NPR Series: The Message Makers: Inside PR And Advertising https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=135806177 From an examination of BP's public relations missteps in the Gulf oil disaster to a profile of Hollywood's go-to publicist for celebrities coming out of the closet, an NPR series looks behind the scenes in the world of PR. en Copyright 2024 NPR - For Personal Use Only Story API Shim 1.2.24 Mon, 07 Apr 2025 14:53:54 -0400 https://media.npr.org/images/podcasts/primary/npr_generic_image_300.jpg?s=200 NPR Series: The Message Makers: Inside PR And Advertising https://www.npr.org/series/135806177/the-message-makers-inside-pr Under The Radar, PR's Political Savvy Public relations is known as the business of promoting a product or a personality. But — in Washington D.C., at least — PR pros can be just as strategic in creating buzz for better behavior — or for policy change. Political advocacy, it turns out, is like any other PR: You try and get your message across any way you can. Thu, 19 May 2011 00:01:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2011/05/19/136436263/under-the-radar-pr-s-political-savvy https://www.npr.org/2011/05/19/136436263/under-the-radar-pr-s-political-savvy

Public relations is known as the business of promoting a product or a personality. But — in Washington D.C., at least — PR pros can be just as strategic in creating buzz for better behavior — or for policy change. Political advocacy, it turns out, is like any other PR: You try and get your message across any way you can.

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)

]]> Elizabeth Blair With Billions At Stake, Firms Play Name That Mop The first "public relations" that a product has is its name, so it has to be good. Because a product's name can have an impact on sales, there are many do's and don'ts for coming up with one. Marketing experts reveal the tricks of the trade. Fri, 13 May 2011 00:01:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2011/05/13/136024080/with-billions-at-stake-firms-play-name-that-mop https://www.npr.org/2011/05/13/136024080/with-billions-at-stake-firms-play-name-that-mop

The first "public relations" that a product has is its name, so it has to be good. Because a product's name can have an impact on sales, there are many do's and don'ts for coming up with one. Marketing experts reveal the tricks of the trade.

]]> Elizabeth Blair Corporate America Takes On Multilingual PR To better target non-English speaking communities nationwide, corporate giants like McDonald's and Wal-Mart are creating ads in different languages, including Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese. As companies build these ad campaigns, they're learning what memes and mediums best appeal to different cultures. Thu, 05 May 2011 00:01:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2011/05/05/135985502/corporate-america-take-on-multilingual-pr https://www.npr.org/2011/05/05/135985502/corporate-america-take-on-multilingual-pr

To better target non-English speaking communities nationwide, corporate giants like McDonald's and Wal-Mart are creating ads in different languages, including Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese. As companies build these ad campaigns, they're learning what memes and mediums best appeal to different cultures.

]]> Neda Ulaby PR's 'Gay Guru' Helps Celebrities Come Out Growing up gay in the Midwest, Howard Bragman knew he didn't fit in. But today he's made a name for himself as the go-to publicist for celebrities coming out of the closet — they call him the "gay guru." Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:01:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2011/04/28/135771766/prs-gay-guru-helps-celebrities-come-out https://www.npr.org/2011/04/28/135771766/prs-gay-guru-helps-celebrities-come-out Where's My Fifteen Minutes?'/>

Growing up gay in the Midwest, Howard Bragman knew he didn't fit in. But today he's made a name for himself as the go-to publicist for celebrities coming out of the closet — they call him the "gay guru."

(Image credit: Robert Mora)

]]> Alex Cohen BP: A Textbook Example Of How Not To Handle PR When an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last April, BP was woefully underprepared to handle its public relations response. It failed to communicate the three key messages the public needed to hear — that BP was accountable for the disaster, was deeply concerned about the harm it caused and had a plan for what to do next. Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:46:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135575238/bp-a-textbook-example-of-how-not-to-handle-pr https://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135575238/bp-a-textbook-example-of-how-not-to-handle-pr When an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last April, BP was woefully underprepared to handle its public relations response. It failed to communicate the three key messages the public needed to hear — that BP was accountable for the disaster, was deeply concerned about the harm it caused and had a plan for what to do next.

]]> Elizabeth Shogren