…but the problem persists. In the battle for “hearts and minds”… both stateside and abroad…
From Brandweek:
The Bush administration spent $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars on 137 contracts with advertising agencies over the past two-and-a-half years, according to a Government Accountability Office report released by House Democrats Monday.With spending on public relations and other media included, federal agencies spent $1.6 billion on what some Democrats called “spin.” [...]
Trends in spending on PR and ad contracts were not documented, but a prior study by the minority staff of the Government Reform Committee found that spending on public relations contracts rose rapidly under the Bush administration. That report found that spending on contracts with public relations firms had increased to $88 million in 2004 from $39 million in 2000, an increase of 128%. [...]
The PR and ad contracts included providing “expert advice and support in the development of several marriage-related research initiatives,” an educational campaign regarding the “Medicare Modernization Act, and its coverage and benefits,” and a contract regarding “message development that presents the Army’s strategic perspective in the global war on terrorism,” the study said.
Meanwhile, the problem persists. A recent poll by the BBC found that…
Iran is the country most widely viewed as having a negative influence in the world, with the US in second place, a new poll for the BBC suggests.The survey for the BBC World Service asked how 39,435 people in 33 nations across the globe saw various countries.
The image of the USA around the world continues to spiral downward. This is not a new perception either. And, it’s rather illuminating and scary.
Gee. You’d think a billion dollars in advertising would surely convince American’s that Bush is doing a good job and his policies are acceptable and convince people abroad that the USA is to be loved, not hated, right? Wrong.
What could the problem be? I wonder.
