You can never be sure that a rocket will launch successfully, and if it doesn't, it can blow up in your face, as public relations company Hill & Knowlton has discovered. Earlier this week, Hill & Knowlton issued a press release through the post announcing that one of its clients, the aerospace division of United States giant Hughes Aircraft, ended last year by successfully launching the AsiaSat 3 satellite on December 23. The release was dated December 15 in Los Angeles but the letter containing the announcement was franked January 7, 1998 and was sent from Hill & Knowlton's Hong Kong offices. Unfortunately for Hill & Knowlton, the launch was far from successful. AsiaSat 3 did not reach its designated orbit after launching at Christmas, which means that the exercise has been a costly failure. Perhaps Hill & Knowlton lives in a parallel universe. When contacted to ask why the release had been sent out, a staff member called Bobo said she was completely unaware of the launch failure. News Corp executives seem to have developed a habit of falling foul of the law in India. A couple of years ago chairman Rupert Murdoch had a warrant issued for his arrest because of an item on the News Corp-owned Star TV about the country's first national leader, Mahatma Gandhi. Now Delhi High Court has summonsed Star TV chief executive Gary Davey to appear in court on January 28 on allegations he aired obscene movies. If he fails to turn up, Justice Anil Dev Singh says Star TV's Indian advertising and subscription revenues should be remitted to his court. US comedian Jerry Seinfeld has been playing the role-of-a-lifetime since announcing that he is packing in his hit comedy series. American Express Co will soon unveil a commercial in which Seinfeld appears as Superman. Made by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in New York, part of the WPP Group, the commercial combines live action shots of Seinfeld with a cartoon Superman. It is the first time an animated Superman has appeared with a celebrity for an advertisement. Getting the two superstars to appear in the same spot has been simplified because the rights to Superman are owned by DC Comics, a unit of Time Warner, which also owns Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced Seinfeld's hit TV show.
