Can Blue Bell Beat the Listeria Nightmare?
In March Blue Bell, a Texas company, experienced a PR nightmare as many of their ice cream flavors were found to contain Listeria bacteria. This triggered a recall, and ultimately all four of their plants in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas were closed down until further notice. The company took no chances, and all of their products were removed from the freezer aisles in grocery stores. Years of Experience Doesn’t Stop Bacteria Blue Bell has been supplying frozen treats for 108 years, and this is the first time they have faced such a situation. All of the plants have been receiving complete cleaning and decontamination treatments. But now, as of the first week of August, at least their Sylacauga, Alabama plant…
Read MoreTop tech minds warn of real life Skynet
A machine takeover and subsequent apocalypse. It’s an eventuality that has been common fodder for SciFi movies. It was done well in The Terminator and then updated on a much more meta scale in the Matrix movies. Now several very smart folks are on record as saying not only is “Skynet” possible but, if we keep going the way we are, it may be inevitable. Sleep well tonight. A recent open letter, signed by 1,000 pre-eminent minds, warns of a “military artificial intelligence arms race” concluding, thankfully, that this is a bad idea. Among those inking their names to the missive: Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and Steve Wozniak. Not exactly a bunch of tin-foil kooks. Skynet Machine Learning The creation…
Read MoreTiger Woods no Longer Roaring
Recently Forbes listed the highest paid athletes in the world. CNN took a look at the list and dubbed golfer Tiger Woods the “Most Overpaid Athlete on the Planet.” Tough title to bear … especially if it’s earned. But is performance in the game as important as name value, or is brand opportunity a more equitable measure of pay scale? The CNN piece came on the heels of a particularly disappointing round of play on Thursday at the British Open. Tiger’s day was an unmitigated disaster that put him in danger of missing the cut in the contest altogether. While some are saying everyone has bad days, others are calling Nike fools for continuing to contribute to Woods’ approximately $50…
Read MoreWill the ‘Noles never learn?
Recent events have the CEO of 5W Public Relations in NYC, Ronn Torossian, wondering if maybe Jimbo Fisher may want to sit his team down and tell them what they should already know: “Don’t hit women.” Honestly, you would think they would know that by now. And, maybe they do … all of them, that is, except (former) FSU freshman QB De’Andre Johnson. You’ve likely seen the video by now. Johnson walks up to the bar, he’s 19. He gets into a verbal altercation with a young woman seated at the bar. She raises a fist and attempts to strike Johnson. He cold cocks her with the hand that may never throw a pass in Division 1 college football. Such…
Read MoreOld Navy Breakdown Creates Social Media PR sensation
Sometimes you get a win falling right into your lap. That’s what happened with recent events for Old Navy. But they took that win and amplified it – you might even say they supersized it. Louisiana photographer Rachel Taylor recently took a picture of herself wearing an American Flag plus size tank shirt in Old Navy’s dressing room. Taylor had been shopping at Old Navy that day when she found herself between a mother and daughter discussing the tank top and how huge it was. Her feelings were hurt, and she exited the store. She went directly to her car and cried. Afterward, she decided she didn’t want to leave feeling bad about herself, so she went back into the…
Read MoreRichard Branson’s Secret to Success
Richard Branson is without a doubt one of the most successful men on the planet. But he was not always a household name. Believe it or not, there was a time when Mr. Branson was just another guy with a few ideas trying to build a team and business to bring those ideas to fruition. And, believe it or not, all of his success began because he was stuck between a rock and a hard place – his very first client and his very first record deal. Here’s the story: Branson had set up the first successful Virgin record store in London. The business was paying for itself, but he was hardly Mr. Music Mogul yet. Branson wanted to branch…
Read MoreWalmart vs. Tracy Morgan
In an interview with NBC’s Today Show, superstar comedian Tracy Morgan thanked Walmart, the company whose truck slammed into his vehicle more than a year ago, severely injuring Morgan and killing his friend, James McNair. The horrible accident made national news, and many people were surprised by Morgan’s response. Morgan vs. Walmart – They Stepped Up Morgan said Walmart “stepped up to the plate in a tremendous way,” indicating they never sought to dodge or shift responsibility for the tragedy that claimed the life of Morgan’s good friend, McNair. Further still, Morgan said the company had taken full responsibility for the accident and had already settled with McNair’s family. “I’m just happy they looked out for Jimmy Mac’s family. He…
Read MoreAffleck Controversy Halts PBS Debut
PBS has reported it will “postpone” the next season of “Finding Your Roots” after allegations surfaced that actor Ben Affleck manipulated showrunners to hide uncomfortable realities about his ancestors. According to a statement released by PBS’s New York station WNET, the series’ co-producers ‘violated PBS standards by failing to shield the creative and editorial process from improper influence. And by failing to inform PBS or WNET of Mr. Affleck’s efforts to affect program content.” So, public relations crisis prevention from all sides has turned into an episode of the Three Stooges. Everyone is trying to dodge the pie in the face while simultaneously getting poked in the eye. And, as with most failed backside-covering efforts, the whole is tangibly worse…
Read MoreCan U.S. Open Save Golf
The 2015 U.S. Open is bringing new surprises that golf has yet to see. The question is, can these new approaches to golf tournaments turn around the PR for this sport? It’s worth noting that the players and the premises for golf are not as thrilling as we remember when seeing Tiger Woods move up the ranks. There may be a lack of exciting prospects to follow for the current generation. We are surely not hearing great golf stories flood the news arena. American pro golfing is now hoping to renew interest in golf with a spectacular course no professional has yet known. This will be a U.S. Open challenge: the first of its kind. The course is, “. …not…
Read MoreApple Poised to Enter News Business
NPR recently reported that Apple just announced it will enter the news business. Well, the 21st Century digital aggregate version of that field in any case. iOS9 will, reportedly, be released with an app simply titled “News,” which comes equipped along with standard apps such as Calendar, Music, and Maps. The purpose of the app will be, essentially, a news aggregator. Pick your favorite sites and get all your news through a single app. It’s an idea that’s about as new as disco, so why is Apple so excited about their version of something that’s been available for years? Because they know people will use it. They won’t be forced to, per se, but they also won’t be able to…
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