Flu Is Sell [1]
Submitted by Diane Farsetta [2] on
As The Nation's Jeremy Scahill cautions [3] that Stewart Simonson [4], the U.S. official "responsible for coordinating the federal response to a flu pandemic or bioterror attack could well be the next Michael Brown [5]," businesses are preparing marketing plans to avoid decreased chicken or egg consumption due to avian flu. The PR firm Edelman [6] "is in the early stages of developing contingency programs." Edelman's Mike Seymour [7] said, "We're building on our experience with SARS [8]. ... The best thing to do is to have a plan in place ahead of it." Kentucky Fried Chicken is planning TV ads "to educate consumers that eating cooked chicken is perfectly safe." The National Chicken Council launched a website, avianinfluenzainfo.com [9]. Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods [10] "have prepared press releases ... trying to allay concerns." O'Dwyer's reports [11] that the Egg Safety Center hired Aronow Communications "to get word out that a potential avian flu pandemic [12] would not make eggs unsafe."