I am on the mailing lists of CAD vendors, and this morning I received a press release with a politically-oriented headline. I would not have expected that from the usually politically-neutral CAD companies:
Bush Dismantles Economic Programs for Small Business as Economy Continues
Downward Spiral
The press release was sent under the CAD company's email address. Only when I read to the very end of the press release (which I rarely do) did I learn it was issued by American Small Business League and not the hapless CAD vendor.
After some research, I found that the mailing list is handled by a division of PR Newswire named mediaroom.com. It is an outsourcing service for corporations. Among its services, it offers to "automatically notify interested subscribers of your organization's latest news."
It appears that automation got the better of mediaroom.com, for it sent the press release on behalf of the wrong client.
Update
Later in the day, PR Newswire apolgized:
Earlier today, a political release distributed by PR Newswire was inadvertently posted in the [CAD vendor] press release archive. We've removed the release and just want to apologize for sending you irrelevant content.
the usually politically-neutral CAD companies
I recall that the Autodesk and Bentley bosses at least are big GOP donors.
Bentley have also in the past few years given the prime keynote spots at their annual BE chin-dig to such persons as (GOPers) Rudy Giuliani and George Will, as well as having a US Army officer fresh from Iraq. So, hardly "neutral".
Posted by: DF | Oct 23, 2008 at 05:01 PM
DF, do you think Al Gore would have been a better choice as a keynote speaker for Bentley's events?
Possibly Ralph is thinking about such a PR "gaffe" occurring so close to a federal election.
Posted by: PB | Oct 24, 2008 at 04:38 PM