Book Review: Public Relations Case Studies From Around The World, edited by Judy VanSlyke Turk, Jean Valin, and John Paluszek

Abstract

Public Relations Case Studies From Around The World. Judy VanSlyke Turk, Jean Valin, and John Paluszek, eds. York: Peter Lang, 2014. 351 pp. $139.95 hbk. $42.95 pbk.Ideas spread across borders. This book contains descriptions of seventeen public relations activities, many of which were inspired by campaigns in other countries, such as Slovenian environmentalists learning from Estonians at a conference in Finland. Judging from the cases, it is also fair to say that some of the most interesting campaign ideas are fostered under circumstances that have little to do with a stereotypical public relations office, and that despite the differences in culture, campaign managers around the globe share some of the same communication values and face some of the same challenges.One of the most entertaining case stories concerns the fundraising campaign Movember. The idea behind this international campaign is that men-who are normally shaved-grow mustaches in November each year to create public awareness of men's health issues. With their November mustaches, these men become walking, talking billboards, whereas women can join the campaign as so-called Mo Sisters, who love the Mo. One of Movember's core values is to create fun, and Bill Proud and Robin Xavier, of Queensland University of Technology in Australia, manage to reflect the joyful spirit as they present relevant facts and ideas in their feature style article. The campaign the brainchild of two friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, who over a beer in a suburban Melbourne bar wondered where the Mo, or mustache, had gone. Movember started small in 2003 and has since grown to a many-milliondollar organization.The anthology includes work by well-known writers in the field of public relations practice and university education. Editors Jean Valin and John Paluszek are experienced practitioners and past chairs of Global Alliance for Public Relation and Communication Management. Professor Turk was affiliated with Florida International University in 2015. Among the authors are Donald K. Wright of Boston University, Don Stacks of the University of Miami, Shannon A. Bowen of the University of South Carolina, Chun-Ju Flora Hung-Baesecke of Hong Kong Baptist University in China, plus many other distinguished scholars and practitioners from different parts of the world. Some of the seventeen public relation cases have won national or international awards.Many of the authors reflect on the values and challenges of getting stakeholders involved in the campaigns. For example, in South Africa a cableway company mobilized people to vote for Table Mountain in the New 7 Wonders competition, and in Japan the delivery company Yamato chose to focus its public relations activities after the earthquake in 2013 on its fifty-four thousand drivers because they were considered the best spokespersons for the company. The analysis of the Table Mountain is written by Chris Skinner, Durban University of Technology in South Africa, while Koichi Yamamura, Media Gain in Japan, studied the Yamato case. …