Tiger Woods Returning

Marketers are attacking Tiger Woods with endorsements after taking an 8 month hiatus. Gatorade and Pepsico are rekindling their prior endorsements, including Pepsi relaunching their Tiger Focus drink in the coming weeks. "Professional golf without Tiger Woods is like a Hollywood blockbuster without a leading man," said Jeff Urban, a Gatorade senior vice president of sports marketing, in a statement. Nike still used his image in their marketing but according to Neilson viewers that watched 8 golf tournaments without Woods dropped 47 % from the year before when he was actually playing. Over his 13 year career, Woods is estimated to be the first billion dollar athlete on the course and his endorsements. "The Golf Channel and NBC are actively trying to monetize the return of Mr. Woods," says Sam Sussman, director of sports activation at Starcom, a media-buying firm owned by Publicis Group "Tiger's return is a much-needed distraction from the tough economic pressure the PGA and others are facing." Marketers are capitalizing how Woods' return is the biggest sports story of the year. Everyone is trying to get a piece of Tiger. I think it's a bit excessive with all of the hoopla of his return. However the money he makes for marketers is so good and the fans love it.

LowCostTravel uses Bed Car.......

Apparently Europe's economy is not doing so hot.  The company LowCostTravel relaunched by releasing a video of their CEO driving around London....in a BED.  Look at the video on the site, its random!  The video has only produced 600 views and it doesnt say how much it cost to produce the Bed car and gas and all of that.  So i wonder if it was worth it.  The company says that more people are travelling and using the internet to book their hotels and flights but honeslty was a bed car the best option for them to get their site known?  I think they could have done something else.  The bed car is so random and it doesnt really connect the viewer of the video to the site.  What are your thoughts?

http://travari.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/big-launches-and-pr-stunts-in-the-travel-industry/

Jiffy Lube partners up with Heart Disease Awareness

Jiffy Lube has announced their partnership with Maintenance Partner for Life Campaign which supports American Heart Association's Go Red For Women Movement.  Heart disease is the number one cause of death in women and men in the United States, and awareness and education are key to helping people understand the severity of the situation.  

Jiffy Lube's involvement is to help raise awareness and to remind people that there is still time to join the fight against heart disease.  You can visit a local Jiffy Lube to obtain material and to participate in this national fight against heart disease. 

Jiffy Lube's crusade against heart disease is a lame attempt at public relations to build a tarnished image.  Jiffy Lube is notorious for being in the news scamming their clients out of services they paid for.  This partnership is an attempt to cover up a bad reputation with a reputable cause.  This is just an attempt to increase consumer spending at other people's expense.  It will be interesting if people will go get their oil change and donate money to the cause.  I know you won't see me there.  

Alleged Photo of a Beaten Rihanna

The celebrity web site TMZ.com recently released a photo of a beaten and bruised R&B singer, Rihanna. Though the Los Angeles Police Department are still investigating whether or not it was one of their own that leaked the picture, the National Organization of Women see it as somewhat of a blessing in disguise, "If it could happen to Rihanna, it could happen to anyone," said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women. Seeing this image would make young girls more aware and possibly help them to see that it is not, under any circumstances ok for a man to hit a woman. It is still not certain whether or not the photo is in fact Rihanna, but sources are leaning toward yes. "Maybe it is a good idea if it's her, if young girls see this," said Susan Murphy-Milano, a Chicago author and advocate for battered women.
Do you think it's a good idea for her photo to be on display?

Tropicana's $35 Million Redesign Scrapped

Tropicana recently underwent a facelift at the hands of Peter Arnell, an Omnicon Agency. The agency, who was in charge of rebranding the popular provider of orange juice, butchered the redesign and after colossal amounts of complaints came pouring in from consumers, the $35 million redesign is being tossed to curb and Tropicana is reverting back to the brand’s previous look.

As a life long Tropicana drinker, this past weekend while making a stop at the grocery store I admit even I was taken aback by the new packaging. It’s far from subtle and pretty jolting to the consumer familiar with the orange being punctured with a straw logo. The new packaging is far more contemporary and doesn’t even slightly resemble any previous conception of Tropicana so I’m not surprised it was panned by the public.

Instances like this show that a lack of research and connecting with the public can be extremely costly. As someone pursuing brand imaging, it’s interesting to see what flops and what excells. Taking brands with notable and recognizable logos, like Tropicana, and completely revamping them is unnecessary and risky. There are better ways to make changes and stay relevant, one the best I’ve seen recently was Pepsi. They made subtle changes but not so drastic that their product and brand were completely unrecognizable to their consumers.

Engaging online knows no limits

I found this article intriguing in that how easy it is to make a mistake on your social networking tools. Soon one small mistake can turn into a huge loss of a major client. It is important for everyone to see and how to be careful with what you post as your own.
It is easy to post your opinions on blogs and other social networking pages, however it is also easy to make a lasting inappropriate face for yourself. Ketchem PR made that slip up recently, but luckily their client was forgiving.
This article gives social networking tips that Ketchum employees are trained with when publishing your words on the Web (a lot of which many of us should read and apply to our networking world). To see tips click on link provided.

American Express at Fashion Week

In order to show cardholder appreciation, credit card giant American Express launched an exclusive campaign targeted at gold and platinum members. A limited number of luxury Skybox packages were available to customers who wished to attend the first weekend of fashion week. Each of these spots granted access to events, venues, meet-and-greets, and beauty touch ups at the shows. The whole idea of the campaign is to give cardholders VIP treatment and provide them with an insight into the fashion world. The proceeds will benefit the CFDA's Vogue Fashion Fund which is a program to help emerging designers. Both the CFDA Executive Director and Senior VP of IMG Fashion made comments about the great sponsor relationship American Express has with Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. One more thing, the credit company kept people coming back to their website by announcing things to be included in their packages via the americanexpress.com.

Well, as we know, Twitter is all the rage in the social media world. Now, there's even more buzz about it. On February 11, the Shorty Awards took place. For the awards, Twitter-ers could vote on the best "tweets" in 26 categories, including: advertising, business, entertainment, finance, humor, music, news, politics and travel (to name a few) The awards ceremony took place at the Galapagos Art Space in New York City. Shaq and MC Hammer were some of the featured celebrity appearances. The award winners gave 140-character acceptance speeches and were given $1,000 grants to travel in NYC. The award winners were voted on by Twitter members. This has a big impact in the social media world because it is recognizing the impact Twitter has made in 26 categories. It will be interesting to see where the site goes and how the awards bring publicity. 

Big Gains for Big Game Advertising?

The Super Bowl has always proved to be one of the most watched programs on television. Advertisers spend millions trying to tap into the huge consumer base and establish their brand. This past Super Bowl, Virtue, Inc. set out to see if the advertisements secured in the Super Bowl produced adequate returns in the world of social media. They used a Social Media Index(SMI) that measured all aspects of a brand's online conversations, from video posts to comments on blogs and much more.

The study produced information that showed which companies received the most social buzz from the advertisements, and if they continued to sustain that buzz. Overall, the story aims at the importance of incorporating traditional media and event marketing with some brand identification that stirs up discussions on Twitter,YouTube and MySpace. Take a look at the original
article.

Innovative Website Speeds Up Air Communications for Public

Hi Everyone!

A new Web site, http://www.LiveATC.net, is changing the pace of aviation news. The Web site is the creation of Dave Pascoe, a Boston-area Internet site executive, radio enthusiast and pilot who's melded his hobbies into a worldwide network that allows visitors to listen in on pilot-tower transmissions live or after-the-fact.

The site played a major role in the Buffalo crash last week when the radioed conversation exchange between the Buffalo tower and a plane nearing the airport radio beacon known as "Klump" was captured just after the crash, and was quickly posted to the LiveATC site.Because they were captured by a network of amateur radio and aviation enthusiasts, they aired far sooner than any federal agency would typically release a recording or transcript related to last week's crash that killed 49 people aboard the plane and one in the home the plane hit. The recordings show there was no mayday call. They heard other nearby pilots discussing ice on their wings.

After nearly six years in operation, the site now monitors air traffic at between 230 and 250 airports in the United States, Japan, South Africa, Europe and Australia.Pascoe has organized the computers that support his site to group the flood of incoming recordings in 30-minute blocs. After hearing about the 10:20 p.m. Buffalo crash, he went back to the 10 p.m. segment and chained together audio from different receivers, editing out dead space. It was on the air within hours.

My question is a matter of translation. Does this Web site offer insight to the possibility that soon the federal government will no longer have control over what media sources or average individuals know about aviation communication and traffic? It is known that the creation of the World Wide Web opened endless unpredictable possibilities to our world, and that the evolution of the Internet is both inevitable and unstoppable? And, finally, are we seeing that the government cannot control even the most major bits of news from being shared without their consent?

Facebook Handles TOS Debacle Swiftly

When Facebook decided to rewrite its terms of service this past week it created quite a stir with its faithful followers. Not much changed, the meat of the agreement remains the same, but the part that upset people the most involves what most Facebook users stake as their greatest concern...privacy.

Facebook's new terms of service agreement ends with a new section as to how they will be dealing with your information and content. It reads...

You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof."

Facebook now reserves the right to use your pictures, information and pretty much anything else you put up on their website for anything they want because they own the rights to everyones content.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, released this statement shortly after on the Facebook blog...

Still, the interesting thing about this change in our terms is that it highlights the importance of these issues and their complexity. People want full ownership and control of their information so they can turn off access to it at any time. At the same time, people also want to be able to bring the information others have shared with them-like email addresses, phone numbers, photos and so on-to other services and grant those services access to those people's information. These two positions are at odds with eachother.  There is no system today that enables me to share my email address with you and then simultaneously lets me control who you share it with and also lets you control what services you share it with.

Basically what Mark is trying to get across is that they just want to cover their asses if there is ever any discretion with the content on their site and the law.

Since the launch of the new TOS there has been an uprising on, ironically, Facebook with a slew of groups railing Facebook for their "betrayal," some with already more than 3,000 members. 

Facebook's PR department really needs to get a handle on the situation or they risk losing current and future members.

The Role of Public Relations in Today's Economy

With the economy worsening, my fears of not finding a job in PR when I graduate are escalating. However, I read an article on Pierce Mattie's Web site about how even though PR professionals may be seen as the first to go in some companies, PR is actually one of the most important tools needed to posistively reflect the bottom line in an economic downtown. The article lists important strategies needed to be successful in the PR industry. The strategies include generating consumer conversations, interacting via social media and building brand ambassadors. The article also mentioned how it is especially relevant to use social media sites to connect with consumers and measure the "buzz" about your client's particular product or service. It is important to give the consumers a posistive message about the brand which will in turn increase sales and consumer awareness. The strategies listed in the article are all crucial to the PR industry especially now when corporations are looking for a posistive light for their brand.

Communications help aid the familes of a pirate- hijacked tanker

November 29 of last year a shipping company’s tanker got hijacked by a group of Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden. The ordeal went on for two months before the crew was released unharmed. In the hours after the hijack the shipping company’s president and CEO placed a call to CJP Communications firm to help develop a strategy that focused on keeping the families of the 28 crew members in communications with the tanker. While the negotiations with the pirates dragged on, the crew members families had daily contact with either CJP or the ship’s technical manager. Their goal was to build a good relationship with the families so they would not go to the media with their concerns.

Is Twitter going to charge for its services?

Twitter cofounder Biz Stone clarified on February 10 that the existing components of the popular microblogging service will remain free to both individuals and companies.

Stone responded to media speculation that the microblogging service would begin to charge companies – some of which have dozens of employees using the service for corporate purposes – for its services. Stone explained that Twitter may roll out revenue-based products this year.

What Twitter is thinking about doing is adding value in places where they are already seeing traction, not imposing fees on existing services. They are still very early in on the idea and do not have any breaking news on this idea despite recent speculation. Stone did clarify, however, that people, companies, celebrities- everyone will be able to use Twiiter's services for free.

Companies such as Dell speculated that if the company became something that it isn't today- a free microblogging tool – and it becomes a paid advertising platform, then it's in a different category, and they would need to evaluate the use of its service differently.

The cow says moo. The Shaq says "tweet"

Hey Kobe, can you tell us how Shaq's blog tastes? After an impostor posed as Shaquille O' Neal on the social media site, Twitter, the Phoenix Suns decided to have its star center join the site and begin unmonitored "tweeting." While traveling with the team, Shaq posted more than 250 updates and gained more than 34,000 followers. Many other players also use the media tool to connect with fans and the business world. The Suns have also implemented a team-run blog site and another networking site called PlanetOrange.net. The fans are able to keep in touch with the team and its players as well as discussing team news with other fans. I think this is a great example at how social media has become an important part of business and image building for companies. This is a great idea with a lot of room to evolve. Many teams will begin using this model to enhance community relations. For more info check out the article.

PR Doesn't Have Great PR

It's no secret to us. The public relations field is not a very respected one by the community. Ironically, PR is need of some PR. People view PR practitioners as manipulative and sleazy; taking advantage of the public and lying at every chance. Even though this is what many people think, USA Today published an article expressing the need for PR in the world.

PR is essential in many functions of modern life and basic communication. For example, when we think of PR we think of Corporate PR, but we often forget about those that do PR for non-profits or non-governmental organizations. Journalists are a group of people that depend heavily on "flacks." According to several studies, many newspapers use press releases to fill approximately half of their news stories.

Evaluating PR efforts can be a bit difficult due to other contributing factors, but this has not stopped it from becoming a growing industry. A bad reputation follows PR, but it can help citizens in a free society to convey ideas.

Sirius XM is Looking to Have Some Serious Problems

By: Jody Volet

Sirius XM, the only radio satellite people have, is going through some serious money problem. They are highly in debt right now and may be looking to file for bankruptcy. This could cause some problems for their shareholders and off course Howard Stern himself.

There are over 20 million people who are subscribers to Sirius XM and they have nothing to worry about. There is a bigger chance that someone will take over what Sirius has created and keep on with the process. They will have to think of ways to make some sort of money, but listeners will still have their satellite radio.

The bad news comes for the investors. With the company in such bad debt there is no doubt that if Sirius has to file for bankruptcy then the investors will be wiped out. The only other option for Sirius right now would be to sell the company. They have already had an offer from Ergen and they turned it down. DirecTV could buy them, but CEO Mel Karmazin, is not looking to sell. He believes they can get out of this somehow. He has no interest in having someone buy him out and work for them. He would prefer for someone to give him the money to help the company out and be in the background.

Since Karmazin is not looking to sell then his fate will be left up to the creditors. Maybe he will end up selling, but who knows. What I don’t get is how many people really use XM and say Sirius doesn’t file bankruptcy, what are they going to do to improve their debt and company. They have a lot to work on and a lot of decision making to be done in the next couple of weeks.

Big Plans in the Music Business equals Bad News for the Consumer

Two of the biggest companies in the live music business, Ticketmaster and Live Nation, are planning what is going to be a very costly merger for musicians and fans. The companies who already own the rights of stars such as Madonna, Guns N’ Roses and The Eagles are about to own an even larger portion of the shrinking pie that has become the music business. The worst part about this is that those who make up the heart of the industry, the artists and the fans, are the ones who are going to be hit the worst.
When an artist goes on tour the promoter typically asks for a share of the revenue generated by live performance, merchandise and, sometimes, recorded music. If this merger goes through then that means these two companies get to call all the shots when it comes how much of the proceeds they think they deserve.
The same goes for the fans when they go to purchase their tickets. The prices will be set by this mega corporation and if you want to see the show, then there really is no wiggle room, other than third party ticket sales which are almost always higher priced. Let’s just hope they don’t get greedy, right?
Ticketmaster just recently suffered a PR blow when Springstein fired off at them for redirecting his fans to a different promoter that resells tickets for higher prices. Chief executive, Irving Azoff, issued and apology and promised refunds to fans.
From my perspective, it’s hard to understand what these companies are thinking from a public relations standpoint. The public’s perception of this merger is clearly not good, because it hurts the consumer. So why do these companies make such drastic moves when they know their consumer is not going to be happy?
Artists and fans have already put forth ideas to counterbalance the big corporation’s efforts, for instance asking fans for donations on their websites and steering clear from the large venues and ticket promoters when they go on tour.
Bottom line, if these giants de-harmonize the relationships with their clients and consumers, they had better be prepared to hold their own, because in the end artists and fans will continue to find more alternative ways to share their musical experiences.

://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/business/media/09carr.html?ref=business

R&B Golden Boy Suffers Consequences of a Tarnished Reputation

After a pre-grammy party early Sunday morning, R&B golden Boy, Chris Brown was charged with assaulting an unidentified woman in his car (coughRIHANNAcough) outside of a hotel. Brown later turned himself in to authorities to be released on $50,000 bond.

Since the alleged assault, Brown’s Doublement Gum endorsement deal with Wringley has been suspended until the situation is resolved.

Brown has been a squeaky-clean pop icon since he stepped on the music scene. As such a prominent young star in a business that’s losing more money than it makes it’s no surprise that this domestic disturbance has everyone talking. Brown’s newly tarnished image can hurt him with not only the loss of endorsement deals but also the loss of his fan base.

Not only is the media picking up the story, but social networking sites as well. Anyone can log into Facebook and see at least one status dedicated to Brown’s arrest. Take a look at Rihanna’s myspace and you’ll see her fans rallied around her with words of support telling her to stay strong among other things.

The question now is how does Brown’s record company salvage his previously viewed good reputation?

“The music industry, they'll circle the wagons and protect him," said Respected hip-hop historian and journalist Dave "Davey D" Cook. "They'll spin the story and even go out after the victim which is happening now with Rihanna, who is catching heat from people accusing her of snitching."

Ethics are often compromised in the world of PR, but in the case of such an influential pop star with a younger fan base like Brown this is not healthy or setting a good example on the part of the industry. Hopefully, Brown’s people will do the right thing and encourage Brown to accept responsibility for his alleged actions and not just try to protect their cash cow.

"Newspapers fight negative perceptions in new ads"

A group of prominant people and newspapers in the newspaper buisness are taking a stand against the "gloom and doom" image that the buisness has, the New York Times and the Atlanta Journal- constiution included.  They cite that the 100 million people who read a newspaper after superbowl outnumbered the audience who watched it on TV.  The campaign includes ads, commentary pieces and a web site.  Through the campaign the newspapers are selling themselves as a "vital source of information and best place for advertisers to sell anything from grapes to a house."  

The newspaper buisness is dwindling but I dont think its that they are losing an audience its the fact that they are losing MONEY from advertising that is hurting the buisness.  The newspapers know this and it seems like the goal of the campaign is to get money from advertising.  I am not sure if placing ads in the newspaper to get people to place ads is a great idea.  It seems like a waste of money to me.   I would be interested to see how the newspapers audience and advertising numbers change.  I think the audience level will stay the same and the advertising numbers may go up a little but i do not think they will change drastically.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28983011/ --The Whole story

Ad Council and Family Violence Prevention Fund Launch Innovative Campaign to Prevent Digital Dating Abuse Among Teens

The Advertising Council, Family Violence Prevention Fund and the Dept. of Justice's Office on Violence against Women have come together in a joint effort to educate and raise awareness for teens to help recognize digital dating abuse and the steps to take to prevent it.

Digital media and social networking are very prevelant in today's society, especially among the youth. Educating and bringing awareness to young people about potiental harm on website such as Myspace and Facebook is greatly needed. This program gives young kids the skills to recognize behavior that is not appropriate. These skills can also transfer over into traditional media too.

Patron launches a high-end vodka

Even though we're in a recession, Patron Spirits Co. is launching a high-end vodka called Ultimat. Even though the premium liquor market has taken a downturn, they're still launching it for $40 a bottle. The two most expensive bottles of vodka (Ketel One and Grey Goose) have been slipping. However Patron thinks that they have history on their side when they elevated the image of tequilla with Patron Silver nearly 20 years ago. The billionaire who cofounded the hair company, John Paul Mitchell and Patron, John Paul DeJoria believes isn't worried about the launches timing. He said, "We have found that, in tough times, people like to treat themselves." They increased their spending from 25 million in 2007 to 30 million in ad spending. Sales of Ultimat have doubled at Binny's Beverage Depot, a 21-outlet chain in the Chicago area, since Patron Spirits relaunched the brand, said Brett Pontoni, specialty spirits buyer. He noted, however, that the sales remain small. Even though they're feeling confident with their launch, I don't think it's very reasonable to be selling it for more than the two leading contenders whose sales have been significantly slipping. I also believe that even though people "treat" themselves during rough times, they're most likely going to buy the cheaper vodka.
http://global.factiva.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/ga/default.aspx?imt=2

The Dark Knight Goes Ballistic

By now I'm sure you've all heard the audio of Christian Bale yelling at one of the staff members of the new Terminator flick. Not too long ago, he was also accused of beating on his sister and his mom. The charges got dropped, but now I wonder...The question I have is, do you think he was justified in his tirade? Or do you think he went too far? From an actor's point of view I see where his frustration could have stemmed from. He was about to do an intense scene that he was mentally prepared for, and then got interrupted. I think that's enough to set a lot of people off, or is it? In the real world, and I'm not talking about that lame show on MTV, there is a such thing as human decency. No one has the right to degrade another human being like that. Then again, I guess those rules don't apply in Hollyweird.

Transition into a Digital World

As we discussed in class the new media outlets (such as internet Web sites) have started to take over the way people get their news and information. I found a short video clip interview of the CEO of NBC Universal and his views on this new transition into a digital media world.

It turns out their main problem might be a result from their poor ad and public relations exposure. The CEO of NBC Universal, Jeff Zucker states that there is a tremendous amount of loss revenues because now-a-days because of the transition from the analog world into the digital revolution. He says that the economic problems are a “double whammy” for the media world because they have to go through not only the economic downfall but this recent transition and change in media that is shaping the future of America.

I think agree with Zucker in that traditional media is becoming scarcer. The sales of newspaper subscriptions are diminishing. I think newspapers need to think of a way to make money online or come up with an incentive for people to continue their subscriptions. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the next ten even five years from now.

http://adage.com/brightcove/lineup.php?lineup=1266084202

I watch a lot of TV, and lately, I have seen the same YAZ birth control commercial that says something to the effect that they are clearing up misconceptions regarding their previous advertisements. The old ads talked about how they help treat the emotional and physical the symptoms of PMDD, premenstral dysmorphic disorder, and moderate acne. I guess people thought that meant something different because in their ad, they restate that and then say it does NOT treat PMS or severe acne. They re-state the side effects, emphasizing the potassium risks, and then the rest of the commercial is the same as their old campaign.

I have been researching it and I can not find much information on it but I did find a few sources they say the USDA is concerned that they are "over-promising the benefits and minimizing the risks" of taking YAZ birth control. 

The FDA issued a letter to YAZ and talked about what they found wrong with the ads. They requested that the advertisements be pulled and that corrective advertising be done- here is the letter- http://www.pharmcast.com/warningletters/yr2008/oct2008/bayer1008.htm

I wonder what the effects of their corrective advertising will be? I can not imagine it has done great things for their image or their sales, until I saw their new advertisements, I thought YAZ was a wonder-drug. It is scary to think how else we are being lied to about in advertisements. The commercial was well done and up front though, so maybe they will get pitty points for that. It will be interesting to research this in a couple of months to see how this has effected their sales figures. 

Smart Software Can Now Find a Target Crowd

PR Matchpoint is a new online service that allows PR practitioners to narrow their target audience before releasing a PR pitch or press release. The new program, just released from Beta today, will automatically rate active journalists and bloggers on their levels of interest in the subject depending on a number of categories. They are weighted by relevance using parameters that can be controlled by the practitioner. These allow for control of exactly what type of user comes into consideration.

The technology is still relatively young, and its effectiveness has yet to be seen. However, by combining the tasks of creating lists, and cross-referencing their bylines, one can be sure to save a lot of time. Find the article @ http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/tips_and_tools/a_new_way_to_match_pitches_to_journalists_107431.asp

-Bueno

A Digital Wake Up Call for PR

With the digital revolution and the falling economy, it seems that even print publications are no longer safe from the axe. Domino magazine, which had over 1 million subscribers, is the latest print publication to get cut. With so many followers of magazines and other print publications, it only seems logical for the PR industry to transition to digital publications for their readers. Some type of print media will always be around, but it has pretty much been replaced. There are so many opportunities for print publications on the Web like a more convienent layout, more efficient communication tools, blogs and so much more.

Also, the readership level will increase because these days most people use the Internet and cell phones to access information whether it be for entertainment or news purposes. So, if the PR industry wants to stay up with the times and look for another option before calling it quits, then it's time to log on and create a digital publication.