Public Relations / Public Affairs Ideas To Use

Don't Do It II: Losing It On Live TV

Steve Bartelstein, co-anchor of WABC-TV's morning and noon news show, was supposed to anchor a local newsbreak last Thursday during "Good Morning America".  According to New York Post sources, Bartelstein missed the newsbreak because he fell asleep in his office.

Bartelstein is no longer with the station.

The "falling-asleep-instead-of-being-on-the-air" episode was the latest in a series of events that put Bartelstein in hot water with station bosses.

Last year Bartelstein had an on-air spat with weatherman Bill Evans.  The weatherman was playfully teasing Bartelstein, but Bartelstein wasn't having any of it.  Co-anchor Lori Stokes tried to get Bartelstein back on script by telling him, "Go, baby, go.  Go."  She then tried to segue to the weather by commenting how cold it is outside, but Bartelstein used it to make another quip.

(Please ignore the foolish character of a tree holding a bloody axe.  The Eyewitness News video appears after clicking the play arrow.)

The video shows what getting testy looks like on television.  It isn't pretty.  Don't do it.

tags technorati : Bartelstein WABC

AirTran's Little Pink Flamingos For You And Me

Guerrilla marketing received a bad rap in Boston, but Chicagoans were “guerrilla-ed” by 10,000 pink flamingos that left the Windy City feeling a little less frigid.

 

AirTran Airways perpetrated the peculiar pink plastic plot to promote the airline's expanded routes between Chicago’s Midway International Airport and Florida.

(photo slide show)

 

As part of last week’s promotion, the airline is also donating flights in support of its “latest partner-in-pink, The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.”

 

The airline paid to festoon the festive flamingo flock on public property, including a grass meridian along The Magnificent Mile: North Michigan Avenue. Chicago embraces such promotions on public property as a way of raising revenue for its nearly 600 parks.

 

AirTran executed their guerrilla campaign beautifully. They earned good press attention and posted a special page on their Website. They prevented problems by informing city officials, paid to use the property, and removed the flamingos fourteen hours later.

 

Now, if I can only get a flight to spring training...

tags technorati : AirTran guerrilla marketing

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