Princess Merida, the young Scottish girl who broke tradition and took a decidedly feminist stand against being married off to the winner of an archery competition in Disney’s “Brave” (by using her kick-ass marksmanship skills to win her own hand) has officially been inducted into the sacred sisterhood of the Disney Princesses, taking her place alongside the likes of Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel.

But before Merida could join the ranks of her more mature counterparts, she had to undergo quite a makeover. First, her dress — a functional frock, suitable for her outdoor adventures, was replaced by a much brighter, frillier, more low-cut number, reminding young girls that looks trump comfort. And because there’s nothing feminine or damsel-like about packing heat, her beloved bow and arrows were apparently confiscated.

Equally disturbing were the changes that were made to her previously young-girl-like figure: her waist had clearly been cinched and her bust noticeably increased, she was given flirtatious lashes and rosier cheeks, and her adventurous, slightly defiant-looking smile gave way to a sultry smirk. After critics lambasted the made-over Merida for over-sexualizing what was supposed to be a young girl to whom real young girls could relate, Disney quietly pulled the image from their website and replaced it with the Pixar original.

We’re not surprised the backlash was so intense, because while we agree that the over-sexualization was a major problem, we think it went beyond that. Read more

Audubon, one of the oldest continuously published magazines in the country, has been harvesting some of the best earth-minded writing for more than a century. The pub appeals to the well educated, politically active nature lover.

Though the mag is the only pure nature magazine on the market, EIC David Seideman admits that the publication aspires to the reach and commercial success of National Geographic, while still maintaining its commitment to the thought-provoking, long-form type journalism of The Atlantic and The New Yorker.

And, lucky for publicists, editors are more than open to featuring your clients as long as they fit the pub’s nature-loving mission. Get the details on who and what to pitch in How To Pitch: Audubon.

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Chicago Tribune: Google Streaming Music Service to Compete with Spotify, Pandora

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The New York Times: Increasing Wi-Fi Availability Empowers the Public

Los Angeles Times: American Public Is Growing Apathetic toward Airline Baggage Fees

Bleacher Report: NFL Star Creates PR Controversy after Shooting Snake

The idea was nothing new: reward loyal customers with a gift certificate, a voucher, or some form of merchandise—anything other than cash. Cash can be impersonal; it’s what you give your gum-chewing babysitter, the anonymous man behind the register, or the angry super who fixes your toilet. So we’re guessing Apple didn’t expect this type of blowback from the public.

But it happened.

Despite shaky signs that the economy, and life in general, are poised for an upswing, brands must remember that the public is still overly sensitive when it comes to relationships. Apple has always enjoyed a strong, loyal and profitable relationship with the public. In return for Apple products and services, we’ve showered the brand with ongoing seemingly limitless fortunes. So when Apple went public with plans to reward whoever was lucky enough to download the 50 billionth app from its store, the public reacted a little indignantly. The reward was $10,000 in App store cash.

The public felt Apple was being cheap. The comments below are from this article on CNN.com.

Jonny: “What the hell are you gonna do with 10k to spend in the damn App Store?! Give me 10k in cash!” Read more

“Unique ideas often start with pitches, and many are surprising”, according to Breanne Heldman, New York bureau chief at Yahoo! Entertainment. She was speaking on a PRSA NY panel on Tuesday about placing entertainment stories.

Other panelists included::
• Lauren Brown, Site Director, Ok! Magazine.com
• James Chairman, New York Bureau Producer, E! News
• Erin Clements, Celebrity News Editor, The Huffington Post
• Paola Leva, News Director, In Touch Weekly
• Benjamin Wagner, Senior Vice President, MTV News

Below are their tips for breaking through the clutter with original, creative pitches leading to mutually productive relationships. Some appear self-evident, but may be worth repeating.

1.Celebrities promoting brands: These types of stories provide access, Clements said. The outlets will touch upon the brand tie-in, then cover the celebrity’s work. As Heldman added, sometimes it’s even funny, as when they interviewed a pregnant celebrity plugging a rum brand on St. Patrick’s day. All she could do was mention what she’d like to be drinking.

2.Exclusive content is highly desirable, or at least most media outlets prefer to receive it first. As Brown observed, “nothing is really exclusive online anymore, because once it goes online it’s fair game”. But if her site posts an item early on, their readers will share it and build the outlet’s own social media following.

3.Story extension ideas: Sending pitches to extend a big story running for several days is advisable. For example, it may be an expert who can speak about Angelina Jolie’s recent medical news, Heldman said.

4.Finding unique angles is critical, Clements noted. Brown wants the flexibility to add first person spin and avoid a cookie-cutter approach. As Wagner added, for MTV News, merely an announcement of a new album release is a non-starter. (Image at left courtesy of MTV News’ story, “Cannes Film Festival 2013: Our Must-See Movies”)

Read more

Human love is the most complicated force in the universe. Love is more temperamental than gravity. Love is more expansive than infinity. Love is more fickle and powerful than the weather on Jupiter. So when a company like eHarmony claims to have figured out the algorithms that dictate our ideal romantic match, the public is naturally skeptical. But it’s not like we don’t want their services to work. We do. Everyone deserves love.

And everyone deserves a job. eHarmony knows this, too.

eHarmony claims it can not only help people find love, but also employment. Yes, the popular dating site claims the same principles behind its strategy to match people romantically can be used to connect job seekers with employers. There is more, the brand claims, to finding the best match than simply throwing resumes at job descriptions. Anyone who has ever conducted an interview knows this to be true.

The most pressing PR challenge eHarmony faces is its ability to convince the public that the science behind their services does, in fact, work. The public is skeptical because we know us. We know we’re not always honest when filling out surveys, or that we’d even answer the same questions with the same answers if it was raining outside or our favorite team had just won the big game. Life is a pinball machine of variables. We change a little every day, all of the time.

And yet despite all of this, people do find their soul mates and their dream jobs. That idea alone will cause many in the public to jump right in. You only live once so why not maximize your chances of finding happiness? The logic works. But much of being human is illogical. How should eHarmony’s PR strategy address this disconnect?

We told you last week about Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries only wanting his brand’s clothing worn by “cool kids” — i.e. no one that falls outside the stereotypical “All American” standards of beauty, including girls over a size 10. “A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong,” Jeffries once said in an interview. “Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”

To make matters worse, it seems that less-than-cool kids aren’t the only people who don’t “belong” in A&F clothing — when garments are damaged and/or cannot be sold, rather than donating the clothes to people who need them, the company reportedly burns them. Why? Because homeless people aren’t the sort of brand representation A&F wants. So basically, Abercrombie has sent this branding message into the universe: “Six-pack abs and chiseled jaw required. Soul optional”.

In response, Greg Karber decided to give Abercrombie a brand makeover. After sifting through the “douchebag section” of his local Goodwill thrift shop for donated A&F clothing, Karber headed to LA’s Skid Row to hand out the clothes to the homeless, who, after displaying initial reluctance to accept the clothing (which Karber attributes to a fear of looking like “narcissistic date rapists”), eventually accepted the A&F clothes, completing phase one of Karber’s mission.

However, in the video below, Karber says that he can’t “clothe the homeless or transform a brand” all by his lonesome, and urges viewers to get involved. A grassroots re-branding campaign to teach a company to grow a soul? Like we said before: we sense a Glee episode coming on…

DuPont welcomes Tiffany M. Atwell as its newly appointed director of International Government Affairs. With over 15 years working on issues relating to international trade policies, Atwell has built quite a career in Washington. Previously, she was the senior director for Strategic Programs in Government Affairs and Policy for Abbott. She managed a team whose goal was to develop public-private partnerships with key governments and NGOs to drive outreach strategies in emerging markets like Russia, India and Brazil. She served as the International Trade Policy advisor to Senator Chuck Grassley, former Finance Committee chairman. Atwell managed trade related issues regarding China including: textiles, tariffs, currency exchange policies, customs and trade preference programs. Previously, she served as a congressional liaison for the undersecretary for Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration assisting members of Congress in resolution of trade-related issues for their constituents. (Release)

BBH named a new CEO for North America, Patrick Lafferty, who joins the agency after spending two-and-a-half years at McCann and the last 18 months as its North American COO. Lafferty replaces Greg Andersen, who was one of those affected by BBH’s major “restructuring” last fall. Lafferty, who will officially assume his CEO title at BBH this summer and based out of its New York office, who was a former platoon leader/company commander in the U.S. Army, will be tasked with running both BBH New York. (AgencySpy)

Brainshark, Inc. announced the appointment of Larry DiLoreto as senior vice president of sales and chief revenue officer. In this role, DiLoreto is responsible for directing and managing Brainshark’s worldwide sales and revenue strategies. A seasoned sales and technology executive with a track record of global success, DiLoreto adds to the depth of Brainshark’s management team – helping the company extend its market leadership and momentum. Prior to Brainshark, DiLoreto served as executive vice president and chief revenue officer at SmartBear Software, where he led the company to achieve record revenues, developed its go-to-market channel strategy and directed its international expansion. (Release) Read more

The Washington Post: eHarmony Aims to Match Job Seekers with Employers

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Advertising Age: Dunder Mifflin Paper Brand Faces Uncertain Future Starting Tomorrow

Forbes: New App Allows Customers to Avoid Most Vilified Brands

CNNMoney: Google CEO Goes Public about Vocal Cord Paralysis

If you don’t live in the New York TV market, you may know her from the cable clip show “The Soup” as the woman who puts up with co-anchor Greg Kelly‘s antics.

Rosanna Scotto, morning anchor for New York’s FOX owned station WNYW, sat down with the mediabistroTV crew to talk about how St. Patrick’s Day and the antics of world-famous director Woody Allen are what lead to her first big break.

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