Edleman Inducted into Arthur Page Society's Hall of Fame
Daniel J. Edelman, founder and chairman of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, was inducted Sept. 21 into the Arthur W. Page Society's Hall of Fame at the society's annual meeting in New Orleans. The award is given to practitioners for professional achievements and outstanding contributions to the PR profession.
In other news, Edelman delivered a speech, to the Philadelphia chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, called "Taking on the Tough Ones." It illustrated how PR has changed through the years. His wisdom?
"We're moving increasingly into the kind of practice that characterizes the legal profession. For years we've urged that we be brought to the chairman's table. Now that's happened. Our roles as counselors in crisis situations such as product recalls, strikes, mergers and acquisitions, and government relations has put us in the front lines." (Edelman, 312/240-2716)
PRSA Announces 1997 Individual Winners
The Public Relations Society of America has named its 1997 Individual Award winners:
The Gold Anvil (given to a professional who has made a major contribution to the profession) went to Edward M. Block, retired senior VP/PR, advertising and employee information at AT&T. Block was instrumental in planning for the breakup of the Bell System following the launch of the government's anti-trust suit against the company.
The Outstanding Educator Award was given to Professor Maria R. Russell, chair of Syracuse University's PR Dept. Among her accomplishments, she was singled out for developing a fully-accredited, 36-hour interdisciplinary graduate degree program for mid-career PR professionals; and
The Paul M. Lund Public Service Award went to Stanton H. Hudson Jr. for dedicating nearly two decades of community service to more than 40 New York and national non-profit organizations. (PRSA, 212/460-0310)
IABC, D.C. Names Communicator of the Year
The International Association of Business Communicators' D.C. Chapter has named John G. Clemons its 1997-98 Communicator of the Year. He is an internal communications specialist with Marriott Lodging, which has 200,000 employees worldwide. (IABC, 703/426-0230)
H&K Partners with Yankelovich
PR firm Hill and Knowlton and market research house Yankelovich Partners have inked a deal for a new venture, Corporate Equity Performance System. It's being couched as a kind of checks-and-balances effort for companies to measure their reputations in the marketplace. Costs start at $50,000 for a one-time study. (H&K, 212/885-0300)
PRSA Hosting NPR Program
As a business exec and professional communicator, you should always be on the lookout for business partnerships and alliances that will help you reap some good PR for your employer or outfit: case in point, on Sept. 16, PRSA began sponsoring National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," which is hosted by Bob Edwards. PRSA will air sponsorship messages each morning at 7:05 and 10:05 (EST); 6:05 (Central) and 7:05 (Pacific) every Tuesday until Election Day, Nov. 4
The move was reportedly linked to a PRSA member survey coupled with additional research by the Accreditation Board, which both indicated a need to propel the value of accreditation in the marketplace. (PRSA, 212/460-0310)
West Glen & National Pasta Assoc. Use Their Noodles
The National Pasta Association and West Glen Communications, a New-York producer/distributor of sponsored video, audio and multimedia programs for PR and ad agencies, have found a way of courting kids in a new campaign, "Pasta: The Inside Story." During the 1997-98 school year, West Glen will distribute the program to 2,500 schools in the U.S.
The project's being promoted to teachers, school dieticians and nutritionists to be incorporated into health, nutrition, geography, home economics and social studies teaching units. (West Glen, 212/921-2800)
Move at the Top
Deborah Leider joins Edelman Public Relations Worldwide/Chicago as VP in the business-to-business marketing group. Before joining Edelman, she ran her own PR firm. (Edelman, 213/240-2826)