PR Pro Makes Move to Chamber

Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on

The former CEO of PR giant Burson-Marsteller has been chosen for a top post with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As the Chamber's vice chairman, Tom Bell will support the business lobby group's "biggest marketing/lobbying campaign to 'support free enterprise,' which the powerful business group believes is under attack by the Obama Administration." Chamber CEO Tom Donohue says the Chamber "will spend 'tens of millions of dollars annually' to counter inroads made by 'union leaders, some environmentalists and a growing force of anti-business activists' that are pushing to 'close trading markets, lock down capital markets, expand entitlements and raise taxes and debt to unsustainable levels.'"

Main Source: 
Odwyerpr.com (sub req'd), June 12, 2009
Topics: 
Corporations
Lobbying
Public Relations

Comments

Anonymous replied on

According to the UCSF Tobacco Legacy Library, Bursen-Marstellar was responsible for carring the term "sound science" to Europe. "Sound science" was the effective catch phrase that was used to deem any science suggesting that cigarettes cause ill health was nothing more than "Junk Science"...another term coined in the name of Big Tobacco.

Bursen-Marstellar was heavily involved in The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition. As noted in the Big Tobacco RICO case, this was a front group for Big Tobacco.

Whoever thought up this brain child of a name missed the boat to "sound marketing" as the short name for the front group was originally referred to as "The ASS Co". As such, the acronym and pronounciation when referring to the org became simply "TASSCO".

Also worthy of note is the fact that one of Bursen-Marsteller's top executives, Mark Penn, was the chief stratigist charged with running Hillary Clinton's bid for the Presidency.

Who is Bursen-Marsteller? See below.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/19/AR2007021900972.html

Diane Farsetta replied on

Our SourceWatch website also has an extensive profile on the Burson-Marsteller firm, [https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Burson-Marsteller here]. It's also linked to in the original Spin posting.