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Robert Scoble: Where the hell is Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook?

PR Week: Sources not so reliable on News Corp./LinkedIn takeover talks

Catching Flack: Windfall of 2008 Tech Media Forecasts

Strategic Public Relations: In Your Face: Ad Placements of Tomorrow

Romenesko: Here’s the n+1 piece that convinced Gawker editors to quit

 
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AARP today announced that tennis star Martina Navratilova as its new “Health & Fitness Ambassador.”  A WSJ article on the deal explains why retired athletes are getting more popular:

While many of the richest endorsement deals still go to young phenoms like LeBron James, who has a seven-year, $90 million deal with Nike, former players are getting far more attention than they used to.

It is in part a reaction to the wave of recent scandals in sports, in which players have been caught up in everything from steroid abuse to a gambling ring that bets on dog fights.

Companies “don’t want to get into a situation where [they] want to get out of a contract,” says Jim Andrews, senior vice president of Chicago-based sponsorship-research firm IEG, a unit of WPP. “That is far less likely to happen with a proven entity.”

So, while it’s easier for AARP to pick a retired athlete who can relate to their older demographic, all the younger skewing brands are going to have to keep taking risks. 

NYTimes (via Romenesko): AP to change the way it files, edits and distributes stories

CBSNews: McCain Gets New Hampshire PR Boost

Financial Times: A cascade of thought leaders in need of a good idea

Influential Marketing Blog: 12 Things I Learned Reading My Own Blog

FleetStreetPR: Dear Santa 2.0: My Social Media/PR Christmas List

 If you build it, they will come.  At least that is what Dell and WPP Group are betting on.  After an intense review, the computer maker chose WPP Group to handle all of their marketing communications, in effect creating a 1,000 employee, $4.5 billion agency, code named “Da Vinci.” 

According to PR Week, “Publicis, Havas, Omnicom, and Interpublic Group all vied for the account, with Interpublic joining WPP as finalist.”

John Batelle: I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Casey Jones, Dell’s VP Marketing, as he’s gone through this process, and I’m certain that this new agency will create all sorts of fascinating new models.

Micropersuasion: It’s very easy to move an entire account from one agency to another across town and then again until you find the next big idea to replace the last one. So Dell will have to make sure this newco stays fresh and continues to pump out creative ideas.

The market seems to like the news, with shares of WPP Group already up in London trading.

Gawker: Major Magazine Puts Up Craiglist Ad for PR Assistant. The pay? $15-$16 an hour. Ouch.

Mediaweek: Web-Video User Growth Slowed Over Past Six Months

Creative Team Thinking: Six Tips For Perfect Email Media Pitches

Getting Attention: Crisis Communications Report Card: Red Cross Responds to Exec Hanky Panky

PR Couture: Fashion PR Internship Opportunity with Press Office Ltd.

Valleywag: Dear PR flack, don’t send this draft

Bad Pitch Blog: Google’s News Release Catch 22

ClickZ: Online Display Advertising Needs Better PR

NY Post (via Romenesko): What’s the Future of Smart Money mag?

Communications Overtones: Feeds Devoted to PR Grow by 34 Percent

Mosnar Communications Blog: When You Don’t Land on Oprah’s Favorite Things

WSJ: Publicis Builds Buzz Via Bloggers

NPR: Book Deals Go Down Easy at Michael’s

Search Engine Marketing Blog: Online PR vs. Internet Marketing

CopyBlogger: SEO for Bloggers

 
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Did you eat too much this weekend? We did. Did you enjoy a nice post meal nap this weekend? We had a few, but it’s great to be back. It’s holiday season!

And if there’s one thing the holidays mean, it’s an open bar party paid for by your boss.  When and where is your party? PRNewser will be chronicling this year’s parties for your reading enjoyment.

Keep us in the know: Send party info and other news to prnewser at mediabistro.com or send in anonymous tips here.

The Guardian: Williams gets top BBC PR post

WSJ: Facebook’s Tracking of User Activity Riles Privacy Advocates, Members

NY Times: Making Social Connections and Selling Cookies

CNET: Gadget blog and upscale NYC department store–a match made in heaven?

Valleywag: PR Guy Misses PR Lesson from Guy Kawasaki

Heather Yaxley: Social media is not “the end of the PR world as we know it”

HuffPost: NBC’s Green Week a Total Dud

Hybrid SEM: The ultimate guide to advanced searching within Yahoo, Google and MSN

PR Week: A Disney character for every stage of life

CopyBlogger: How to Create a Blog That People Really Digg