American Airlines Flies High with Community Relations
The buzz about philanthropy and pro bono work is at an all-time high as corporations look for new ways to build on their identities. Kudos to American Airlines which offered reduced rates for those traveling to Honduras and Nicaragua to visit friends and family affected by Hurricane Mitch.
It's a no-brainer that the airline had a chance to make money off its offer, but this kind of goodwill ranks high with customers. (http://www.amrcorp.com)
From the Mouths of CEOs;
For more evidence that physical assets alone don't make your company balance sheet meaningful to key audiences, jot down (for keeps) what Ketchum CEO David Drobis told 500 business and academic leaders at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.
"Adding up net tangible assets will do little to help us understand the market value of a company," Drobis says. Coca-Cola's tangible assets account for only 4 percent of its stock market value. Thus, effective communication is a primary force in relaying the value of a company and its products.
Drobis spoke as part of a forum on "Value: Creation, Measurement and Communication."
(Ketchum, 412/456-3586)
Measurement Mania
Speaking of measurement, The Counselors Academy of PRSA is putting together guidelines to assist PR pros in measuring and evaluating the impact of their efforts for clients.
Those standards will be announced at the international conference in Anaheim, Calif., next year. Until now, agencies and PR departments have used a hodgepodge of methods, from the antiquated model that says a story in a publication is worth three times what an ad costs, to the ever-popular "impressions" paradigm. (Counselor's Academy, 212/460-0310)
Business Wrap-Up
- Stoorza, Zieghaus & Metzger's political consulting firm, Campaign Strategies, Inc., racked up some wins in the recent elections.
It helped push through Proposition C for refurbishing downtown and building a ballpark for the San Diego Padres; they also helped defeat two anti-growth initiatives. (CSI, 619/231-0996)
- Paine & Associates, Costa Mesa, Calif., took home the PRSA/LA Chapter "Prism Awards" mother lode. It won six first-place and six merit awards. Clients it performed gold-star work for included Taco Bell and American Suzuki Motor Corp. (Paine & Associates, 714/755-0400)
- The Latin Scene: Nintendo plucks Miami Beach, Fla.-based The Jeffrey Group to handle its PR in the Latin American market. No exact sales figures are linked to that emerging communications niche, but retail video games represent a $15 billion industry worldwide.
- Another smart corporation seizing on this hot market is Goodyear which just added content to its Web site, http://www.goodyear.com, to promote its subsidiaries in Colombia, Chile and Jamaica. (The Jeffrey Group, 305/860-1000; Goodyear, 330/796-2121)
- The International Association of Business Communicators Accreditation Program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. Since 1973, more than 1,000 professionals in 15 countries have been accredited. (IABC, 415/433-3400)
- New affiliation crops up between the Institute for Public Relations, housed at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and the Institute of PR in the United Kingdom.
There is no financial agreement between the two; however, the organizations plan to share research and cooperate on promotional efforts.
(IPR, 352/392-0280)