The Economist reflects on the role Dan Edelman played in the rise of public relations in what was an advertising world:
Mr Edelman, who died on January 15th, aged 92, was a pioneer, introducing innovations that reflected his bigger vision of PR as a more effective way to market a company’s reputation and brands than its fancier (and costlier) big brother, advertising. … Nowadays, although public relations is hardly without its critics, Mr Edelman’s view of the merits of PR relative to advertising is much more widely shared, though never as enthusiastically as four decades ago, when Charlie Lubin, the founder of Sara Lee, said that thanks to Mr Edelman, his PR budget was worth 1,000 times more than his advertising budget. Those were the days.
The Colorado Health Insurance Cooperative has selected The Bawmann Group to build the non-profit’s brand platform, marketing strategy and website, as well as direct its earned/paid/owned media activities and grassroots community engagement efforts. CHIC has been awarded a $69 million loan by the federal government to create a statewide, member-owned health plan that will participate in Colorado’s Health Benefit Exchange.
TBG has also been engaged by Mirenda & Associates, a national philanthropic consulting firm, to revise its brand platform, website and earned/owned media efforts.
Filed under: Jobs
Among those hiring this week are Barnhart Communications, Vocera Public Relations, InView Communications (freelancers), ACLU of Colorado, Arapahoe County Government, City of Westminster, Community College of Aurora, E-470 Public Highway Authority, Florence Crittenton Services, GlobaLinks Learning Abroad, Mergermarket Ltd, One Colorado, SofTec Solutions, SourceGas, Thorne Nature Experience, Unbridled Solutions, Wilson & Company, The Greeley Tribune and The Summit Daily News (Frisco).
Filed under: Public Relations
Crisis Communications
From Managing a 24/7 News Cycle to Healing Communities
A panel discussion featuring 9News crime and justice reporter Anastasiya Bolton, Westminster PD PIO Trevor Materasso, Saltzman Communications’ Marilyn Saltzman and moderated by DStreet Public Relations’ Jennifer Dulles.
Details
11:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Four Seasons Hotel
1111 14th Street
Denver, CO 80202
Register
Filed under: Crisis Communications
Lance Armstrong’s confession to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs will air tomorrow Thursday, and the speculation about what he said has become the media story of the day.
The coverage is taking a lot of different angles, but there is at least one singular truth about his story: Lance is a terrible person. A tremendous athlete, but a terrible person. And not because he used PEDs, but because of how he tried to ruin anyone and everyone who dared to speak the truth.
Sometimes terrible people do good things, maybe even because they need to cover up the fact that they are terrible people. And those good things can offer enough cover that blind loyalists continue to believe. Richard Nixon created the EPA, Mussolini made the trains run on time, and Lance created the Livestrong Foundation.
But I don’t think for a second he founded his foundation because he truly cared about his fellow man. Lance reveled in the money and fame that came from being a world-class cyclist. And he was perceptive enough to recognize that Greg LeMond’s celebrity dried up the second he quit cycling. So Lance did everything he could to make his celebrity last.
First, he took PEDs so he could remain competitive, and then when he realized even PEDs would not keep him relevant forever, he founded the Livestrong Foundation. It brought him an entirely new source of fans and endorsement money. A source he thought would last a lifetime.
Lance has received world-class PR counsel over the years, and until recently it allowed him to stay in front of the rumors and accusations. But, for the moment, it has all caught up with him. Lance is a survivor, literally and figuratively, and I wouldn’t bet against the comeback for which he is desperately trying to position himself. But if his reputation does survive, don’t ever forget the one true thing about Lance: he is a terrible person.
Filed under: Obit
Edelman Public Relations founder Dan Edelman passed away from heart failure this morning. He was 92.
