The Flack

This weblog attempts to shine a brighter light on the subtle role public relations plays in politics, culture, media, business and sports. Through greater transparency, the author hopes to make the profession better understood and perhaps more widely appreciated.


Lost Dog Posted by Hello

The commercials were clever, entertaining and ubiquitous. They won awards. They single-handedly put the issue of identity theft in the American consumer’s consciousness. So, imagine Citigroup’s surprise and embarrassment when it learned that the personal data of nearly 4 million of its CitiFinancial customers had been lost in transit.

How does a company that used advertising and PR to establish an industry-leadership position on this growing (and unnerving) issue reconcile yesterday’s news? Blame the courier? That would be easy. The statement issued by the company was straightforward enough. Still, from what I understand, and I’m no expert, the relative lack of government oversight and its willingness to let the industry self-regulate has contributed to the problem. Would Citigroup welcome stronger federal regulations?

I bet the ad campaign will go on hiatus for a while. But don’t ask me, fellow PR blogger Ike Pigott has some thoughts as well.

Posted in Crisis Communications, Citigroup | No Comments »