Elliott Suthers's blog

Specialty PR firms take on Goliaths (From Crain's New York)

By Elliott Suthers on February 18, 2013 - 11:53am

By Eilene Zimmerman

So God Made the PR Consultant

By Elliott Suthers on February 14, 2013 - 9:02am

God said: “I need somebody willing to learn any topic; to become an expert and then ghostwrite a speech — by tomorrow.

Print is Dead, Long Live Print!

By Elliott Suthers on January 25, 2013 - 1:59pm

“iPads are the future of print!” gushed the young PR maveness on the four train. “I don’t even pitch print anymore,” she continued.

Despite the oxymoronic quality to her first comment, and the naïveté of her second, I think the sentiment is at least somewhat true. Every day, someone seems to be proclaiming the death of newspapers and magazines, but to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the industry’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

NASA Curiosity Reaches All Time Highs

By Elliott Suthers on October 18, 2012 - 10:16am

When was the last time you heard someone say “Jeez, NASA has been doing some cool stuff lately”? Chances are, that unless you’re a contemporary of Don Draper and Roger Sterling, you probably haven’t.

It started with a video, but in recent months, NASA has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

NYC MetroCards, Proudly Brought to You by (Insert Your Company’s Name Here)

By Elliott Suthers on July 23, 2012 - 8:52am

Last week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — better known as the M.T.A. — announced that it will be now selling advertising space on the most sacred of cards in a New Yorker’s wallet — their MetroCard.

This last-ditch effort by the M.T.A. to rebalance its books was met with the predictable complaints about the M.T.A. “selling out.” More surprising — to me at least — was the amount of public support the agency’s plan received.

Making a Case for Congressional Earmarks

By Elliott Suthers on July 12, 2012 - 8:32am

In an interesting article for Defense News last week, Kate Brannen rightly points out, that although earmarks are becoming more difficult to come across, they’re by no means extinct.

Affectionately known as “pork,” earmarks are used by a lawmaker to steer appropriations directly into projects that he or she finds particularly important.

Unfunded Requirements AWOL in 2013 Budget

By Elliott Suthers on May 7, 2012 - 9:52am

As the 2013 defense budget trudges its way through the House markup on Wednesday, there’s one very important element missing from the debate — the services’ annual unfunded requirements list.

JLTV Program Offers Smaller Companies a Shot at the Big Time.

By Elliott Suthers on April 3, 2012 - 11:45am

The Army’s beleaguered Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) battle just keeps getting more interesting. Thought to be all but dead less than eight months ago, the $13 billion-plus Army and Marine troop carrier program is now being sought by no fewer than six contractors.

Communications and Business Must Work Together in Today's Defense Environment

By Elliott Suthers on March 1, 2012 - 1:41pm

At last week’s AUSA Winter Symposium, the industry trotted out its latest gizmos and gadgets for the Army’s top brass. And as hard as contractors were trying to sell, the customers just weren’t buying.

Voters Should be Angry over the Level of Vitriol in Politics Today (From PRWeek)

By Elliott Suthers on February 3, 2012 - 9:19am

With the 2012 election cycle in full swing, congressional approval hovers around 9%. To put this into perspective, at the height of Watergate, President Nixon's favorability never dropped below 23%. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) joked that the 9% who endorse Congress at this point are likely blood relatives or paid staffers.