On the Radar Screen: Taco Bell's Embroiled In Customer Beef With Service
Given it's the era of political correctness, we want to be really careful about passing judgment on this gripe, but we couldn't refrain from looking into one of the most unusual stories we've come across in a while. It's based on a lawsuit filed against Taco Bell by a customer who received the wrong food item.
The customer, who is a Hindu, says he suffered emotional distress from eating a beef burrito he got by mistake after placing an order for a bean burrito. The customer wants the company to pay for a purification trip he made to England, and an upcoming trip he'll make to India to bathe in the Ganges River for "ultimate purification."
Peter Stack, VP of Taco Bell's public affairs office, said so far the story's gotten play in The Los Angeles Times (which broke the story), AP and through local broadcast stations and national networks. Stack agreed Taco Bell views "religious and cultural differences" as very important in the customer-relations lineup, but, so far, Taco Bell doesn't believe the allegations are "well founded."
Ironically, Stack says, dozens of media outlets have written, or aired accounts, about the burrito incident, but few have called Taco Bell's PR department for comment or a statement. The gripe even got play on The Howard Stern Show last week. (Taco Bell, 714/863-3915)
Obituaries:PR Industry Sees Passing Of Two Veterans
PR pioneer Edward Gottlieb, whose agency grew to become the 16th largest PR firm and part of the Hill & Knowlton network when he sold it in 1977, died Jan. 20 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City at the age of 88.
Gottlieb began his career in the 1930s as a science writer for Universal Sciences and worked in journalism until he joined Carl Byoir & Associates in 1940. After the U.S. Ambassador to England requested, in 1942, that Gottlieb organize the pictorial and radio informational operations of the U.S. government in the European Theater of Operations, he ended up working on war-related projects for several years.
Most recently, he was chairman of Edward Gottlieb Inc., a management consultant company.
Pat Penney Bennet, president of Penney and Bennett, Inc. for 15 years and president of Pat Benney PR, Inc., since 1976, died Jan. 16 at Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 72.
Penney was an adjunct professor of PR at the University of Southern California for 14 years and served on the Public Relations Advisory Committee since 1989. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Los Angeles Chapter of PRSA in 1965.
Business Moves: GINA Changes Name - Now It's Internet Wire
The Global Internet News Agency changed its name and URL to Internet Wire (http://www.internetwire.com). It also has created distribution channel partnerships with Microsoft, Netscape and PointCast.
Internet Wire is e-mailed to more than 4,200 journalists and is linked to more than 500 other Web sites. (Michael Shuler, 310/577-9346)
PR and Investor Relations: Firms Merge
Neuger Henry Bartkowski Public Relations firm and Swenson/Falker Associates, both located in Minneapolis, have merged and will be headquartered at NHB's office at 1300 Fifth Street Towers, 150 South Fifth Street. Swenson's staff will move into NHB's office and the name of the new business will remain NHB.
The new venture, however, will result in the formation of a new investor relations group: Swenson NHB. David Neuger remains as president and Karen Snedeker will be the head of the IR group. (NHB, 612/344-1000)
Medialink Expand Overseas
Medialink Worldwide Incorporated is expanding its international operations throughout eastern Europe and Russia, and has joined with a Prague firm, Media 98. The move marks Medialink's 18th global affiliate, and the service will be marketed as Medialink Central Europe and Russia.
The new affiliate is responsible for developing and providing Medialink services in the nations of central Europe: the Czech and Slovak Republics, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, Russia, the Baltics and the CIS (former Soviet Republics). (Medialink 212/682-8300 or http://www.medialink.com)
Edelman Acquires 35th Office
After a 10-year affiliation, Edelman Public Relations has purchased Maizner & Franklin and has been renamed Edelman Miami.
Maizner & Franklin's founding partner, Janet Maizner, will become the general manager of Edelman Miami.
Along with Mexico City, the office will serve as the Latin American headquarters for the international firm. Allan McCrea Steele, senior VP and COO of Edelman Latin America, will relocate from New York to head the office. (Edelman, 212/768-0550)