We'd like to recognize the Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization Hamas for the PR stunt of the week.

According to the BBC: "A Palestinian TV station has killed off a controversial Mickey Mouse lookalike 'Farfour.'  Critics had complained the mouse was being used to spread anti-US and anti-Israeli messages to children. The Hamas-affiliated al-Aqsa channel aired the last episode on Friday. In the final broadcast an actor said to be an Israeli agent tries to buy the land of the Mickey Mouse lookalike. Farfour brands the Israeli a 'terrorist' and is subsequently brutally beaten to death."

Following the murder, Saraa, the show's tween presenter, told the young audience, "Farfour was martyred defending his land." He was killed "by the killers of children," she said.

The following is the clip of the actual murder. Note: It may not be suitable for all audiences:

RATIONALE

Hamas received this recognition for PR excellence for the following reasons:

1. Indoctrinates youth. Like all really good PR campaigns, this program keeps an eye on long-term goals.  By communicating with youth, Hamas cultivates future "customers."  (In an earlier show, Farfour told the yound audience: "You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists. We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness, and liberate Jerusalem, God willing, liberate Iraq, God willing, and liberate all the countries of the Muslims invaded by the murderers.")

2. Incites favorables. The mass attention has created a buzz that serves to stir the passions of the constituency base.

3. Communicates to swing voters. The vehicle carries the messages broadly to a global audience that may not know the issues.

4. Leverages opponent's resources. Israeli officials have denounced the program, "Tomorrow's Pioneers," as incendiary and outrageous. The program was also opposed by the state-run Palestinian Broadcasting Corp., which is controlled by Fatah, Hamas' rival. The result, MORE PR!!

5. Uses social media. The campaign makes excellent use of the Web and viral video.

CONCLUSION

This is a perfect case study for anyone in PR looking at how to best use the web and communicate directly with audiences.

Congratulations Hamas for raising the bar for the PR profession.