Another photo-op idea that was all washed up Written by: Jeff Rodriguez, Historian They say a picture is worth—oh, never mind, you know that bit. This month’s column is not about the value of a great picture, but about the cost of a bad one. That’s what happened on January 9, 1971, when President Nixon […]
In attempting to hide a sex scandal, a Congressman nearly lost his shirt Written by: Jeff Rodriguez, Historian It’s not always easy to recognize quality public relations work. But it’s usually pretty easy to identify a bad PR move. Such was the case on December 10, 1974, when Congressman Wilbur Mills resigned from his position as […]
In 1966, a carmaker’s dubious PR strategy crashed and burned spectacularly Written by: Jeff Rodriguez, Historian When companies are confronted with bad publicity, they must decide how to respond; one option they might avoid is to make the situation worse. But that’s what happened on Nov. 30, 1965, when the book, “Unsafe at Any Speed: […]
How a daredevil’s plunge over Niagara Falls managed to be both a success and a failure Written by: Jeff Rodriguez, Historian Some people will go to any length to get some publicity. But others will go to any depth, and such was the case on Oct. 24, 1901, when Annie Edson Taylor successfully plunged over […]
The PR campaign that help sink a war hero’s presidential ambitions Written by: Jeff Rodriguez, Historian People often discuss politics using military terms. We refer to “campaigns” and “war chests,” or lament, “But we can’t count on the French.” Coincidentally, one of the more memorable recent political PR campaigns involved military service—particularly, that of John […]