PR DISASTERS AWARDS 2006 – MEL GIBSON, DICK CHENEY & ‘KRAMER” RICHARDS IN RACE TO WIN

PR watchdog and blogsite www.prdisasters.com is now accepting media, blogger and public nominations for its 2006 PR Disaster Awards. The scheme highlights the worst examples of celebrity PR boobs or corporate reputation disasters.

The ‘PR Disasters’ blogsite – run by PR analyst and author Gerry McCusker – monitors real-life outbreaks of PR gaffes, offering expert commentary designed to help individuals and organizations avoid behaviours or decisions that can attract negative media attention, thereby damaging their reputation or ‘PR’ status.

McCusker, author of the best-selling PR gaffe text ‘Public Relations Disasters’ (currently in reprint), says that 2006 has been a bumper year for botched PR jobs:

“Celebrities behaving badly – often fuelled by alcohol or drug abuse – has created many PR disaster headlines. And this year, several PR firms, and expert PR counsel have actually made the cardinal sin of creating and perpetuating PR stuff-ups.”

As stated in his original disasters book, Gerry says that to qualify as a PR disaster, the incident must catalyse sustained, negative media coverage for the subject. Gerry believes that nominations for the 2006 PR Disaster Awards are likely to include:

James Frey, author of ‘A Million Little Pieces’; ‘true story’ outed as sizeably fictional.
Australia Tourism - ‘Where The Bloody Hell..’ Ads failed to translate internationally.
Dick Cheney - shot friend in hunting accident then waited 18hours before telling media.
General Motors – ‘Make Your Own’ Tahoe ads, created global viral PR disaster for GM.
Fleishman-Hillard – PR firm scandalised by allegations of client over-billing.
Hewlett Packard – Chair accused of sanctioning ‘phone-snoop’ of board members.
Apple/Dell – computer companies facing product recall over self-combusting batteries.
Kyra Philips – left microphone ‘on’ at toilet break, broadcasting over Presidential speech.
Mel Gibson – legendary, drink-fuelled ‘road and race rage’ incident.
Michael ‘Kramer’ Richards – Seinfeld star’s racist rant filmed and posted on YouTube.

McCusker believes that with the imminent party season upon us, he wont’ be surprised if there are a few late entries. ‘PR Disasters’ will collate entries right up until midnight on 31 December, and announce the winner early in 2007. Nominations can be submitted by contacting www.prdisasters.com and emailing in your favourites, as instructed.
Ends

Media enquiries: gerry@prdisasters.com

Note to editors; ‘Public Relations Disasters: Talespin’, Paperback, Kogan Page, 2006, www.kogan-page.co.uk, www.amazon.com