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PR Fuel: Making News In 2006Welcome to 2006: a year that will see mid-term elections, Winter Olympics and the release of Paris Hilton's first (and dare we hope last) album.As is the case every year, the news cycle will be driven by known and unknown events. Being prepared for the unknown events is difficult. Being prepared for the known events can be easy. With the latter statement in mind, here are the events and emerging trends I think will dominate headlines this year. Politics1. Mid-Term and gubernatorial elections2. Jack Abramoff scandal fallout 3. Iraq 4. Iran 5. North Korea Food For Thought: Local politics will grab the spotlight as state representatives will be lining up to glad-hand constituents and win votes. Politically oriented PR people should use their power to force the issues to the forefront, not the background. The Consumer1. The housing boom is over2. Consumer credit quality 3. The impact of energy prices 4. Too many gadgets!? 5. Online security Food For Thought: The end of the housing boom and the deterioration of consumer credit quality go hand-in-hand. Remember all those stories about condo-flipping? By the end of the year, you'll be reading stories about condo foreclosures. Technology1. Google vs. The World2. Enterprise technology spending 3. Digital content (music, movies, podcasts, etc.) 4. Freedom of speech issues online 5. Cable versus Telecom Food For Thought: What will Google do next? The early word is that they'll launch a low-priced PC, possibly in conjunction with Wal-Mart. Whether this happens or not, all eyes will be on the company this year as it looks to expand beyond the browser. Wall Street1. Hedge fund regulation2. Activist investors 3. The health of the automotive industry 4. Google's stock price 5. Naked shorting Food For Thought: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think there's an enormous amount of money to be made doing PR for the hedge fund industry. Last year's blow-ups have forced the Securities and Exchange Commission to take a serious look at how hedge funds are regulated. Hedge funds, of course, don't want any additional regulation, and they're going to have to mount an effective lobbying and PR campaign to stave off the Feds. Also, keep an eye on how new SEC regulations related to proxy votes affect individual shareholders. PR firms looking for causes and not worried about Fortune 500 business can make an easy buck working with lawyers in this area. Media1. The health of the newspaper business2. Satellite radio 3. The future of Time Warner 4. FCC regulation 5. HDTV Food For Thought: The potential sale of Knight-Ridder, a shake-up at Dow Jones and the awful circulation numbers coming out of the industry will keep the business of newspapers in the headlines. PR people should take into consideration that newspapers have traditionally been one of their important venues. As such, the question becomes, how can you constructively help the newspaper industry's cause? The Economy1. Ben Bernanke replaces Alan Greenspan as head of the Federal Reserve2. Energy prices 3. Gold versus the Dollar 4. Skilled labor shortage 5. China's economy Food For Thought: Energy prices are absurd, and have you seen the price of gold lately? Alternative energy clients should be jumping up and down and clamoring for more press. Where are all the stories about the gas-to-liquids technology that is being developed? Sports1. World Cup2. Winter Olympics 3. World Baseball Classic 4. USC Football 5. Ryder Cup Food For Thought: Start kicking the soccer ball around and get in on the world's biggest (and easiest) PR party. Anniversary Events1. 9/11 Terrorist Attacks2. Recognition of first case of AIDS 3. San Francisco earthquake and the correlation to rebuilding New Orleans 4. Impact of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 5. Impact of the Enron scandal on Corporate America Food For Thought: Tread carefully when dealing with 9/11 stories. If you work with AIDS-related causes, now is the time to hammer home your point. Entertainment1. Cultural impact of MTV on its 25th anniversary2. Release of movie version of "The Da Vinci Code" 3. 9/11-related movies from Oliver Stone and Paul Greengrass 4. Consumer boredom with Hollywood re-makes and TV-to-big screen movies 5. The return of intelligent network television programming Food For Thought: Paris Hilton is out; good movies could be back in.
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