The Austrian Times said the campaign, which cost 500,000 British Pounds (about $842K), was intended to turn around the Latvian city's image as a "destination for wild stag parties.""It is very embarrassing. It was of course meant to say 'hard to leave,'" an official said of the typo.
Russia Today reported that critics pointed to the PR firm overseeing the campaign. They accused the firm of not bothering to hire a native English speaker, resulting in awkward-sounding passages like “The Birthplace of Christmas Tree. Now for 499 years."
Newspaper PR Depts: Neil Benson, regional editorial director for Trinity Mirror (U.K.), said regional newspaper groups should set up PR agencies and offer services like digital consulting to generate revenue. Benson noted the best PR firms are run by ex-journos so "why don't regional publishers think about launching an arm's length PR agency?" the U.K.'s How-Do reported.
Swine PR Cutback: New York's Suffolk County slashed its swine flu PR budget by $100K after a county legislator said the money would be better spent on health personnel or flu shot clinics.
Gov Aid Out? The San Jose Mercury News thinks Gov. Schwarzenegger's chief of staff is planning an exit from the lame-duck governor's administration for a PR firm. The administration says "no."
"Specifically, she's said to be preparing for the campaign to sell voters on an $11 billion bond to upgrade the state's badly outdated water system," reports the paper, which outlines other expected departures.
Impressionable? Is it easier to manipulate the media because reporters are younger, inexperienced and pressured to produce content quickly? Richard Edelman doesn't think so.
High-Speed Rail PR: Sure it won a huge contract, but Ogilvy's got its ($9M PR) work cut out for it in California. "The state agency has been battling a storm of criticism and a high-profile lawsuit from Palo Alto and other cities where residents have been packing into public hearings to question and, occasionally, denounce the rail authority's plans for the new system," reports Palo Alto Online.
It doesn't help things when your client refers to dissenters as "rotten apples" and "flying squads."
PR Events This Week
Thurs., D.C. - "Wonder Women in PR" hosted by Washington Women in PR on Thursday at Ogilvy's D.C. offices.
Friday, N.Y. - PR Boot Camp New York on Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 92 Y Tribeca in New York. Several agency and corporate pros will discuss social media and PR in four sessions.