Tuesday, April 24, 2007

american idol anyone? that was some great pr!

Did anyone watch American Idol tonight? That was some great PR! This Idol Gives Back fundraiser is a major image boost for everyone involved. Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T look smarter by the show for jumping on board. And let's not forget Exxon Mobile and News Corporation (but that one was sort of a given) with their contributions.

This fundraiser is great because it not only helps underprivileged children in Africa and here in the U.S., but it gets the word out about the hunger issue. Check out the videos about Idol Gives Back, which to a great job of communicating this issue. It tickles my PR instincts to see them focus so much on awareness of the issue. This obviously needs to happen because when most Americans think of people who don't get enough to eat, we immediately picture people in third world countries, but rarely our own. This campaign is going to do a world of good for informing people about hunger and homelessness problems for children in America.

Using American Idol as a platform benefits everyone involved. People are more aware of the hunger problem and how they can help solve it. Corporate America gets involved and demonstrates social responsibility, which improves the public's image of these companies. American Idol gets lots of celebrities involved and attracts a huge viewing audience which means higher ratings for the network and higher prices charged for ad spots so profits increase. Advertisers get their message out to a huge audience. And most of all: people in need, especially children, get the help they deserve.

Kudos American Idol to a job well done!

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