Southwest Goes South, Turns to CRM for Salvation†

Airline's Recent PR Turbulence May Have Also Exposed Some Brand Issues

Advertising Age, March 10, 2008 — Want to get away? Southwest Airlines is probably asking itself that after experiencing one of the most embarrassing moments in its history.

The airline had a major PR crisis on its hands last week when the Federal Aviation Administration issued it a $10.2 million fine, saying the carrier misled the agency about the inspection of planes for fuselage cracks. The airline, which has recorded 35 consecutive years of profitability, said the problem boiled down to a computer error and at no time was passenger safety compromised.

Choosing not to take the advice of its popular ads, the company dealt with the problem head on by speaking with the media; issuing a statement on its site; addressing the issue on its corporate blog; and letting CEO Gary Kelly, who... continue reading

Press Releases Designed Without the Press in Mind†

Brandweek, December 31, 2007 — The two-minute video offers a primer on identity theft. As grainy B-roll footage shows a man getting into a car at a dealership, a smooth-talking narrator notes that car dealerships are one area where identity thieves “apply their trade.”

Buy a Laptop for a Child, Get Another Laptop Free

One Laptop Per Child, an ambitious project to bring computing to the developing world’s children, is reaching out to the public through an interesting marketing campaign.

New York Times, September 17, 2007 — One Laptop Per Child, an ambitious project to bring computing to the developing world’s children, has considerable momentum. Years of work by engineers and scientists have paid off in a pioneering low-cost machine that is light, rugged and surprisingly versatile. The early reviews have been glowing, and mass production is set to start next month.

Orders, however, are slow. “I have to some degree underestimated the difference between shaking the hand of a head of state and having a check written,” said Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the nonprofit project. “And yes, it has been a disappointment.”

Sci-Fi Invites Bloggers to Meet Cast and Crew†

First Web 2.0 Press Tour Opens Dialogue With Fervent Fans

Advertising Age, June 29, 2007 — The Sci-Fi Channel this week indulged in a new spin on an old PR move by hosting a junket, for bloggers. The NBC Universal science fiction cable network's first "digital press tour" rounded up a couple dozen of its most important and influential online enthusiasts and reviewers and whisked them off to Vancouver for an almost week long Sci-Fi shindig.

McDonald's Recruits Mom to Be Ultimate Influencer†

Gatekeepers to Go on 'Field Trips' and Hopefully Return as Brand Evangelists

Advertising Age, June 11, 2007 — Battered by attacks blaming the fast-food industry for making children fat, McDonald's Corp. is recruiting the gatekeeper for its side. The Golden Arches has been quietly amassing an army of moms — often its toughest critics — as "quality correspondents" to act as citizen consumer reporters

Web Attack

Nastiness online can erupt and go global overnight, and "no comment" doesn't cut it anymore. Here's how to cope

BusinessWeek, April 16, 2007 — Martin S. Sorrell, CEO of advertising agency WPP Group, sues two blogging ex-colleagues for a Web hate campaign in which, he says, they smeared him and his former lover. The Washington Post grapples with a surge in online comments that read like the racist garbage on neo-Nazi Web sites. Home Depot's (HD ) CEO goes into an emergency huddle with his crisis management team after 14,000 bilious customers storm an MSN (MSFT ) comment room.

Why Toyota Is Afraid Of Being Number One

It's overtaking Detroit—with trepidation. Now, the carmaker is relying on ever-savvier PR to avoid the U.S. backlash it dreads

BusinessWeek, March 5, 2007 — Ask consumers why Toyota may soon be the largest automaker in the world, and they will point to the Camry. Or the Prius. Or the rav4. (It's the cars, stupid.) Ask manufacturing geeks, and they'll tell you it's about just-in-time production and a maniacal focus on constant improvement. (It's the engineering, dummy.)

Taco Hell: Rodent Video Signals New Era in PR Crises†

Yum Brands Does Little Even as Rats Spread Across Web, TV | See the Video

Advertising Age, February 26, 2007 — Your brand disasters will now be broadcast. Widely and instantly. The video of a dozen rats scampering around a New York KFC/Taco Bell restaurant was clearly bad news for the reputation of the Yum Brands businesses, which were already reeling from an E. coli episode last year that some believe has contributed to a Taco Bell sales slump.

GLAXO DRAFTS EMPLOYEES TO POLISH INDUSTRY IMAGE  †

Advertising Age, February 21, 2006 — Troubled by the worsening reputation of drug companies that is ranked just above tobacco and oil manufacturers, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline is out to win over a skeptical public — by turning its entire sales force into a PR machine.