What's on this week's menu? Actually, "menu" is the magic word. This time around, we sink our forks into PR developments relating to an ambitious kosher food promotional
push, a major new player in the organic food orbit, and a bit of genetic engineering that may turn goat milk into a life saving substance for children in poor countries. Are
these tasty examples of Good PR, or do we need to send them back to the kitchen as unappetizing Bad PR? PRN
| The PR Focus | Good PR or Bad PR? |
|---|---|
| Manischewitz, the leading kosher food line, is actively seeking wider sales among consumers of all persuasions. Based on research that shows
non-Jewish consumers view kosher food as being of a higher quality, Manischewitz is boosting its promotional efforts. On the PR agenda: a cook-off contest in Cooking Light Magazine and a vigorous e-mail marketing campaign (the company's first mainstream cyber promotion). |
GOOD PR: The company's last high-profile consumer promotion push was the now-legendary late-60s wine campaign featuring Sammy Davis Jr.
proclaiming "Man-o-Manischewitz!" And the PR push is also taking it to the trade: According to the New York Times, Manischewitz is lobbying grocers to integrate the kosher products throughout the supermarket and not segregate them in a kosher food section. |
| Wal-Mart is in the midst of a 10-month campaign to attract grocery shoppers with an expanding range of organic foods. Wal-Mart is no stranger
to organic goods - the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes the store already sells organic baby food and organic cotton clothing. However, this new push for organic produce could easily make the mega-retailer the largest organic grocer in the country, outpacing the likes of specialty natural foods chains like Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Trader Joe's. |
GOOD PR: The most significant development expected here is a drop in the cost of organic foods, thanks to Wal-Mart's ultra-competitive pricing.
Organic foods are usually higher in price than non-organic foods, and that sore point has kept many budget-tight shoppers from buying these products. Whatever impact Wal-Mart's organic foray will have on the smaller niche grocers remains to be seen, but it would be a welcome trend if it can influence across-the-board price reductions. |
| For years, many environmentalists have issues warnings about the dangers of genetically engineered foods. However, a report in Transgenic
Research details how genetic engineering may have produced a genuine life saver: experiments with transgenic goats have successfully produced milk containing the enzyme Lysozyme, which is found in human breast milk and has been shown to destroy E. coli, which is responsible for many infant deaths in developing countries. |
GOOD PR: While it is too early to bring this goat milk to the marketplace, the news is the ultimate win-win situation. For genetic engineers, it
is peerless PR in showing the positive impacts of their work. For relief workers in the developing world, having a safe alternative to breast milk can prevent the deaths of upwards of two million children per year. Even the goats come out ahead, since no harm comes to the barnyard critters by having the extra Lysozyme in their systems. |