Ch-ch-ch-changes: The World of PR Industry News

by Kristian Knutsen

Here at the Center for Media and Democracy, we regularly get press releases from a wide variety of public relations firms - from small groups we have never heard of before to the largest global PR firms about which we have reported extensively. These press releases come via email or fax, and there are often follow-up phone calls from the senders to verify our receipt of the releases. These press releases address a wide variety of things the firms wish to promote, but the majority deal with personnel changes (hires, transfers, etc.), and they are usually not very informative.

Once in a while, though, we receive an announcement that is more edifying, opening a window to the ways in which PR industry executives advertise themselves in the context of professional promotion, delivered in the deadpan phrases of industry lingo.

On January 24, we received a press release via email about two new hires at the Los Angeles office of Fleishman-Hillard, an international PR giant. If the association of Los Angeles with Fleishman-Hillard rings any bells, it is because that office of the firm was the subject of a significant scandal involving Fleishman-Hillard overbilling the city's Department of Water and Power by an estimated $4.2 million.

Here's an excerpt of the press release:

"LOS ANGELES, January 24, 2005 - Iveliesse Malavé and Sara Jones have been named vice presidents at Fleishman-Hillard Los Angeles. ... Jones joins Fleishman-Hillard from APCO Worldwide, where she most recently served as vice president of public affairs. Jones brings an extensive background in managing crises and complex, high-risk issues, with a proven specialty in litigation support and labor relations. Over the course of her career, she has played an integral role in protecting and enhancing corporate and brand reputation for numerous Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 corporations including Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil, and Johnson & Johnson. ...

"Prior to joining APCO Worldwide, Jones worked at GCI (formerly Kamer-Singer) where she directed international efforts to preserve Nike's brand and business in the face of a prolonged anti-sweatshop campaign. Jones also directed short and long term communications planning for Levi Strauss & Co. as it reduced its workforce by 34 percent through the closure of 11 plants. The plant closures were ranked as 'the number one managed crisis of the year' and among 'the best communications (programs) of the year' by industry trade publications."