Monday, February 26, 2007

Hollywood and Politics: Is it really a good mix?

This week’s post is yet another commentary on a couple blogs. Due to the recent Hollywood extravaganza event, the Oscars, I was reminded not only about the anticipation of the winners and who wore what, but also the random political statements made on the red carpet or during acceptance speeches. In the past several years some celebrities felt strongly about expressing their political views during an event like the Oscars and some were more conservative and subtle about it. Previous Oscar winner, director Michael Moore, pictured left, charged President Bush “with wagging a fictitious war” during his acceptance speech in 2003. I came across the Democratic Daily blog that gave out of the ordinary celebrity quotes on politics and political issues, which was fun to read, and another blog called Hollywood’s Glitterati Line up for Obama which addressed the political campaign strategies of him and Hilary Clinton.

First post comment:
This post was interesting to read and I would have to agree with you on the fact that celebrities do have a platform and because of the First Amendment, can say whatever they wish. I also agree that many have nonsense to say, when they do comment on anything about politics. I couldn’t believe Matt Damon, pictured right, said that “people join the military for financial reason.” Hearing celebrity quotes like these makes them appear less credible and sometimes under educated. I would have to disagree with you though about McClure’s comment on John Kerry. It was clear the Kerry was poking fun at US soldiers and not President Bush. I read and heard that his intentions were to make a joke about it, but the delivery came out the wrong way. Overall, I think it would be safer for some, if not all celebrities to keep their political comments to themselves. They are there to entertain not campaign.

Second post comment:
After reading this post, I had no idea this many celebrities were passionate or had that much of an interest in politics. It does come to my attention, however, if these certain celebrities you mentioned such as George Clooney, Ben Affleck and Sharon Stone just to name a few, are active in political fundraising parties for politics or for just publicity. Besides that issue, I question the idea if it is safe for candidates to include celebrities in their campaigns. I understand if they are in need of the campaign money, but in terms of becoming a spokesperson or becoming very vocal for their campaign is another story. I feel as though the general public could care less about their political viewpoints and would rather see them busy doing what celebrities normally do (i.e. make movies, donate to charities, etc). I did find it fascinating to read how well Mr. Obama, pictured bottom left campaigning, is doing in the Hollywood social scene and how many supporters he’s racking up. You also mentioned how Hilary , pictured on top left, is still a favorite among Californian’s. I think it would be interesting to see who ends up on top regarding their celebrity support.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

The Oscars: It's not just about the stars

The Academy Awards is not only a big deal for Hollywood, but also for the advertising industry. The long time Oscar network, ABC, has already sold all the commercial spots that are set to run during the show. ABC charged the companies an estimated $1.7 million for each 30 seconds of commercial time. The big spenders this year were AT&T, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Eastman Kodak, MasterCard, General Motors, McDonald’s, J.C. Penny, Unilever and Microsoft. Since the Oscar’s are the second most highly watched television event after the Super Bowl, it gives high-end companies the chance to promote its brands. “It’s about being in front of as many people as we can. Just like the Super Bowl, the Oscars are a highly rated show so it has the reach,” said Cynthia McIntyre, senior director-advertising at CareerBuilder. The Oscars can be considered as “one of the premier television events for advertisers.” According to Nielsen Media Research, the average ratings for the show range from 30 to 40 million viewers. The advertisers are not only interested in the numbers, but also with the fact that a good amount of viewers are people with incomes of $100,000 or more. TNS data found that viewers are exposed to about 11-12 minutes of ads per hour during the Academy Awards shows since 2003.

With the amount of attention the Oscars receive, no wonder blue-chip companies are willing to buy ridiculously expensive spots for its ads. Several companies such as Coca-Cola, General Motors and Dove have decided to showcase new campaign slogans and brand images. Coca-Cola, for instance, is introducing a campaign for Diet Coke from the brand’s new agency, Wieden & Kennedy. Diet Coke has for a long time been associated with entertainment and celebrities. “That’s a very important place for our marketing mix for big-event television. Especially for Diet Coke, it makes all the sense in the world,” said Katie J. Bayne, senior vice president for Coca-Cola brands in North America. General Motors is also taking the opportunity to introduce new work which includes running commercials for Saturn, Cadillac and G.M.’s corporate image. Dove decided to take a strategic approach and have the general public compete in an online contest which asked women to create a commercial for its new product, Dove Cream Oil Body Wash. According to Kathy O’Brien, Dove received well over 1,000 entries for the contest. Although companies may receive plenty of publicity, it is also important that its advertisement satisfy the millions of viewers. “For the Academy Awards, everybody’s at their best, and it has to be your brand at its best,” said Joyce King Thomas, executive vice president and chief creative officer at the MasterCard agency.

As an avid Oscar watcher, paying attention to what the stars are wearing and personally critiquing acceptance speeches was and is a priority for me. Reese Witherspoon, pictured left, won Best Actress in "Walk the Line" in 2006. The Oscars is a chance for top celebrities and industry executives to get credit for their work. It is also a chance for the general public to gawk at their favorite stars on the red carpet. It seems that the whole glitz and glamour portion of the ceremony became the most important to viewers, but as a PR major with an emphasis in entertainment, I am at an advantage when it comes to looking at certain events at all angles. It is easier for me at least, to point out publicity stunts compared to a well thought out event. The companies who do get a spot for their ads understand that big spending is well worth it when there is a great increase in consumer purchases. However, over analyzing Coca-Cola’s ads can be quite daunting that is why taking time to watch Johnny Depp in a pin stripe suit couldn’t hurt anyone.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

PR Stereotypes: The Undercover Manipulators

This week, I decided to explore and comment on blogs that brought up PR’s position in entertainment. As a PR major, it is not encouraging to hear that many view celebrity publicists as conniving manipulators who provide distortions of the truth to the media. I researched a blog that talked about what the work of a celebrity publicist entails, and found it to be a principal stereotype as to why they are, or can be perceived this way. The second blog applauded the PR industry, or who the NY Times dubbed the PR rock star, and felt much better about embracing a PR job in entertainment.

First blog comment:
This is a good example as to why some celebrity publicists are perceived negatively in the public eye. The term "flacks" was mentioned in this post as a nickname for the publicist, and to my understanding it means "to serve as a press agent." As a journalism major, there is a guideline called the Code of Ethics that we like to follow. Nowhere in it dos it state to give the media false or made up information about a person, place or event. I do however, understand that working for a celebrity has, in some circumstances, no barriers and that the main objective is to make sure one's client is not portrayed in a negative light. Isn’t there a way to get rid of the stereotype of celebrity publicists as manipulators who spend most of their time "misdirecting" the public?

Second blog comment:
After reading this post, it makes me excited to begin my PR career. It is pleasing to read up on how successful a particular PR firm is doing knowing that its employees take pride in their job. Since my emphasis in PR is entertainment, and many people believe PR in this industry to be glamorous, they do need to realize that it consists of a lot of strategic planning and hard work. 5W's values and work ethics are a great reflection as to why this firm is doing so well. To me, it seems difficult to receive credibility and a certain amount of trust in regards to PR in entertainment, therefore making it more challenging for the PR professional to be taken seriously. Hollywood has its many facades and the work put into PR should not be one of them.

Monday, February 5, 2007

Coke and Crowns: The Miss Universe Dis-organization

The Miss Universe Organization has been intensely criticized ever since its current Miss USA, Tara Conner (pictured left) admitted to drugs and alcohol abuse. “Cocaine was one of the drugs that I did use. It's hard to look back at that. I was an equal-opportunity (user) – I would try anything once,” said Conner. It all began last December when reports of Ms. Conner seen partying hard, drinking underage and being promiscuous with men became public. Owner of the Miss USA pageant and of the Miss Universe Organization, Donald Trump, considered removing her title in consequence of her bad behavior. He instead decided to give her a second chance and announced that she would attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic in Pennsylvania.

Many women who view Miss USA as a role model were upset to hear that her title was not stripped away. Miss USA 2005, Chelsea Cooley, and this year’s first runner up, Tamiko Nash, made an appearance on the Dr. Keith Ablow Show to comment on Trump’s decision. During the show, both women expressed their personl opnions about Conner's current state. The news of Tara's drug and alcohol use was “very disappointing” and “unfortunate,” and left her wondering if Conner ever "looked at it (being Miss USA) as a job," said Cooley. According to the Miss USA's website, the organization “is an international company that advances and supports today’s women. These women are savvy, goal-oriented and aware. The delegates who become part of the Miss Universe Organization display those characteristics in their everyday lives both as individuals who participate in the competitions to advance their careers, personal and humanitarian goals, and as a woman who seeks to improve the lives of others.”

Trump’s decision to give Conner a second chance said a lot about what he feels is a good role model for young women. Not only is he implying that experimenting with drugs is acceptable, but also that the Miss Universe organizations tolerates immoral behavior. I do understand his take on forgiving people and allowing them to make up for their faults, but Conner made the wrong decision to participate in illegal activity while holding the title as Miss USA. It is not fair for other women who take that title seriously and have to sit back and watch someone else take advantage of it. Having participated in pageants myself, I know how much of an honor it is to receive a pageant title and how important it is to keep a positive image through out one’s reign.

Another controversy within the organization that also happened last winter involved Miss Nevada, Katie Rees (pictured right) being stripped from her title due to racy girl on girl photos that appeared on the internet. In an attempt to speak out about the issue, Rees’ attorney, Mario Torres said, "She clearly acknowledges that her actions were not appropriate and she deeply regrets them-- but it was an isolated incident and long before she even thought of entering the Nevada USA pageant." I sympathized for what happened to Rees because although her scandal was awful, it happened more than four years ago prior to her joining the pageant. If anyone were to be dethroned, it should have been Ms. Conner. Potential contestants who participate in any of the pageants can view the titles in a negative way or would at least take it for granted. The problem originated with Tara Conner and Trump not giving her the right punishment. Now, it seems that the bad publicity surrounding the organization is diminishing the desire for women to participate in well renowned pageants.