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New Year's Resolution: Prepare to Meet the Media

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Perspective from Kellyanne Dignan: Several years ago when I was a producer on a national primetime cable show, I was working on a last minute segment about some ads that played on one of people's worst fears. The new ads were for a major consumer product and slightly controversial because some people claimed they caused post-traumatic stress.

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While healthcare was a key issue both nationally and here in Massachusetts in 2011, many of us involved in health care issues at RBSC are in agreement that 2012 portends to be an even more dramatic year of change in health care, impacting business, individuals and families. If you follow healthcare issues like we do, here are seven events and trends that are on our team's radar as we progress into the New Year...

Confidence & Trust

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Perspective from Larry Rasky: When a former colleague blindsided us the other day with a self-aggrandizing "tell-all" about his backroom dealings with our beloved Red Sox, it raised a bunch of issues for me. The issues revolve around confidentiality, trust and business ethics. At RBSC, we pride ourselves on keeping our clients' secrets.

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Perspective from David Tamasi: I had the privilege of representing Rasky Baerlein at a Council on Public Relations Washington roundtable earlier this morning. A hearty crowd comprised of senior public relations executives from large, mid and small firms made the early morning confab. These roundtable events are particularly candid, and consequently insightful as participants freely discuss industry opportunities and challenges.

The Parallel Pols of 2008

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Perspective from Larry Rasky: Watching the Republican debates, I can't get over the parallels to the Democrats in 2008.

The Age Old Question

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A couple of weeks ago I got an email from facebook informing me that thanks to "my suggestion" my mother and my uncle had made it official and were now friends. It should have been quickly deleted and forgotten, but for some reason that email has been stuck in my head. I'm not exactly sure what it is that bothered me about the computer generated message. It could be the sentiment driving the new Toyota ads featuring the daughter chiding her parents for having only 19 friends on facebook. In the latest twist on the "kids may be hip with the trends but grownups know what matters" advertising narrative, she sits inside watching viral videos while they go on a road trip with their flesh and blood friends to the mountains. #ironyanyone?

Highland Street Inspiration

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CEO Ann Carter shares her thoughts and inspirations from the seminar, Building an Effective Public Relations Plan, sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation

Yesterday's Washington Post peice, "Netflix, this one's for you: The art of a good apology" made us wonder: should all CEO's and Board members be required to take a crash course in the art of an apology and when/how to effectively make one? Seems like every day somebody is saying sorry for something. Our crisis expert and partner at RBSC Justine Griffin wrote a blog post in 2009 related to the infamous Tiger Wood's scandal and it would seem that her advice is relevant and a must read for all those that could find themselves in hot water.Sorry.jpg

10 years and 140 characters later: Reflections on the media and 9/11

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Ten years ago I spent weeks as a very young television news producer camped at a gas station in Northern Virginia that served as the temporary press center for journalists covering the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. It's growing harder to remember but this was during a time when if I had used the words "social media" my colleagues would have assumed I was planning a happy hour...

Tonight the long anticipated speech by President Obama will be delivered to millions of anxious Americans looking for answers during this global recession. Early reports indicate that the President will unveil proposed legislation named the American Jobs Act. I have spent much of my career assisting companies expand operations and do business in the United States. I saw these companies first hand in the role of Director of Foreign Direct Investment for the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment. From that experience I believe that the federal government must take bold steps to provide an environment for job creation across the United States. Outlined below are those steps that need to be taken to increase economic activity, corporate expansions and job growth. The consequences of ignoring these issues will lead to the United States losing corporate growth to competitor nations and leave millions of Americans in the unemployment line instead of at new job.

The Purple People-Eaters

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Back in 2006, we launched Unite Our States, the PAC which preceded the launch of the Biden for President campaign. Back then, Senator Biden had a basic theme he wanted to push. There were no red states or blue states. All the states were purple. By the end of the Democratic primaries, the Obama campaign had set that stage perfectly and we all know what happened next...

Jim Cabot, Senior Vice President at Rasky Baerlein and the manager of our Energy, Environment and Emerging Technology practice, presented at the New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC) and the Clean Economy Network July CEO fly-in for executives in the renewable energy sector in Washington, DC.

In this VIDEO, Jim shares thoughts about how clean energy can better share its messages in DC, including driving home the size and scale of the energy sector in America, and the mathematical realities of fossil fuels as a decreasing commodity and the inevitable rise--and cost parity--of renewables.

112th Congress: A Look Ahead

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The debt ceiling negotiations are over, August is here and the remaining weeks of summer beckon. At Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications we thought it might be beneficial to provide a primer on what to expect in Congress for the remainder of this year and next. Therefore, we hope you find Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications' take on the 112th Congress to be helpful.

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Walking into BIO 2011 International Conference held in Washington, DC (June 20th-23rd) I, Rachel Szala, quickly realized that social media was going to play a bigger role in this year's conference than one could ever have anticipated. I consider myself a "social media guru," so it usually takes a phenomenon to impress me. But impressed can only begin to describe my BIO social media experience...

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On June 23rd RBSC Vice President Patrick Bench presented on Foreign Investment Promotion Best Practices at Harvard University's Kennedy School to a delegation of commerce ministers and central bankers from twenty-five foreign countries.

The Data Breach Boom

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What do Sony, Lockheed Martin, Citigroup, RSA, and now Sega have in common? If you've been following the news-you guessed it, they're all victims of what now, alarmingly, seems to be a daily occurance: data breaches. And despite the significant investment being made in trying to avoid the occurrence of a breach, the lack of preparedness for the inevitable crises is stunning.

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Recently the Foundation To Be Named Later hosted the second annual Business of Baseball Lunch at the State Room. As a co-sponsor of the event, Rasky Baerlein had the opportunity to participate in the festivities as RBSC President, Joe Baerlein, helped kick it off by delivering opening remarks to the vibrant crowd of local business leaders. Keep reading to see more great photos from the event.

This week the Boston Irish Business Association (BIBA) hosted a Social Media and Communications panel at Boston's Back Bay Hotel titled, "Communications Practices That Drive Business and Raise Brand Awareness."

The panel discussion featured three business leaders including Doreen Blades of Eco Products, Deirdre NiFhalliun of the Ireland Consulate, and our very own CEO, Ann Carter, all of whom shared their experiences and insights on the communication tools they use to raise the profile of their organizations in the Boston business and diplomatic communities.

Check out some of the event photos

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Recently, RBSC President, Joe Baerlein, spoke at the State Government Affairs Council annual meeting in Austin, Texas. It was a room full of several hundred state governmental affairs professionals, from a wide range of industry sectors as well as a diverse group of trade association government relations professionals. Keep reading to learn more about Joe's presentation, Welcome to the One Minute News Cycle.

A Teaching Moment for the Teacher

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Recently Rasky Baerlein CEO, Ann Carter, was featured as a guest speaker on WBZ Newsradio's "Women's Watch" to talk about her career and offer her advice for young women entering the workplace. But more interestingly, it afforded her the opportunity to experience what we as PR practictioners advise our clients on everyday. Keep reading to hear more of Ann's insights about her experience of moving from behind the scenes, into the hot seat.

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Can modest, local state initiatives help drive national climate change policy? We think so.

This morning RBSC's Washington DC Office hosted a breakfast fundraiser for Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). Keep reading to check out some photos from the event.

This morning RBSC hosted a breakfast to connect Croatia's President, H.E. Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivo Josipovic, and other esteemed members of the Croatian Delegation with influential thought leaders from the New England business community. Keep reading to check out some of the event photos and to see who was there.

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Recent buzz in the PR community involves a January 27th report by Dow Jones Insight that ranks large and mid-sized communications firms by the amount of traditional media coverage these firms received in 2010. Today some PR firms have new bragging rights - but we are not part of that group. Nor do we want to be.

The Spanish Invasion

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When Christopher Columbus, the great Italian explorer, set sail from Spain in 1492 to discover a new trade route to Asia, he instead discovered North America. Over 500 years later, Spanish businesses are sailing once again to America, this time to sell goods ranging from Spanish wines and olive oil to Spanish hams. And given their knowledge in certain key sectors, the Spanish are also looking to sell their expertise in renewable energy, infrastructure development, and transportation.

Last night marked yet another fascinating chapter in U.S. and Massachusetts history. While much of the nation continues to assess the electoral impact from yesterday's results, Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications is already looking ahead to what the election results will

Curt Spalding, the Region 1 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, addressed the New England Council's Energy and Environment Committee last week on Region 1's goals and plans for the coming years. The most encouraging part of his address was in answering a question, and where I heard an echo's of Thomas Friedman's mantra, that the United States is losing in the battle for competitiveness in the 21st Century. Friedman sees renewable energy technology as the key competitive battle of the next twenty years and one that he sees the United States currently losing.

Every day, politicians and pundits feel the need to weigh in on the controversy surrounding a proposal to build an Islamic Center and Mosque in lower Manhattan, not far from the hallowed grounds where the World Trade Center once proudly stood.  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, President Obama, Republican strategist Ed Rollins, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DNC chair Tim Kaine, Senator John McCain and his GOP running mate, Sarah Palin, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have all shared their opinions; some tainted by anger, others shaped by emotion, and many expressed merely for political gain.

Occasionally we come across an article related to our industry that is so fascinating (to us anyway) we want to make sure to share it. An article from this past weekend's New York Times, "In Case of Emergency: What Not to Do" by Peter Goodman, is just such a piece. To use his characterization (which I love by the way), we are members of the "protective tribe known as the crisis management industry" (wonder if I can get that on a business card: Tribe member?) and rarely do we read such a spot-on piece about the realities of crisis situations, what is feasible, what to do, and what not to do.

Apple's Hangup

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Since June 24th, the launch date of Apple's new iPhone 4, the press and consumers have blasted Apple for the phone's poor reception. Consumer Reports slammed the phone, and said it would not recommend buying it. Since the phone's release, Apple's stock dropped from its 52 - week high of $279.01 per share to nearly $245 per share. Even worse for Apple's reputation and brand image, the company is now the subject of class-action lawsuits. Despite all this, consumers have purchased more than three million of the same device since its launch--notably throughout the media storm. So how is it that the problematic phone is still the must have product of the summer and perhaps the year?

Calling Emily Post?

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Whether or not to return a gift seems more like an etiquette subject for a Miss Manners column, but a few headlines in nonprofit news over the past week have addressed situations where nonprofits are forced to consider whether or not to return a gift from a donor.

The domestic violence charges against Mel Gibson have some questioning whether or not Casa Myrna Vazquez should return the $25,000 donation the actor made to the Boston nonprofit when filming "Edge of Darkness" in 2008.  The nonprofit, which provides shelter and support services to victims of domestic violence, will not be returning the gift, and co-executive directors Nathalie Favre-Gilly and Deborah Collins-Gousby got it right in their Boston Globe
op-ed  stating that they are grateful to Gibson for supporting their work 2 years ago and for making the case for their work today. Casa Myrna Vazquez has smartly inserted their organization into the dialogue and used this as an opportunity to raise awareness of their work and more importantly, the issue of domestic violence.

The fact that several news organizations are considering suspending the practice of allowing anonymous comments is interesting for all those who make a living creating and responding to "news" (see recent NYTimes article).  While anonymous comments can certainly spur important conversation and reflection, they have more often become a place for people to make inappropriate diary entries and/or satisfy personal vendettas.

Am I the only one who is sick of self-styled crisis PR experts commenting on Tiger Woods and what he should have done? I'm pretty sure I am not. I think maybe its fatigue on this subject - David Letterman, now Tiger, even the Secret Service lapse in letting the Salahis into the White House. The fact that everyone has an opinion is OK; the fact that everyone has a solution is just flat-out annoying.

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