INRIX PR Firms Uses Location with Interesting Results!

I just received the “social media package” from Weber Shandwick (PR) on the second annual traffic scorecard put out by traffic company INRIX. (press release) The package is nice and includes some interactive maps and a video on the findings. Bottom line: ” a more than 30 percent decline in traffic throughout the US.”

A moment later I received another news alert from Weber Shandwick. This time highlighting that “Chicago 3rd Worst City for Traffic.” The short e-mail provided the top ten list with Chicago indeed at number three and included gory details on that city’s traffic along with a pointer to the study noted above.

Why did the PR firm send me info on Chicago? Because Directions Media’s mailing address is in Illinois. That, the PR logic goes, means our publication covers local news (we don’t) and thus would want to feature the nearby big city (we don’t). So, it’s great the PR industry is being spatial. It just doesn’t always work.