Public Relations

Great milk comes from happy cows, and great milk commercials come from New Zealand. At least according to the California Milk Advisory Board. The organization, originator of the "Real California Milk" slogan (but not the more famous "Got Milk?" slogan, which comes from the California Milk Processor Board), became a target of scorn after The Times reported last fall that it was planning to film 10 commercials promoting Golden State milk not here in the world's commercial production capital but in Auckland, New Zealand.

Seeking to blunt criticism of its emergency response, British oil giant BP vowed Friday to harness all of its resources to battle the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as the company worked frantically to stay ahead of the growing disaster and the blow to its carefully manicured image of environmental responsibility. Louisiana and federal officials said BP's efforts so far were "not adequate" and that the London company should do more — even with help from competitors — to contain the approximately 5,000 barrels of oil leaking each day after last week's sinking of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon.

Toyota Motor Corp. launched a public relations blitz Sunday intended to rebuild its public image amid massive recalls and reports that several models of its cars and trucks could accelerate uncontrollably. The company, which this weekend ran full-page ads in major newspapers including The Times, said it would announce this morning a plan to fix the vehicles. A top executive was slated to appear on television to discuss the recalls. The moves to repair Toyota's once-stellar reputation came as federal officials said Sunday that they had opened an investigation into an Indiana manufacturer that sold accelerators to Toyota and other automakers.

Just months after the American Film Institute's AFI Fest introduced the revolutionary idea of free tickets for its patrons, three of the LA-based festival's top organizers have left their posts, citing a diminished budget as their primary reason for leaving. AFI Fest artistic director Rose Kuo, festival producer David Rogers and head of press and public relations at the American Film Institute John Wildman all announced earlier this week that they were leaving the organization. For AFI Fest 2009, which ran Oct. 30 to Nov. 7, the trio had worked with a drastically reduced budget, venue changes and far fewer films on exhibition -- 67, down from the previous year's 100 -- and with single instead of multiple screenings.

After more than a week of speculation, entertainment public relations and marketing firms BNC and PMK/HBH on Tuesday made it official and said they were consolidating operations. The merger, to take effect in January, combines PMK/HBH, one of Hollywood's biggest celebrity public relations agencies, with BNC, a firm that has specialized in corporate clients. Both firms are owned by advertising agency giant Interpublic Group. The new agency will be called PMK-BNC. But the move is already beginning to stir things up. After an internal memo announcing the pending deal circulated last week, a handful of senior executives announced that they would leave the company, taking key clients with them.

An Irvine-based consulting firm is buying two Southland consulting shops, including high-profile Century City public relations firm Sitrick and Co., which has represented a raft of bankrupt corporations and image-challenged executives. Resources Connection Inc., which was spun off as a public company from accounting giant Deloitte & Touche in 1999, said it plans to combine Sitrick and Riverside-based Brincko Associates Inc. into a subsidiary specializing in corporate advisory and restructuring services.

President Obama declared today that a "consensus is building" around climate change legislation and characterized opponents as preoccupied with the past instead of a "clean energy future." Standing on the edge of a large solar-power farm, Obama urged the Senate to pass a measure that caps carbon emissions -- and to set aside arguments that it would harm the economy and costs jobs. "The closer we get, the harder the special interests are going to fight," Obama said, with the sun glinting off acres of Florida Power & Light Co. solar panels behind him as he spoke to the utility's employees.

Government employees tend to be easy fodder for mockery. That is particularly true when the ribbing suits the needs of political candidates trying to appear vigilant about the growth of government. In her quest to become governor of California, for example, Republican Meg Whitman has repeatedly teed off on those who get their paychecks from the public. The former businesswoman derided bureaucrats who "rarely have the desire to think things through." She lamented the employment of "mid-level bureaucrats" as though they were buffing their nails at the DMV while the rest of us stewed in line.

Each Internet fad is followed by a wave of books seeking to explain, analyze and capitalize on the trend of the moment. Self-proclaimed experts churn out guides, surveys and instruction manuals for search, e-commerce and blogs. So it was inevitable that Twitter, the messaging service that has exploded in popularity, would receive similar treatment. Several books with Twitter in the title have already appeared; now comes "Twitterville" by Shel Israel. As a self-styled social media expert, Israel might look the type to write meandering assessments of the latest Web craze.