I’m sure almost everyone has heard about the dire situation that the state of California finds itself in. Their budget is sitting in limbo right now with a $42 billion gap and no way to close it. Thousands of ideas and proposals have flooded the governor’s office, but there is one that keeps coming out on top.
Most people refer to this solution as a sin tax, which is a tax added to those items (alcohol or tobacco) that are deemed vices and unnecessary. Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed an increase in taxes on alcohol and Assemblyman Tom Torklakson proposed an increase in taxes for cigarettes.
Now, it has come to light that if California would decide to legalize marijuana and then tax it heavily, the state could quickly close their budgetary gap. The marijuana crops grown in California equal $13.8 billion annually and approximately 14.5 million Americans use marijuana monthly.
If marijuana were to become legalized, the state could collect taxes on all that marijuana that is currently being sold in the underground market. It would also save the state the money they are spending on prosecuting those people that are using, selling, or growing marijuana illegally.
This is what the public relations world refers to as a hot button topic. On the one hand, the state is thinking creatively to decrease their budget deficit, which is great. On the other hand, they are thinking about legalizing a substance that was long ago determined to be detrimental to the growth of society.
The state’s public relations department will have to give this topic a lot of consideration before picking a way to support this. Remember, the goal of PR is to always portray your organization (or in this case, the state) in the most favorable light while still relaying all information correctly.
No matter which way you cut it, this is going to be a hard battle to fight. There are many pros and cons from each side, and many details that need to be worked out before a decision is made. It will certainly be an interesting legislative session in the state of California, and I’m sure the PR reps and the media will be happy to keep us informed.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
$1 Starbucks
When I was scanning the MSN home page just now, I almost tipped my drink into my lap. Under the “Money” section of MSN, there was a link that alluded to $1 coffee at Starbucks. After righting my cup, I had to learn more.
I thought that it must be a joke; Starbucks has never offered any drink for less than $2.50. I have to add that spending that $2.50 does not get you a soy mocha latte; it gets you a hot chocolate or a regular coffee. If they are offering coffee for $1, there must be something seriously wrong.
It seems that not even the coffee giants of the world are immune from a recession-like economy. Even though we have seen the effects locally (the closing of several FM Starbucks locations) I don’t know that the international Starbucks had quite felt the pinch.
CEO Howard Schultz has been quoted as saying that consumers want fewer material goods and more quality of life experiences. He has also said that once the recession passes, people are more apt to remain with their newfound frugality, rather than revert to their old, more expensive, habits.
Now, we all know that corporations don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts. There is usually an ulterior motive behind their Good Samaritan actions. This transformation of Starbucks is no exception.
This move will allow Starbucks to increase its share of the instant coffee market. Another type of coffee gives them more shelf space at the grocery stores. A new product to promote is more media time on the airwaves that can be credited to something other than wasting money in tight times. Offering a more affordable product opens up doors to a whole new audience that they weren’t reaching before by offering their coffees for $2.50 or more.
I have to applaud the PR department of Starbucks on this one. Even though this whole switch is to help stabilize their position in the stock market, they come out smelling like roses. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the street will be so grateful to Starbucks for recognizing their needs and offering a line of quality coffee that they can afford.
This is definitely what Dr. Vanhorn and our text calls telling the truth while portraying your company in the most favorable light possible. Starbucks’ PR reps, if this was a college course, you would be getting a big fat A+!
I thought that it must be a joke; Starbucks has never offered any drink for less than $2.50. I have to add that spending that $2.50 does not get you a soy mocha latte; it gets you a hot chocolate or a regular coffee. If they are offering coffee for $1, there must be something seriously wrong.
It seems that not even the coffee giants of the world are immune from a recession-like economy. Even though we have seen the effects locally (the closing of several FM Starbucks locations) I don’t know that the international Starbucks had quite felt the pinch.
CEO Howard Schultz has been quoted as saying that consumers want fewer material goods and more quality of life experiences. He has also said that once the recession passes, people are more apt to remain with their newfound frugality, rather than revert to their old, more expensive, habits.
Now, we all know that corporations don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts. There is usually an ulterior motive behind their Good Samaritan actions. This transformation of Starbucks is no exception.
This move will allow Starbucks to increase its share of the instant coffee market. Another type of coffee gives them more shelf space at the grocery stores. A new product to promote is more media time on the airwaves that can be credited to something other than wasting money in tight times. Offering a more affordable product opens up doors to a whole new audience that they weren’t reaching before by offering their coffees for $2.50 or more.
I have to applaud the PR department of Starbucks on this one. Even though this whole switch is to help stabilize their position in the stock market, they come out smelling like roses. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the street will be so grateful to Starbucks for recognizing their needs and offering a line of quality coffee that they can afford.
This is definitely what Dr. Vanhorn and our text calls telling the truth while portraying your company in the most favorable light possible. Starbucks’ PR reps, if this was a college course, you would be getting a big fat A+!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Football's Losing Favre?!?
I don’t believe it; I truly don’t believe it.
No, really; I just cannot believe that Brett Favre is retiring! For someone like me who does not like sports, that name sure rings a bell…
Oh yeah, he’s the guy from last year that said he was retiring. Then we heard about him every other day because he wanted to be released from his contract. Then it turned out that he really wasn’t retiring, he just wanted to go play for a different team.
Talk about a real-life soap opera! I cannot imagine the upheaval that his family has gone through in the last two years. Moving across the country, making new friends, and learning to play with a new team must have kept them all pretty busy and stressed out.
I have to say that working for Favre is not something I would enjoy. I am sure the pay is great, but I like change and variety. I would hate having to tell the same story two years in a row. Do you think when Favre announced his plans to retire in 2009, did his publicist just have to reach into his/her file cabinet and pull out the binder from 2008?
For someone that doesn’t like to put forth a lot of effort, this would have been a great gig. Just white out where it said Packers and insert the word Jets and you’re basically done. Change a few other small details and you’ve got yourself a five-minute press release.
Okay, perhaps I’m being pretty tough on the guy. It does sound like he truly plans to retire this time. His paperwork has even been filed with the NFL, which was not done last season. He was even quoted as saying, “I really felt like it was time,” when asked if this was the real deal.
This is just another example of how even the best of publicists must be prepared for their employers to wreak havoc on their carefully ordered plan. Favre’s publicist probably had no idea he did not really plan to retire at the end of last season; they were just doing their job by getting the news out there for the fans. Then they looked like liars, which just reaffirmed what a lot of the general public feels about this field anyway.
Take heart, faithful publicist. It looks like this is the real deal this time!
No, really; I just cannot believe that Brett Favre is retiring! For someone like me who does not like sports, that name sure rings a bell…
Oh yeah, he’s the guy from last year that said he was retiring. Then we heard about him every other day because he wanted to be released from his contract. Then it turned out that he really wasn’t retiring, he just wanted to go play for a different team.
Talk about a real-life soap opera! I cannot imagine the upheaval that his family has gone through in the last two years. Moving across the country, making new friends, and learning to play with a new team must have kept them all pretty busy and stressed out.
I have to say that working for Favre is not something I would enjoy. I am sure the pay is great, but I like change and variety. I would hate having to tell the same story two years in a row. Do you think when Favre announced his plans to retire in 2009, did his publicist just have to reach into his/her file cabinet and pull out the binder from 2008?
For someone that doesn’t like to put forth a lot of effort, this would have been a great gig. Just white out where it said Packers and insert the word Jets and you’re basically done. Change a few other small details and you’ve got yourself a five-minute press release.
Okay, perhaps I’m being pretty tough on the guy. It does sound like he truly plans to retire this time. His paperwork has even been filed with the NFL, which was not done last season. He was even quoted as saying, “I really felt like it was time,” when asked if this was the real deal.
This is just another example of how even the best of publicists must be prepared for their employers to wreak havoc on their carefully ordered plan. Favre’s publicist probably had no idea he did not really plan to retire at the end of last season; they were just doing their job by getting the news out there for the fans. Then they looked like liars, which just reaffirmed what a lot of the general public feels about this field anyway.
Take heart, faithful publicist. It looks like this is the real deal this time!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Nanny or Publicist? Every Mom's Dilemma!
A loving husband/wife, two and one half children, a furry dog named Mylo, a little house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, and two compact cars equals the average household of the United States. For some, being average is just not acceptable.
Nadya Suleman, with her 14 children, is one of those people. Through her publicist Joann Killeen (who I will get to in a minute), Nadya is described as a smart, articulate, college-educated woman. Nadya’s publicist says that her client has always wanted a large family, and that she is working toward a master’s degree in counseling. She already holds a bachelor’s degree in child and adolescent development.
This lady has a publicist?!? Besides the obvious shock that a virtually unknown woman has a publicist, this fact also triggers a couple other questions in my mind.
With 14 kids to feed, clothe, and shelter, how the heck is she paying for a publicist? I guess she is really pinning her hopes on someone to offer her a book deal or for a well-paying talk show to start pounding her door down.
How does the same person go from not wanting her name released to anybody to needing a publicist to coordinate all the stuff she has going on? Obviously there were reasons in the beginning when she asked to remain anonymous; what happened there? I know everyone is entitled to change their mind, but this is like going from lavender to lime green for a wedding color!
This just goes to show that the PR field offers limitless opportunities for immersion in the job market. If you decide to throw your hat into the PR ring, you are entering into one of the vastest job markets the world has to offer. You can work for a multi-billion dollar corporation like Microsoft, with a non-profit like the United Way, for a public or private school or university system, for a celebrity, or for the person next door.
Nadya Suleman, with her 14 children, is one of those people. Through her publicist Joann Killeen (who I will get to in a minute), Nadya is described as a smart, articulate, college-educated woman. Nadya’s publicist says that her client has always wanted a large family, and that she is working toward a master’s degree in counseling. She already holds a bachelor’s degree in child and adolescent development.
This lady has a publicist?!? Besides the obvious shock that a virtually unknown woman has a publicist, this fact also triggers a couple other questions in my mind.
With 14 kids to feed, clothe, and shelter, how the heck is she paying for a publicist? I guess she is really pinning her hopes on someone to offer her a book deal or for a well-paying talk show to start pounding her door down.
How does the same person go from not wanting her name released to anybody to needing a publicist to coordinate all the stuff she has going on? Obviously there were reasons in the beginning when she asked to remain anonymous; what happened there? I know everyone is entitled to change their mind, but this is like going from lavender to lime green for a wedding color!
This just goes to show that the PR field offers limitless opportunities for immersion in the job market. If you decide to throw your hat into the PR ring, you are entering into one of the vastest job markets the world has to offer. You can work for a multi-billion dollar corporation like Microsoft, with a non-profit like the United Way, for a public or private school or university system, for a celebrity, or for the person next door.
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