The Week in PR

NRA Stutter Step: It began slowly, gained a lot of steam quickly and then slowed. That describes the movements of brands disassociating themselves from the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the wake of the school shooting in S. Florida Feb. 14. The movement began relatively quietly, with the First National Bank of Omaha, the nation’s largest privately held bank, saying Feb. 22 it was halting production of NRA-emblazoned Visa credit cards. “Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA,” spokesperson Kevin Langin said. The next day saw a slew of brands join the tide, including Hertz, Alamo and National rental car companies and Wyndham and Best Western hotels. Others joining included Symantec, United Airlines and MetLife. While this story seems to be a moving target, as we write Feb. 26, the tide of brands joining the boycott list has stopped, although several important companies, including Amazon, Google and Apple, are being pressured to cut their NRA ties. A petition urging Amazon to halt its business with NRA had 175,00 signatures as of Feb. 26, USA Today reports. Other brands chose an intermediate step. Bank of America, for example, the nation’s second-largest bank by assets, said Feb. 24 it would “examine what we can do to help end the tragedy of mass shootings…an immediate step we’re taking is to engage the limited number of clients we have that manufacture assault weapons for non-military use to understand what they can contribute to this shared responsibility.” Similarly FedEx is keeping its NRA shipping discount but issued a statement saying it opposes “assault rifles being in the hands of civilians…[they are] an inherent potential danger to schools, workplaces, and communities.” The delivery brand added that it supports restricting assault rifles to the military. But just as the list of brands seemed to be slowing, other wrinkles formed. The lieutenant governor of GA, Casey Cagle, Feb. 26 threatened to scotch legislation granting tax benefits to Delta Air Lines because of its severed collaboration with the NRA. “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back,” Cagle tweeted. Warren Buffett said Feb. 26 he won’t impose his feelings about guns on his employees and shareholders. He urged other CEOs to do the same. “I’m not their nanny...” he said.

 

Say What?Well, so much for transparency. Described in some circles as a rising star, Raj Nair, 53, was fired from his job as president of Ford’s N. American business when an internal investigation found his behavior was “inappropriate.” The investigation was the result of an anonymous complaint left on a 24-hour hotline. What was the unspecified inappropriate behavior? Sorry, but Ford didn’t say, insuring when a journalist uncovers the details the story will be dredged up again.

Now Hair This:A win for the authenticity movement in advertising: Madison Reed, a hair color brand, pledged Feb. 27 to use unaltered, raw photography. “Nothing will be adjusted,” in its ads, it said.

Platform Prater: Count Barack Obama as the biggest name to urge Facebook and Google to admit their influence. In off-the-record remarks Feb. 23 during a conference that were surreptitiously taped, the former president blasted both platforms for failing to take responsibility for “shaping our culture in powerful ways.” While he acknowledged the platforms’ potential for good, he said social media channels are “tools” that ISIS and neo-Nazis can use. Facebook refuses to admit it’s a media company, claiming algorithms, not editorial judgment, determine what it carries. – We told you last week about Facebook VP of advertising Rob Goldman, whose Feb. 16 tweet thread claimed he’d seen all the Russian-bought ads and that the indicted Russians were using Facebook mainly to sow discord in the U.S. not sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election ( PRN, Feb. 20). President Donald Trump cited Goldman’s tweets as proof that special counsel Robert Mueller’s indictments were off the mark. On Feb. 20, though, Facebook’s VP of global policy Joel Kaplan tried to dampen enthusiasm for Goldman’s version of history. In a statement, Kaplan said, “Nothing we found contradicts [Mueller’s] indictments…any suggestion otherwise is wrong.” Goldman apologized to Facebook colleagues that day, although—darn transparency—the apology was not released. It subsequently leaked. Goldman said the tweets reflected his views, not Facebook’s. “The special counsel has far more information about what happened [than] I do—so seeming to contradict [him]...was a serious mistake on my part.”

People: FleishmanHillard promoted 3-year veteran Candace Peterson to global managing director, brand marketing. -- JPA Health Communications named Sara Dunn and former Porter Novelli hand Margaret Bonilla SVPs. Lisa Rivero of Ogilvy Feinstein Kean Healthcare joins as a VP.