Ahmadinejad Named PR Person of the Year

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, APR, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been named PR Person of the Year for 2006 by the popular PR industry trade journal Strumpette.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) October 1, 2006 -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, APR, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been named PR Person of the Year for 2006 by the popular PR industry trade journal Strumpette.

"For sticking to his guns and reshaping global politics in a single press tour... Ahmadinejad came to what certainly would be considered the enemy camp, took the microphone and presented his side of the story with overwhelming success," said Amanda Chapel, managing editor of Strumpette.

Strumpette's Person of the Year Award is given to the person who most affected the events of the year, for better or for worse. A panel of nine recognized leaders in the Public Relation industry from North America, Europe, and Asia selected the winners from dozens of nominations by peers around the world.

Other finalists this year that have used the media to further their own agendas include:

- The ever strident orator Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez for delivering a sensational impersonation of Nikita Khrushchev's shoe-banging attack on the US at the UN in 1960.
- Former president William Jefferson Clinton for his recent finger-jabbing tirade on "Fox News Sunday," saying that he "really really" tried to kill Osama bin Laden while the Bush administration dropped the ball.
- And Zelig-like celebrity blogger and Edelman SVP, Steve Rubel, for no more than having a blog and being able to generate enough hype to insert himself broadly far beyond his actual PR experience on the Vespa account.

Chapel said, "Rubel was our choice but Mahmoud surprised us all with his overwhelming eleventh-hour showing. He humanized a totally negative image; neutralized his detractors with half-truths and artful dodges; and simultaneously galvanized a growing anti-American sentiment throughout the world. And he did it all on American soil using our right to free speech and our liberal media... presenting himself as a peacemaker all while he's BUILDING A BOMB for Christ's sake! Seriously, as far as PR goes, it doesn't get any better."

Last week, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited New York to address the 192 members of the 61st session of the UN General Assembly. There he reasserted his country's right to nuclear technology. He also questioned authority and legitimacy of Security Council with regard to imposing sanctions on Iran for its suspected program to develop nuclear weapons. Outside the General Assembly hall, Ahmadinejad went on a whirlwind successful media blitz.

For more information, see http://www.strumpette.com/archives/196-Ahmadinejad-Named-PR-Person-of-the-Year.html .

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