I remember the KFC/Burger King/MacDonald’s advertising debacle some years back, and it was just painful to watch. Though it did bring some laughs for those in the know. But done tastefully, competitive advertising could be a killer. Like these:

Pepsi vs Coca Cola

Coke’s reply to Pepsi was not half as well done though. Disappointing, for this Coke fan.

Methinks it’s not even a real Coke ad, probably just a spoof. Here’s another weird one from Coke, from Batman Returns in 1992, since I caught The Dark Knight last night.

Pepsi’s eveidently winning in the advertising department, though I can’t say the same for taste. (Hey, I did say I’m a Coke fan!)

Enjoy!

Corporate Blogs are a communications tool to further the brand, increase awareness of activities, and connect with key publics — consumers, investors, business partners, and potential customers.

Corporate blogs act as a bridge between corporate websites and newsletters. Where the former is necessarily formal and the latter limited in it’s reach, a professionally managed corporate blog can successfully eradicate these disadvantages, even as it brings corporate communications to a whole new dimension.

A Blog — or web log — is a much-maligned term, used collectively to describe personal online diaries, photograph albums, and other such informal, content-based pages on the internet.

But used as a corporate management function, and developed by a professional public relations team, a corporate blog as the potential to transcend all that mundane clutter, reach out to key publics at an intimate level, and build strong brand loyalty — all of which translates into increased revenue for your company!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkJ9hMFysIQ

Nice. Very nice!

Edison Chen, the man at the centre of the sex scandal that has rocked the Hong Kong entertainment industry, has finally made his first public appearance, at a press conference in front of some 300 reporters yesterday. And boy, are there plenty of important PR lessons to pick up from the whole episode!

1) Choose Your Words Carefully

Better yet, hire professionals to draft your press statements. It is interesting to note Edison’s carefully-worded press statement. Already, some newspapers and news sites around the world are screaming headlines: “Edison Quits Showbiz After Sex Scandal!” Xinhua China says “Hong Kong actor Edison Chen quits business after sex photo scandal”; likewise Reuters India — “Hong Kong’s Edison Chen to quit after nude photo scandal”; the National Ledger of Arizona is a bit more clumsy with their headline “Edison Chen Sex Scandal: Nude Photos With Gillian Chung Ends Career”, and I’ll presume it’s only because they wanted to feature Gillian for SEO purposes.

For the record, Edison said he has “decided to step away from the Hong Kong entertainment industry” for a while — “indefinitely”, he adds later — and will perform charity work in the next few months “to heal [his] injuries and soul” to give [him]self an opportunity to heal [him]self and to search [his] soul.

That’s not quite the same as saying he’s quitting showbiz! 1) “Stepping away” leaves the option of a return, 2) specifically “from the Hong Kong entertainment industry”, which does not rule out a stint elsewhere. After all, he was virtually unknown in Hollywood and Canada, where he was born, but this scandal has ironically heightened his profile significantly. In fact, sex scandals similar to this one worked in the favour of Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and squeaky-clean Vanessa Hudgens, all of whom did not lose their jobs, and even gained an increase in popularity after the initial shock.

But it doesn’t matter. Because all the world believed they heard is: Edison Chen is quitting showbiz.

2) Better Late Than Never, But Better Early Than Late!

Here’s an interesting timeline detailing the release of pictures.

And here’s how it all played out:

27 Jan - 8.30 pm
Sex photos of Edison Chen and Gillian Chung posted on the adult content section of an online forum.

28 Jan - 3.00 pm
An intimate photo of Edison Chan and ex-girlfriend Bobo Chan uploaded.

28 Jan - 9.00 pm
Edison issues statement through his lawyer, stating that the photos were part of a prank, but did not state whether the photos were authentic or if they were fakes.

29 Jan - 12.30 am
The scandal continues as a photo of Cecilia Chung clad in a skimpy top and looking sexually aroused was uploaded.

29 Jan - 2.00 pm
A netizen by the name of -Edison Chen- uploads a series of photos depicting Edison and Gillian performing a number of sex acts.

29 Jan - 4.00 pm
Gillian Chung’s company Emperor Entertainment issues a second statement stating that the photos were fake and were product of digital manipulation.

29 Jan - 5.30 pm
Cecilia Chung issued a statement through her lawyer stating that she has made a police report regarding the uploaded photos.

29 Jan - 6.00 pm
A nude photo of Cecilia Chung appears on the web.

29 Jan - 8.00 pm
Edison Chen’s manager spoke through an EEG Music spokesman saying that the actor has made a police report.

30 Jan - 1.30 am
Two photos depicting Cecilia Chung in a police uniform are circulated online.

30 Jan - 10.00 pm
Two more sex photos of Cecilia Chung are uploaded.

4 Feb
Hong Kong police said they have arrested a man they believe was the first person to post a series of racy photos showing partially nude celebrities on the Internet.

4 Feb
Edison said he was sorry about sex photos

5 Feb
More obscene photos hit the Net.

6 Feb
More Pics posted online

7 Feb
Edison Dumped from the movie ‘JUMP’

7 Feb
Dozen more photos leaked onto the net

8 Feb
A few pictures of Jolin Tsai and Maggie Q leaked onto the net

9 Feb
Vincy Yeung nude pictures were posted on the web

9 Feb
New ‘Edison and Bobo’ sex photos posted on the web

10 Feb
Edison Chen dumped by Manhattan Titanium, a credit card company

10 Feb
Gillian Chung first public appearance. “I am sorry”

21 Feb
Edison Chen makes first public appearance and press conference.

26 days inclusive, that’s how long Edison took to come clean and explain himself to the public. And that’s much too late. It should not have taken more than 7 days to attempt to clear up the mess. Because Edison (and his PR team) left it for too long, the scandal was allowed to fester and spread, making it a worse epidemic than it should be.

3) Thou Shalt Not Lie!

Gillian Chung and Emperor Entertainment committed a major PR faux pas when they attempted to dismiss the photos as digitally-manipulated fakes. Gillian would surely have found the pictures familiar and knew the shit had hit the fan. By denying it, she and Emperor now look incredibly stupid and have obviously not endeared themselves to the public. You lied, blatantly. And no one likes to be lied to.

Gillian’s tactic reminds me of TT Durai and the NKF saga. When exposed by SPH senior correspondent Susan Long for misuse of the charity’s funds on luxury items which appeared to be for the personal use of Durai and his wife, the then-NKF CEO had the audacity to sue SPH and its journalist for defamation. The ensuing legal battle brought more NKF and Durai misdeeds to light, and eventually led to his sensational collapse.

The public backlash was bigger than any other in the nation’s recent history.

Gillian should have learnt from this to never lie to the public. And if you have to lie, make sure the truth never ever EVER comes out.

Here’s the Youtube video of Edison Chen’s press conference.

As the race for the next President of the United States heats up, Barack Obama has — consciously or otherwise — given us a lesson in public relations to think about.

Barack Obama is wearing a wristband in memory of a soldier killed in Iraq, given to him by a mother who said she wants the Democratic presidential candidate to keep others from dying.

Tracy Jopek of Merrill, Wis., gave Obama the bracelet at a rally Friday night in Green Bay, and Obama was still wearing it Saturday as he campaigned across the state before Tuesday’s primary.

The bracelet has her son’s name, Sgt. Ryan David Jopek, and the date the 20-year-old was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb, Aug. 2, 2006. “All gave some — He gave all,” it says.

“She gave me this wristband, which I’m very grateful for,” Obama told the Green Bay audience, halting and lowering his voice from his normally upbeat presentation. “I meet mothers and family members all over the country who are still mourning their children but are also thinking about the young men and women who are still over there and wondering when it will end.”

Obama has not made a point of showing it to reporters or others on the campaign trail. A campaign staffer described it as black metal band with silver lettering.

Mrs. Jopek said she and her daughter briefly met the Illinois senator at the rally and showed him a picture of a smiling Ryan dressed for battle. She said the senator hugged her and her daughter, asked a couple questions about Ryan and told her how much he appreciated the bracelet.

(source: AP)

The world now has an impression of Obama as a potentially humanitarian, caring Commander-in-Chief of arguably the most potent military and economic force, one that is unlikely to send the sons of their land to yet another Bush-led war. And what a powerful image that is.

But here’s the real good stuff: by not making it “a point of showing it to reporters or others on the campaign trail”, Obama has truly captured our hearts. It reinforces the impression that he’s real, and he really cares! Compare this to Hilary Clinton’s PR efforts, which have been criticised for being too contrived.

When I walked into the office Monday, people were clustering around a computer to watch what they thought they would never see: Hillary Clinton with the unmistakable look of tears in her eyes.

A woman gazing at the screen was grimacing, saying it was bad.

Three guys watched it over and over, drawn to the “humanized” Hillary. One reporter who covers security issues cringed. “We are at war,” he said. “Is this how she’ll talk to Kim Jong Il?”

Another reporter joked: “That crying really seemed genuine. I’ll bet she spent hours thinking about it beforehand.” He added dryly: “Crying doesn’t usually work in campaigns. Only in relationships.”

Bill Clinton was known for biting his lip, but here was Hillary doing the Muskie. Certainly it was impressive that she could choke up and stay on message.

She won her Senate seat after being embarrassed by a man. She pulled out New Hampshire and saved her presidential campaign after being embarrassed by another man. She was seen as so controlling when she ran for the Senate that she had to be seen as losing control, as she did during the Monica scandal, before she seemed soft enough to attract many New York voters.

Getting brushed back by Barack Obama in Iowa, her emotional moment here in a café and her chagrin at a debate question suggesting she was not likable served the same purpose, making her more appealing, especially to women, particularly older women. (Source: IHT)

Noticeably, no dissenting voices are crying foul over Obama’s wristband-wearing nor calling it planned. His quiet act has clearly won over public opinion.

And if I were American, I’d vote for him too.