WASHINGTON, DC: When the PRSA’s largest chapter wanted to hype the induction of 50 pros into its Hall of Fame, the organization chose a distinctly non-PRish way to do so: running an advertising supplement in the October 4 edition of The Washington Post.
WASHINGTON, DC: When the PRSA’s largest chapter wanted to hype the
induction of 50 pros into its Hall of Fame, the organization chose a
distinctly non-PRish way to do so: running an advertising supplement in
the October 4 edition of The Washington Post.
The tactic generated a mixed reaction from members of the DC PR
community.
’PR is a huge industry in this town, and it’s ironic that we couldn’t
get coverage for ourselves,’ said Phil Armstrong, head of Kaufman Public
Relations. ’It’s a reflection on either the local media or the local PR
people, or both.’
However, Nautilus Communications head Kathleen Hutt, who helped plan the
October 1 gala (PRWeek, October 4), said response from the local PR
community to the ad supplement was very positive. ’It generated interest
in the chapter,’ she said, adding that some of the people highlighted in
the Post piece had tears in their eyes when they saw the insert.
The eight-page supplement was part of the paper’s sponsorship of the
event, Hutt said. It contained short bios on the 50 honorees and brief
articles about the DC PR community.
