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The recession has prompted a growing number of marketers to play up the perceived value of packaged foods as they seek to capitalize on the opportunity presented by consumers’ dining out less. “But shoppers eager to save money are trading down from full-price, brand-name fare to cheaper private labels and store brands,” Stuart Elliott wrote for the New York Times . “That means advertisers concerned about losing market share must make persuasive arguments about the value propositio…

If your company has stepped into sponsored conversations—paying bloggers or tweeters to write about a product or service—which department is handling it? An informal survey found that more companies are handing this responsibility to advertising departments instead of PR or communication departments. “True, sponsored conversation is paid media, and paid media has historically been handled by ad agencies,” wrote Bateman PR’s Bill Bourdon. “Yet, how could our counterpart…

By many accounts, President Obama’s meeting with GOP House leaders was a success — for the White House. “[Obama], groping for a new strategy after the Massachusetts defeat, seemed to find the perfect foundation for one Friday: direct engagement with the GOP in front of a national TV audience,” Politico reported. Turns out the Republicans were hesitant about televising the exchange, but bowed to pressure at the last minute — a decision they regretted. “Sources say that …

You know these people; they are the troublemakers on your staff and there’s at least one in every office.

Maybe you’ve seen the General Motors commercial and Web site, re:invention, based around the company’s—you guessed it—reinvention. But have you noticed the mock Web site and video, re:tardation, which takes a jab at GM? So far, the automaker has officially remained silent.

Hope you have your sea legs for this one. Video of 30-foot waves pummeling the Antarctic cruise ship MV Clelia II as it navigated rough waters is spreading across the Web. The  dramatic video — at the 20-second mark things get wild — shows the nauseating ride. The waves broke a starboard bridge window and “doused some electrical circuitry” causing the ship to limp northward, reports CNN . The ship is reportedly underway again and is expected to arrive in Argentina early on Fr…

News agencies turned to Twitter and its new list function to help distill and disseminate information about the shooting at Fort Hood on Thursday. “Lists being created by major news brands are providing some of the best coverage, as they offer a real-time view of what multiple sources — both local and national — are reporting,” Mashable ’s Adam Ostrow wrote. Ostrow offered a few examples of how some news organizations are putting the lists to work.

At the recent PRSA conference, Charlene Li, a social media analyst and co-author of the book Groundswell, gave a sneak preview of her comprehensive list of social media trends for 2011. The two big trends Li is watching as the year winds down are the rise of “social data” and the “social search,” according to  Catching Flack blog. How much do you know about these topics? — Claire Celsi

Punch Communications, a boutique PR Agency in England, identified five reasons why companies should embrace public relations during the current recession. Here’s no. 1: “Audiences still consume information through the media, regardless of economy—the economy isn’t going to stop people reading the media.”

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta is hiring a communications associate. The communications associate will be responsible for writing and editing content for the school’s Web site, newsletters, alumni magazine, and collateral. He or she will also oversee PR efforts with local, regional, and national media. Read more about this job.

We all use them — after all, buzzword has become a buzzword. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it, or continue to put up with it. Maybe we could call an end to buzzwords. Right. Now. Of course, first we have to identify them. Good thing San Diego-based Mynt Public Relations did an unscientific poll on the PR profession’s worst buzzwords. Here are just a few: cutting edge, game changer, attention mode, presser. There are many, many more.  Have a look . What’s missing?…

Got a story you think would be great for a blog? Make sure you consider not only how the blog’s readers will respond to the story, but also how it will benefit the person behind the blog. At least that’s the advice from Darren Rowse at ProBlogger . “The key is to find a way to not only deliver value to yourself and their readers – but to them [the bloggers] also,” Rowse wrote.

While most industry organizations, like the Public Relations Society of America, offer scholarships and programs for minority college students, a nonprofit in Minneapolis-St. Paul called BrandLab is gearing a new program at students in local high schools that “includes classroom curricula, internships, scholarships and even office-tour field trips,” reports The New York Times .

Does the world need another Twitter-like application with a silly name? Judge for yourself. Blellow lets people connect according to projects. So if you’re in the middle of a giant freelance assignment and need some advice, check Blellow for someone working on a similar project.

You probably know “that” guy. According to social media consultant Jimmy Gilmore, “that” guy — or gal, it could also be a gal — is a “cliché agency jerk,” who “thinks SEO is someone else’s job.” Gilmore provided 10 signs for identifying “that” guy. “So please, if you recognize any of these behaviors as something you or your colleagues do, please do your best to put a stop to it,” he wrote.