PR Nightmare: The Renegade with a NukePosted by Amanda Chapel
Here, how's this for a little pre-publicity: New York Post, “A Drug company executive is about to blow the lid off the pharmaceutical industry. [He] is working on a book that will disclose ‘a number of mind-numbing industry practices,’ we’re told, revealing ‘everything from sex in the corner office to private investigators spying on employees, company phone surveillance, FBI investigations and financial shenanigans resulting in million-dollar payouts.” Ah-oh! Trouble! The Post quote was/is about a new book - out today actually - by the infamous Dr. Peter Rost, i.e. The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman. Rost is sinner turned saint. He is a former Marketing Vice President for the drug company Pfizer and now a very LOUD public advocate. Europeanization of PR Receding by Jack O'DwyerPosted by an Honored Guest
The timing couldn't be better. I confess: We've been a little guilty here of generalizing about the state of PR. Here we are dead serious. This editorial reveals some of the real pressures operating on Agency PR. Apparently, a major by-product of globalization has been the import of behavioral patterns and “standards” that are not up to U.S. standards. We don’t have religious fanaticism in the U.S. (relatively speaking); we don’t have a class system; we don’t sell our children to sex slavery. Most of all, we have far tighter financial reporting standards than exist in the U.K., France, etc. But the biggest influence on the industry has come indirectly from Uncle Sam. The U.S. balance of payments has put a tidal wave of dollars in foreign hands. Fact is, the U.S is for sale and the Europeans have been buying out entire industries... one namely PR. According to O'Dwyer, the Council of PR Firms has been a key bellwether for this trend. Here's Jack... |
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Let me preface this some. Before the headline disappoints, it’s not to be read literally. I imagine some inane knee-jerk PR blogster reacting instantly that a renegade with a nuke is more than just a “perception problem.” A-Duh! No, I am talking figuratively. This is about someone who knows too much; has the skills to communicate; has the savvy as to how to best approach a market; and most of all has the technology to tell the world.
Want a good overview of what’s going on in PR and why the large agency business is so quiet? Got one, and a BIG one, too! Today, I am proud to introduce an Op-Ed by industry sage Jack O'Dwyer, editor-in-chief for O'Dwyer Publications. 
Reader Feedback
Mon, Dec 29, 08:20:13 PM
Nice to see that psychobabble hasn't gone out of style, and that people are perfectly fine covering their ass with comments that have little to no meaning [...]
Mon, Dec 22, 04:23:57 PM
Funny. The irony of spinning their downsizing, reorganizing, of their company as an initiative to be authentic...is well, priceless.
Sat, Dec 13, 07:25:27 AM
Hey Bruce, I hope you don't feel too bad about your middle name. I think it would go perfectly with my last name, LaMorte! But my parents aren't clever i [...]
Mon, Nov 17, 10:01:58 AM
Ok, I've been lying to everyone the whole time. I'm not really a dog, but I've been pretending to be.. but starting today, I SWEAR I am going to be AUTHEN [...]
Mon, Nov 10, 11:16:02 PM
Having to say that you're authentic means that you're not authentic.
Sat, Oct 18, 01:36:18 PM
Wow. Exceptionally poor positioning. Some of your commenters even seem to think it's a spoof. While I don't think clients will be put off by it at a consc [...]
Tue, Sep 16, 10:38:12 AM
Having to announce you are authentic reduces authenticity. It's like someone saying "trust me." That's when it's usually time to question any trust you ha [...]
Tue, Jun 10, 11:03:28 AM
I'm reading this and hoping (almost beyond all hope) that it's a spoof. I'm actually fearful of looking into it further to find out if this press release [...]