows China

as the sole targeted market to send more people to Canada last year.Tourism from the U.S. was down nine percent in 2009.

The CTC has used up its $26M “special funding” for theVancouver Olympics staged earlier this year, and Ottawa hasdecided to pare $6M from CTC’s budget to around $70M nextyear, according to a July 17 report in The Globe and Mail. That cutwill reduce CTC’s headcount by 25 percent.

As CTC scales back consumer advertising and trade develop-ment activities in the U.S., Weber Shandwick is to use PR to pro-mote Canada’s brand and increase the desire to visit there. £

Weber pitches Canada

Wyclef Jean



North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.,Empire State Bldg., 350 Fifth Ave., 65th flr.,New York, NY 10118-0110. 212/867-9000.Dorothy York, Pres. www.napsinfo.com;[email protected].

NAPS sends Video FeatureReleases (VFRs) in various tape formats according to editors’ specifi-cations. We cover 1,000+ TV stations. Each VFR gets placed on100 to 150 U.S. TV stations andincludes impressive color usagereports.

GUARANTEE: Complete satisfac-tion with the results of each releaseor another one free.

ViDEo MEDiA & SPEAKER TRAiNiNG

Impact Communications, 11 Bristol Place,Wilton, CT 06897-1524. (203) 529-3047;cell: (917) 208-0720; fax: (203) 529-3048;[email protected]. Jon Rosen, President.

BE PREPARED! Impact Commun-ications trains your spokespeople tosuccessfully communicate criticalmessages to your targeted audi-ences during print, television, andradio news interviews. Your cus-tomized workshops are issue-drivenand role-play based. Videotaping/critiquing. Groups/privately. Face-to-face/telephone interviews/newsconferences. Private label seminarsfor public relations agencies. Makeyour next news interview yourbest by calling Jon Rosen, ImpactCommunications. Over 25 yearsof news media/training expertise.

LOG-ON Computer & Mailing Services,Inc. 520 8th Ave., New York, NY 10018.212/279-4567; fax: 212/279-4591.www.logon.org.

MDS, the leading service providerto the PR community, is now part ofthe Log-On family.

With over 95,000 sq ft of spaceLog-On is the city’s largest and most technologically advancedPR/Marketing direct mail, digital print-er, packaging & distribution service.We assist agencies, corporations,non-profits, large and small. We mail,fax and e-mail news releases andpitch letters. We use your lists or ourmedia database. We assemble presskits, print marketing material and fulfillproduct requests. We reproduceCDs. And we maintain private lists.There’s very little we can’t do for you.

WE DELIVER ON YOUR DIRECTMAILING & PRINTING NEEDS.

MAiLiNG SERViCES

PR buyer’s Guide To be featured in the monthly Buyer’s Guide,

Contact John O’Dwyer, [email protected]

Synaptic Digital (formerly Medialink &The NewsMarket), 708 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017; 800/843-0677. w w w . s y n a p t i c d i g i t a l . c o m ;[email protected].

Synaptic Digital delivers a diverserange of digital media solutions forcorporations, organizations andagencies globally, which help over-come challenges, build brands, andboost business development.

Our goal is to deliver on your busi-ness and communication objectives.We are big thinkers with creative,strategic and technical know-how.Our interactive/multimedia servicesinclude:

°Web Video°Global Distribution to Media via thenewsmarket.com

°Interactive News Releases°Live Webcasts (Video & Audio)°MediaCenter (Branded DigitalNewsrooms)

°Branded Video Players°Internet Media Tours

iNTERACTiVE/MuLTiMEDiA

PR jobs - http://jobs.odwyerpr.com

m Your color logo, 300-word description of your services, topexecs and staffers, accounts, and branch offices on odwyerpr.com(see left), PR’s No. 1 news, information and database website.Join 400 PR firms that are marketingthemselves locally and nationally to thousands of online viewers each month.

m Fortieth annual edition of O’Dwyer’sDirectory of PR Firms, just published inlate June, a $95 value. The 370-pagedirectory lists 1,700 PR firms, includingoffices, executives, clients and contactinfo. See how other firms market them-selves. Make new friends, shopfor correspondent firms.

m One-year of access to odwyerpr.com, unequalled for itssavvy, daily coverage of PR and media news, opinion fromindustry leaders, RFPs, professional development and more,backed by 42 years of experience.PR’s No. 1 website and a $150value, if purchased separately.

m One-year subscription toO’Dwyer’s magazine, PR’slongest-running monthly (23 yrs.).Submit profiles of your specialtypractices such as healthcare,tech, financial, food/beverage,beauty/fashion, etc., to be fea-tured among in-depth articles,news, and opinion on the industry.

m Exclusive access as a member to constantly updated files ofRequests for Proposals (RFPs) by companies, local, state, federaland foreign governments and travel bureaus, trade associations,professional groups, etc. 86 RFPs are listed this year so far.

Fill out the membership form on the attached page and fax, e-mail or mail it to us. Your firm’s profile will go on odwyerpr.comas soon as we get it.

O’Dwyer’s Scores High on GoogleO’Dwyer’s rankings of PR firms in specialty practices such ashealthcare, tech and financial PR are at or near the top whenthose subject areas are Googled. O’Dwyer’s is the only mediadoing specialty rankings. Unranked firms are also listed if theyare in the O’Dwyer database.

Other membership benefits include coverage of what tech-niques are bringing in new business; what clients are saying;advice on preparing contracts, and how firms are handlingmanagement issues like the rising cost of health insurance.

O’Dwyer’s is your best buy for building your business.The Council of PR Firms, which also helps match clients withPR firms, has a $2,500 minimum fee. The CounselorsAcademy of PR Society of America costs $225 in annual PRSAdues, $195 in Academy dues and initiation fees of $65 forPRSA and $85 for the Academy for a total of $570.

Introductory offer:

Join O’Dwyer PR’s New Business CouncilLet O’Dwyer’s help you to expand your PR firm locally, nationally and globally

A $300 membership includes all of these great features:

Milton Public Relations Strategies271 Madison Ave., Suite 600,New York, NY 10016212/679-2471; fax: 212/[email protected]; www.miltonpr.com

Consumer, financial, tech PR.Employees: 12. Founded: 1972.

Agency Statement: Media-orientedMilton PR will give you an extra set ofeyes and ears on your competitiveenvironment and win you importantrecognition in the key media that willreach your customers. Our staffers arein daily contact with a host of general and trade media reporters,checking on word-of-mouth about our clients and their productsand getting advance word of opinion-forming articles and fea-tures in media.

We’ll bring you a steady stream of ideas to increase the visibility ofyour company and at low cost compared to print and broadcastadvertising. We will bring you an in integrated program that willuse all forms of communications. You'll find reporters consider usto be a dependable source of information and help and that theyrely on us to bring them good stories.

We’ll help you to put your newsworthy material in a form that willget their attention. Our key staffers have decades of experience inour three specialty areas--consumer, financial and technology.

Give us a chance to visit you and come up with some sample ideasfor your business at no charge. Milton PR Strategies operates bothnationally and internationally through membership in a worldwidenetwork of major PR firms.

Christine Milton, chair and CEO; Fritz Carlson, executive VP;Ludwig Oppenheimer, George Smith, Brenda Nowling, LucilleRidge, Hamlet Cohen, Joseph Bloomberg, VPs; Rita Corbin,Henry Holt, Jacob Westmeyer, A/Es

1450 Chittenden Square, London WA5 2DN, U.K44-171-594-2123; fax: [email protected] Billingsley, director

ABC Industries Thomas & Thomas Inc.Cooper Industries Versatile Technology Corp.Danielle Hair Dressers Wilson Spaw & Ryder LLCEffable Software Youngstown Civic ClubFreight Carriers of Mobile ZanzibargeGeorgetown ComputersHat Makes of MadisonMental Magic SoftwareOpulent SecuritiesQuasar FinancialTellula Tourism Council

Christine Milton, Chair/CEO

Sign-up online at odwyerpr.com or call toll free: 866/395-7710


m Your color logo, 300-word description of your services, topexecs and staffers, accounts, and branch offices on odwyerpr.com(see left), PR’s No. 1 news, information and database website.Join 400 PR firms that are marketingthemselves locally and nationally to thousands of online viewers each month.

m Fortieth annual edition of O’Dwyer’sDirectory of PR Firms, just published inlate June, a $95 value. The 370-pagedirectory lists 1,700 PR firms, includingoffices, executives, clients and contactinfo. See how other firms market them-selves. Make new friends, shopfor correspondent firms.

m One-year of access to odwyerpr.com, unequalled for itssavvy, daily coverage of PR and media news, opinion fromindustry leaders, RFPs, professional development and more,backed by 42 years of experience.PR’s No. 1 website and a $150value, if purchased separately.

m One-year subscription toO’Dwyer’s magazine, PR’slongest-running monthly (23 yrs.).Submit profiles of your specialtypractices such as healthcare,tech, financial, food/beverage,beauty/fashion, etc., to be fea-tured among in-depth articles,news, and opinion on the industry.

m Exclusive access as a member to constantly updated files ofRequests for Proposals (RFPs) by companies, local, state, federaland foreign governments and travel bureaus, trade associations,professional groups, etc. 86 RFPs are listed this year so far.

Fill out the membership form on the attached page and fax, e-mail or mail it to us. Your firm’s profile will go on odwyerpr.comas soon as we get it.

O’Dwyer’s Scores High on GoogleO’Dwyer’s rankings of PR firms in specialty practices such ashealthcare, tech and financial PR are at or near the top whenthose subject areas are Googled. O’Dwyer’s is the only mediadoing specialty rankings. Unranked firms are also listed if theyare in the O’Dwyer database.

Other membership benefits include coverage of what tech-niques are bringing in new business; what clients are saying;advice on preparing contracts, and how firms are handlingmanagement issues like the rising cost of health insurance.

O’Dwyer’s is your best buy for building your business.The Council of PR Firms, which also helps match clients withPR firms, has a $2,500 minimum fee. The CounselorsAcademy of PR Society of America costs $225 in annual PRSAdues, $195 in Academy dues and initiation fees of $65 forPRSA and $85 for the Academy for a total of $570.

Introductory offer:

Join O’Dwyer PR’s New Business CouncilLet O’Dwyer’s help you to expand your PR firm locally, nationally and globally

A $300 membership includes all of these great features:

Milton Public Relations Strategies271 Madison Ave., Suite 600,New York, NY 10016212/679-2471; fax: 212/[email protected]; www.miltonpr.com

Consumer, financial, tech PR.Employees: 12. Founded: 1972.

Agency Statement: Media-orientedMilton PR will give you an extra set ofeyes and ears on your competitiveenvironment and win you importantrecognition in the key media that willreach your customers. Our staffers arein daily contact with a host of general and trade media reporters,checking on word-of-mouth about our clients and their productsand getting advance word of opinion-forming articles and fea-tures in media.

We’ll bring you a steady stream of ideas to increase the visibility ofyour company and at low cost compared to print and broadcastadvertising. We will bring you an in integrated program that willuse all forms of communications. You'll find reporters consider usto be a dependable source of information and help and that theyrely on us to bring them good stories.

We’ll help you to put your newsworthy material in a form that willget their attention. Our key staffers have decades of experience inour three specialty areas--consumer, financial and technology.

Give us a chance to visit you and come up with some sample ideasfor your business at no charge. Milton PR Strategies operates bothnationally and internationally through membership in a worldwidenetwork of major PR firms.

Christine Milton, chair and CEO; Fritz Carlson, executive VP;Ludwig Oppenheimer, George Smith, Brenda Nowling, LucilleRidge, Hamlet Cohen, Joseph Bloomberg, VPs; Rita Corbin,Henry Holt, Jacob Westmeyer, A/Es

1450 Chittenden Square, London WA5 2DN, U.K44-171-594-2123; fax: [email protected] Billingsley, director

ABC Industries Thomas & Thomas Inc.Cooper Industries Versatile Technology Corp.Danielle Hair Dressers Wilson Spaw & Ryder LLCEffable Software Youngstown Civic ClubFreight Carriers of Mobile ZanzibargeGeorgetown ComputersHat Makes of MadisonMental Magic SoftwareOpulent SecuritiesQuasar FinancialTellula Tourism Council

Christine Milton, Chair/CEO

Sign-up online at odwyerpr.com or call toll free: 866/395-7710


She votes with her thumbs,and her social network follows her lead.Where does she stand on your issues?

We can get you there.

www.fleishman.com

be there.

www.fleishman.comwww.fleishman.com


septmagazine layout 1 8/30/10 5:33 pm page 1dwyer's magazine - sep. 2010.pdf · er before...

Documents