Tag: Media Relations

How Chipotle Prepared for a PR Crisis

You never know when you might find yourself dealing with a PR crisis. In those moments, when every word of every message is being dissected on social media and cut up for headlines, that is not the time to be building up goodwill for your brand. That needs to happen long before the bad news hits… otherwise you may never dig out. A great example of a company that was well-prepared for a PR disaster is Chipotle. The “fast casual” dining establishment hit the scene and made a big splash, enticing legions of customers with quality food, quick, and selections that would keep the whole family happy. Soon, those customers were loyal fans. But that didn’t happen by accident. The…

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Publix Responds to Public Outcry

Publix Supermarkets, an employee-owned grocery chain based in central Florida, has supported the political aspirations of “local boy” Adam Putnam for more than a decade. But recent outsized donations to Putnam’s campaign had customers seeing red and threatening to take their green elsewhere. Publix reportedly donated $670,000 to Putnam’s campaign for governor. The current Florida agriculture commissioner, Putnam is in a heated battle with Rep. Ron DeSantis, a member of the so-called “Freedom Caucus” who enjoys the support of President Donald Trump.

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Ellison Has the Opportunity to Cement His Reputation

A few years back, Marvin Ellison was a candidate for the top spot at Home Depot. While he did very well running U.S. operations for Home Depot, Ellison didn’t get that gig, but he was tapped to lead struggling department store JCPenney. Now, four years later, Ellison will get another shot to build a legacy in the home improvement retail industry as he takes over at CEO of Lowe’s. Taking over his former employer’s chief rival is a bit of a bittersweet move for Ellison, who spent about 12 years working at various executive positions at Home Depot. But he’s certainly pleased not to be tied to JC Penney at this juncture.

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NBA Legend David Robinson Hammers UNC Over Scandal

The NCAA may not be punishing the University of North Carolina over the academic fraud scandal, but that doesn’t mean the school is completely out off the hook. Since the FBI investigation, the NCAA has created the “Commission on College Basketball,” a committee to investigate what happened at UNC and to take steps to keep it from happening ever again.

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LL Cool J Hopes to Introduce Gen Z to Old-School Hip-Hop

  When he hit the airwaves in the mid-1980s, LL Cool J was a fresh, young face in rap. He was also a bridge between street corner rapping and pop-heavy hip-hop. It took a few years, but his 1989 album, Walking with a Panther, and the Rick Rubin-produced hit single “Going Back to Cali” made LL a legitimate recording superstar. His fame transcended rap and helped lay the foundation – along with groups like Public Enemy and Run-DMC – for rap as a crossover sensation on the radio and in the Walkmans and boom boxes of millions of fans.

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Skipper Claims Resignation Inspired by “Extortion Plot”

You don’t normally hear the terms “Disney” and “extortion” in the same story, but you’re about to. You may or may not be aware that ESPN President John Skipper recently resigned from his role in that company. There were many people speculating as to why, but most sources remained tight lipped on the issue. Not Skipper. He got right out in front of the story, stifling rumors about why he was fired with a story that shocked people even more.

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Brit Music ’Zine NME Goes Digital-Only  

New Musical Express broke ground in the entertainment media business for decades. Now, for the first time in 66 years, NME will no longer have a print publication. Everything is being pushed online, according to reports in CNN and other outlets. NME has been a stalwart in the entertainment media game for generations, but the publications ownership group, Time Inc., says the media industry is too tough to continue the print edition of the publication. There’s just not enough bang for their print advertising buck. Lower incomes and rising print costs finally reached a tipping point. This shift is quite a change from just three years ago, when NME was a free weekly music magazine with a newly-minted web presence.…

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McDonald’s missing from the Olympics — Why?

Last summer, McDonald’s announced it would be ending its advertising partnership with the International Olympic Committee. The deal was supposed to run through 2020, but if you look around for McDonald’s connection with this year’s Winter Olympics, you won’t see it.

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Times Reporter Suspended Over Allegations

The sexual harassment outing revolution continues to roll, and more and more prolific heads continue to fall. While last week’s headlines were dominated by the ousting of Charlie Rose from CBS, other headlines featured a prominent print journalist. New York Times reporter, Glenn Thrush, has been suspended after multiple allegations of “sexual misconduct” involving “younger, female journalists.”

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GE making waves by removing executive perks

Usually, when a brand’s top executives are in the news related to executive perks, the average reader will not be inclined to be happy about the direction of that story. This is not the case with General Electric, however. At least this time.

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