Call it Research Emotion. As embattled Research in Motion CEO Thorsten Heins goes on a PR offensive today — proclaiming in a letter published in Canada's Globe & Mail newspaper that the company is going to come back bigger and better, and will "empower people like never before" — the BlackBerry-maker is also mounting a charm offensive on social media. 

To wit: "To honor the 1 Million Team BlackBerry members who follow @BlackBerry on Twitter, the @BlackBerry social media community managers unite to celebrate what makes each follower #1inaMillion." See the responses to customers on on Twitter and on the brand's YouTube channel.

The moves won't restore the 5,000 jobs the company just shed, reverse a "dismal" quarter or make the BlackBerry 10 appear this year. And yes, the company could have demonstrated more gratitude and outreach to customers before it came to the brink — but maybe it will be enough to keep some of them from abandoning the brand before its new product pipeline delivers the goods.

Amazon believes it has a currency that states will value — the promise of thousands of new jobs — in its intensifying efforts to avoid the imposition of state sales taxes, something that could become a significant blow to the business model that has helped the online retailer rank as one of history's biggest winners on the internet.

The latest offer is to California: a pledge to create 7,000 full-time jobs in the state over the next four years, mostly in new distribution centers ... if California will give Amazon a reprieve from the state's new internet-sales tax for the next three years.

Amazon's proposal to the Golden State follows its similar offer to Texas to create 4,000 jobs there. Amazon also wants Texas to stop chasing $269 million in "uncollected" sales taxes on past purchases, a matter that is in the courts. That may be why Amazon even sweetened its offer to Texas to 5,000 jobs.Continue reading...

Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV broadcasters in the UK, this summer launched its first ever advertising campaign. The consortium's debut commercial featured, not surprisingly, a litany of classic UK commercials.

While that first ad focused on television's ability to create long-term memories, and hence value, for brands, the just-released second spot (above) illustrates the power of advertising with Harvey, the wonder pet no home should be without.

One quibble: we're not entirely convinced by the music selected. It may do the job thematically, but the rocking Bachman Turner Overdrive classic also undercuts the retro charm of the visuals. We were thinking of something more along the lines of this classic, if the set-up had been Harvey vs. a rival mutt. Your thoughts?

Big bank Goldman Sachs is trying to repair its reputation, damaged by charges of civil fraud and a criminal investigation — never mind an embarrassment of riches in the firm's report of over $13 billion of net earnings in 2009.

So it may come as no surprise that Goldman Sachs is reportedly considering everything from an ad campaign to an appearance on The Oprah Show by CEO Lloyd Blankfein.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Fiona Laffan, head of media relations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Goldman Sachs, publicly stated that "mistrust and hatred of bankers, not just those at Goldman Sachs, remained near an all-time high and that the bank, as an industry leader, needed to do a better job of explaining what it did and how."

Goldman Sachs has already gone on the offensive.Continue reading...