Flu Is Sell

As The Nation's Jeremy Scahill cautions that Stewart Simonson, the U.S. official "responsible for coordinating the federal response to a flu pandemic or bioterror attack could well be the next Michael Brown," businesses are preparing marketing plans to avoid decreased chicken or egg consumption due to avian flu. The PR firm Edelman "is in the early stages of developing contingency programs." Edelman's Mike Seymour said, "We're building on our experience with SARS. ... The best thing to do is to have a plan in place ahead of it." Kentucky Fried Chicken is planning TV ads "to educate consumers that eating cooked chicken is perfectly safe." The National Chicken Council launched a website, avianinfluenzainfo.com. Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods "have prepared press releases ... trying to allay concerns." O'Dwyer's reports that the Egg Safety Center hired Aronow Communications "to get word out that a potential avian flu pandemic would not make eggs unsafe."