Each day companies, organizations, governments and individuals make decisions that affect their reputation, credibility and key stakeholders.
Read Hyde Park's assessment of recent examples of PR prowess and pitfalls...
THE GOOD
Kmart & caregivers - Kmart became the first national retailer to recognize the growing number of family caregivers in the U.S. by introducing The Caregivers Marketplace. The program assists caregivers by providing savings on brand-name health care products commonly purchased by caregivers, which are not covered by insurance plans or Medicare. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services estimates that more than 50 million people provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year. Spending by family caregivers has now reached an estimated $306 billion, nearly double the amount actually spent on nursing home and homecare services, according to Kmart. We applaud Kmart for stepping out in front to help alleviate the financial burdens many family caregivers face.
THE BAD
Governor Jon Corzine was critically injured in a car wreck in which the vehicle he was in was traveling at more than 90 miles per hour. While most passengers in the Governor's vehicle walked away with only minor injuries, Governor Corzine, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was seriously injured. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, New Jersey is a pretty safe place to drive. Traffic fatalities are well below the national average and a record-high 90 percent of drivers and front-seat passengers wore seat belts in 2006! The Buckle-Up Campaign is one of the most successful social marketing campaigns in history, and while it wasn't easy to pass seatbelt laws in 1984 - the year New York passed the first such legislation - states did begin to legislate the practice and since then, have made the laws even stricter. To his credit, Governor Corzine apologized for his oversight and has asked to be fined for not buckling up.
THE UGLY
Pet food recall - For those of us who consider pets part of the family, this is a particularly ugly story that is still unfolding. More than 100 brands of wet cat and dog food have been recalled after thousands of animals were sickened and a large but unknown number have died. In what can only be a described as a PR nightmare, the source of the contamination is still in question, and more recalls were announced last week. To make it uglier, the Food and Drug Administration announced this week that as many as 3 million chickens were fed the contaminated feed and have since entered the human food supply. The Department of Agriculture has also announced that tainted pet food was fed to hogs in six states. This story continues to grow daily, and neither the company nor the government agencies responsible for protecting the U.S. food supply have been able to get in front of it.