August 30, 2006

ARUBA ADVERTISES THEIR MUSIC FESTIVAL IN NYC BRYANT PARK


Aruba Tourism Authority promotes Aruba Music Festival in NY!


(Source)--As always, Aruba Tourism Authority aims to promote all aspects of Aruba & our events worldwide and recently, during Good Morning America Bryant Park Concert Series NYC featuring Lionel Richie, Aruba’s PR agency representatives paraded around with a huge banner touting the Aruba Music Festival, the dates and the call-to-action. While they did not get a TV shot (No TV shot?! Guess not that many people saw your banner, then!), this great grass roots PR effort was a bona fide hit! (According to who? And what's with the "Grassroots PR effort"? I didn't know there was a such a thing for public relations.)




Many of the techniques used by PR firms are drawn from the institutions and practices of democracy itself. Persuasion, advocacy, and education are instruments through which individuals and organizations are entitled to express themselves in a free society, and many public relations practitioners are engaged in practices that are widely considered as beneficial, such as publicizing scientific research, promoting charities, raising awareness of public health concerns and other issues in civil society.


One of the most controversial practices in public relations is the use of front groups -- organizations that purport to serve a public cause while actually serving the interests of a client whose sponsorship may be obscured or concealed. The creation of front groups is an example of what PR practitioners sometimes term the third party technique -- the art of "putting your words in someone else's mouth."


PR Watch, a nonprofit organization that monitors PR activities it considers to be deceptive, has published numerous examples of this technique in practice. Critics of the public relations industry, such as PR Watch, have contended that Public Relations involves a "multi-billion dollar propaganda-for-hire industry" that "concoct[s] and spin[s] the news, organize[s] phony 'grassroots' front groups, sp[ies] on citizens, and conspire[s] with lobbyists and politicians to thwart democracy." [1].


Instances of the use of front groups as a PR technique have been documented in many industries. For example, the coal mining corporations have created environmental groups that contend that increased CO2 emmissions and global warming will contribute to plant growth and will be beneficial, trade groups for bars and beer distributers have created and funded citizens' groups to attack Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and tobacco companies have created and funded citizens' groups to advocate for tort reform and to attack personal injury lawyers. [2][3]


Current issues in ethical and social arenas have been brought to the attention of people from all strata of the population when it was found that more than one journalist with a platform had received money from a Public Relations firm for espousing a certain point of view. (source)




Thousands of devoted Lionel Richie fans in Bryant Park were exposed to the Aruba banner. Tons of people were curious to read the message on the banner. (Yeah, and they were probably thinking, 'oh yeah, Aruba...that evil island where Natalee Holloway went missing. I'm not going there!')


The short concert was fantastic and if it was any indication of what we are in store for this year at the festival with Lionel Richie, it will be a huge a success. He sounded amazing. Thanks Q&C and Cristina – great job!




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

They called him "Tommie" backhome, or Uncle Tom I guess. The biggest dirty hand in blue water music. Arubans like water pissing, thats why his big fans. I dont. His message is always FY. He wants your fucking florines, thats y. Oh yeAH HE WANTS THAT HOLLAND BLONDE CHICH TOO! Where is she, ask Joran. The short lived musical didn't bring in any tourists dollars, all are local Aruban fans. They all are broke and unemployed. They wanted to rob Leo and put some foood on the table. I wouldn't touch Aruba with my 10 feet pole, they going to harm my wife and kids. I would rather vacation at St. Thomas where I can get a clean hand coconut. Piss Aruba! Boycott Aruba!