Interviews

PRSA's Gerard Corbett

In addition to talking about the PRSA‘s opposition to SOPA and PIPA during our conversation late last week, we also spoke with the organization’s chair and CEO, Gerard Corbett, about the progress being made in the #PRDefined campaign.

When last we heard, the results had been pushed back to the end of February. Corbett says they’re hoping to make the announcement the week of the 27th. The commentary about the proposed definitions continues, with some saying the definition should be a combination of what’s been proposed, others suggesting the use of the word “ethics,” and other critiques.

“I think what it says about the art of PR is there’s no single description that will do it justice for everyone that is touched by the business,” said Corbett. But while it may seem that someone somewhere in the world of PR is destined to be unhappy with what comes of this process, Corbett says the goal is to communicate to people outside of the industry.

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China is just one of the Asian countries that PR firms continue to build their businesses in.

One of the perks of a PR job is the chance to travel far and wide. And, there are likely many publicists out there considering a move abroad, whether temporary or permanent.

PR firms are focused on building their businesses in Asia, opening up opportunities not just with new clients, but for firm staffers. But making that move is a huge decision.

After the jump, we have a Q&A with Sara Donaldson, Edelman‘s manager of comms and business development in Asia Pacific. She’s been in Beijing for about two years and talks about making the transition, the differences in the work, and how government control of the media affects her work.

Click through for more.

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Al Maag, chief comms officer for tech distribution company Avnet and the chairman of the Business Marketing Association (BMA), told us this morning during a visit to the Mediabistro office that Avnet has worked with its PR firm, Brodeur Partners, since 1999. That’s rare.

Maag credits the relationship’s longevity to a few things some of the standard qualities: they have a similar geographic footprint (Avnet is based in Phoenix where Brodeur has an office, for example), Brodeur’s tech capabilities, etc.

But one thing that stood out to Maag was the firm’s decision to hire a third-party to handle some of Avnet’s media training duties.

“They didn’t say they could do everything,” Maag said. “They have trainers on staff. But they made sure we had the best person versus their person.”

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During an interview with Good Morning America, Paris Hilton was asked whether she thought the celebrity starlets of today — the Kim Kardashians of the world — had eclipsed her. Her new show on the Oxygen Network, The World According to Paris, isn’t exactly lighting up the Nielsen ratings, even if her perfume lines and other businesses are rolling in the cash.

The question was so offensive to Hilton that she had to walk away, consult with her publicist, and then return. When she was back on camera, she gave an answer about being in “this business” (being famous for nothing?) for 15 years and knows about the need for reinvention. The clip is above. What do you think of Hilton’s response? Kudos to her publicist for coming up with that one on the fly.

[via Mediaite]

In case you care what he’s saying, a YouTuber was kind enough to translate Cooper’s interview. Different clips of the video have a combined total of tens of thousands of views.

Bradley Cooper went on a French news program to promote his new movie The Hangover Part II and walked away with a brand new reputation across Hollywood, the media, and with moviegoers. He accomplished this by conducting the entire interview in French, which instantaneously made him jaw-droppingly hot to everyone with sense enough to see it.

A good looking movie star speaking French fluently. If that could describe all of your clients, a publicist’s job would be much less stressful.

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With smartphone ownership going through the roof (news today that the Android is growing in popularity vs the iPhone), the next marketing frontier will be mobile. Chuck Martin analyzes this topic with his new book The Third Screen: Marketing to Your Consumers in a World Gone Mobile, which will be out in May. Martin is the CEO and founder of The Mobile Future Institute and director of the Center for Media Research at MediaPost Communications.

“In this new environment, it’s more of a pull. It’s not a push,” Martin told us during our interview. In the attached podcast, Martin describes the nature of mobile marketing, the opportunities and challenges, and what marketers should learn about this new outreach method. And his website includes stats about the explosion in mobile for commerce, social networking, and other uses. “Test and learn,” he emphasizes.

Click here (MP3 link) to listen to the entire interview.

Gov. Deval Patrick with Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Recently, Helene Solomon, CEO of Boston-based PR firm Solomon McCown & Company, joined Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and a group of state business leaders on a trip to Israel, part of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011. The goal of the mission, which also went to the U.K., was to discuss the opportunities for businesses between Massachusetts and these two countries in areas like technology and life sciences.

Now back from her trip, we spoke with Solomon about what she experienced and areas where the PR industry might be interested in working with Israeli businesses. Click here (MP3 link) for the whole podcast. After the jump, we got a little extra info from Solomon after the recording stopped and there are a few more pics from her trip.

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Today is the 100th International Women’s Day, so it’s the perfect time to tackle one of the issues women in the PR industry face: pay discrepancy.

Despite the high number of women in the PR profession, female publicists continue to earn less than their male counterparts. It’s a topic that Crenshaw Communications analyzes today on its blog and it’s a topic we discussed with Dr. Bey-Ling Sha, associate professor at San Diego State University and chair of the PRSA National Committee on Work, Life & Gender.

According to Sha, theories about why women make less are proven false time and again. To learn more about the issue and how it’s impacting the PR industry, click here (MP3 link).

Update from Professor Sha via e-mail- “To correct my misstatement in the podcast:  The all-time high for women’s income to men’s was in 2005 and 2006, when the figure was 81 cents earned by women on the dollar earned by men. This is U.S. government data for society in general, not specific to PR.”

Orlando Bloom with a Toyota Prius. Photo: WireImage

Prior to the economic meltdown, brands all over the place were intensely focused on marketing “green” and eco-friendly products to consumers who had developed a heightened awareness about environmental issues. With tough economic times, there was concern that a focus on value meant this environmental concern would be pushed aside.

We spoke with Jacquelyn Ottman, founder of J. Ottman Consulting, a New York-based ad agency, and author of the new book The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools, and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding about how to market “green” in 2011.

For tips, read our Q&A after the jump.

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