Said an insider: "As you know, the economy is forcing everyone to make tough decisions and we didn’t make these without a lot of consideration. "
Meanwhile, a dispatch out of Mumbai from DNA notes the global economic slump has hit the PR scene there. “Marginal players have reduced their PR budgets by at least about 25 percent,” said one PR exec. Most of the damage is in the financial field, but PR contracts are getting second looks before renewals and many are turning to project models rather than retainers. Another exec frowned, “Six months back, we hosted about 20 press conferences in a month. Now, we do only about 4-5, and that too after much thought. Clients don’t want to do things elaborately or lavishly.”
Surreal PR Quote of the Day: I wonder if cruise ship companies are longing for the days when a PR crisis meant an outbreak of the Norwalk virus.
These days, problems seem a bit more complicated. “When the pirates were sighted, the captain went on the public address system and asked passengers to remain in the interior spaces of the ship and wait until he gave further instructions.” That's Tim Rubacky, VP of communications for Oceania Cruises, responding to reports that Somali pirates fired on one of the U.S.-based company's cruise ships. Here's his full statement.
Random PR Note of the Day: Dec. 1 was Bloody Mary Day in New York to mark the 75th anniversary of the creation of that famous drink by a French bartender working in Manhattan. Events were held throughout the day and are planned for the next year. The original mix carried the tamer moniker Red Snapper, but the squeamishness of the ’30s eventually gave way to the current name. Chicago’s Ambassador East Hotel added the celery stalk in the 1960s, according to a release sent our way from Empire State PR.