DKC Internal Memo Demands Better Media Hits… Or Else

An anonymous tipster sent us an internal memo today written by DKC PR president Sean Cassidy for his staffers. In it, he takes issue with the types of media hits the firm is generating for its clients, scolds the staff for not taking advantage of office hours with firm execs, and warns that he will take drastic action if folks don’t shape up.

“Remember, I see what everyone produces.  So…. if performance in these areas does not improve, I will make specific recommendations to the management team regarding changes to the staff,” the memo reads. (We have it in full after the jump.)

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Cassidy ends the memo on a high note.

“Have a nice weekend.”

Read more

MEDIABISTRO EVENTS

Get Social Media Marketing Secrets from Experts

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Michael Brito (Edelman Digital), and Tim Devane (bitly). Register now.

Tech Round Up: Facebook’s IPO, Shazamming the Super Bowl, and More

-The big tech news this week is of course Facebook filing paperwork to go public, with some calling its financials “disappointing,” seeing how its $3.7 billion in revenue last year is just one-tenth of tech rival Google. An IPO could happen this spring.

-Speaking of Facebook, the Pew Research Internet Project released a report that shows that people behave on Facebook as they do in real life.

-Click here for an infographic that imagines a world without Google. (Gasp!)

-Need a good contact in the digital space? PR software maker Cision has introduced “Cision Influencer Lists,” which are nicely packaged records of influential contacts, compiled and constantly updated by Cision’s media research team. A news release is available here.

Read more

PR Plays a Role on Super Bowl Sunday and Beyond

The Super Bowl's star quarterbacks. Image from Waggener Edstrom infographic. Link after the jump.

For the past week, we’ve been watching clip after clip of the upcoming Super Bowl commercials. Needless to say, the ads are a highlight of the game.

But the public relations industry is also excited for the event. The big game is not just a platform for creative advertisements, but for all of the PR and marketing that surrounds the broadcast at the game and elsewhere.

“For PR practitioners, there are several avenues to consider when thinking of ways to work with your clients around the Super Bowl,” Lisa Zlotnick, Lippe Taylor‘s VP of media told us in an email.

Read more

The Most Popular PRNewser Stories of the Past Week

Pinterest Expanding Its Audience Beyond Women

Megaupload Mega Shutdown Proves We Need Neither SOPA or PIPA

‘African Americans for Obama’ Launches

Will the New VW Spot Top ‘The Force’?

Poor Working Conditions Putting Apple’s Reputation on the Line

Foursquare Chooses M Booth for Consumer PR

Location-based social network Foursquare has chosen M Booth for consumer PR work. Reports say the firm was selected after a competitive pitch and the account value is in the six figures.

Details about the scope of the work aren’t immediately forthcoming — both Foursquare’s Erin Gleason and M Booth aren’t offering up comment — but it’s understood to include media relations, messaging, and consumer education. Foursquare cut ties with Kaplow back in October, one year after the firm was hired.

[via PRWeek, Holmes Report]

Roll Call: KLH & Associates, BBC America, and More

BBC America's Devin Johnson

Kim Hunter, founder of Lagrant Communications and The Lagrant Foundation, has now launched KLH & Associates, an executive search firm specializing in the placement of mid- to senior-level diverse executives in marketing, PR, and  advertising positions at agencies and top companies. Hunter will serve as managing partner and, in the launch announcement notes the dearth of African American (5.3 percent) and Hispanic (3.3 percent) managers in the comms industry. Sony Pictures, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, and IPG’s Constituency Management Group, which includes firms like Weber Shandwick, have already signed on as clients.

BBC America and Consumer Products has promoted Devin Johnson to VP of publicity. He was previously director of publicity for BBC America and Global Brands. Johnson joined the company in 2007. He’ll now be handling promotions surrounding Doctor Who, Top Gear, and other BBC America programming.

Read more

Susan G. Komen Backs Off Planned Parenthood Cuts

Once again, we have an example where social media and public backlash have reversed an organization’s decision.

For the past three days, Susan G. Komen for the Cure (SGK) has been battered by criticism from the public and members of government who objected to the group’s decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood. The money had been used for breast exams. This morning, SGK announced that it was going to take a closer look at the policy that led to the cuts and apologized for its earlier decision. Planned Parenthood can apply for grants once again.

“Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process,” the statement says. “It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women.” We tried to read the statement on the SGK website, but got a big error message that says simply “Server is too busy.”

Read more

Revolving Door: Lots of Video, An Intern Lawsuit, and More

Comic book author Alonzo Washington is on "TheGrio 100" list.

At an event yesterday, The Huffington Post and AOL introduced The Huffington Post Streaming Network (HPSN), a live network that will broadcast 12 hours per day starting this summer. HuffPo founding editor Roy Sekoff will run the network which he says will be a mix of CNN, The View, and YouTube.

The New York Times has launched “Business Day Live,” a live video show that will focus on the top business headlines of the day. It will air each weekday and appear on the outlet’s homepage.

The Wall Street Journal has also launched a new program, “Off Duty,” a lifestyle show based on WSJ Weekend that will air each weekday at 6 p.m. ET on the outlet’s YouTube channel. It will be hosted by reporter Wendy Bounds. This adds to the list of shows that the WSJ already has, including “Lunch Break” and “Mean Street.”

A former Harper’s Bazaar intern is suing Hearst for unpaid minimum wages. According to the lawsuit, accessories intern Xuedan Wang worked unpaid between 40 and 55 hours per week between August and December of last year. The plaintiff and her lawyers hope to build a class-action lawsuit. [via Reuters]

Bloomberg head Lex Fenwick has been named CEO of Dow Jones & Co. He replaces Les Hinton, who left the post in July. Fenwick joined Bloomberg in 1987 and was tapped to head up Bloomberg Ventures in 2007. [via WSJ]

TheGrio.com has revealed “TheGrio 100,” its list of “history makers and industry leaders” making waves in the U.S. today. Among those on the list are the mayor of Jacksonville, FL, Alvin Brown, Google’s Torrence Boone, and marine biologist Daniell Washington.

Clickthrough for more of the week’s media changes.

Read more

The Ticker: Reuters Social Pulse; Komen’s nightmare; Facebook’s head of marketing; Future of online marketing; Social tools for media orgs

Reuters MediaFileIntroducing Reuters Social Pulse

JezebelSusan G. Komen’s Public Relations Nightmare

BusinessInsider:  Facebook’s IPO and the Future of Online Marketing

Wall Street JournalThe Man Behind Facebook’s Marketing

MastheadEditors discuss new social media tools and how they boost brands

‘African Americans for Obama’ Launches

To kick off Black History Month, President Barack Obama and his presidential reelection team has launched African American for Obama, a campaign that will go grassroots to build support for the President and, more importantly, encourage black voters to head to the voting booths in November.

Read more

NEXT PAGE >>