The British cosmetics firm Body Shop has used favorable PR to build its image of "corporate social responsibility." Founder and boss Anita Roddick, dubbed by some the "Mother Theresa of capitalism," has built her company into a $700-million-a-year enterprise with over 1,050 stores in 45 countries.

Recent investigative articles in Business Ethics and In These Times have dug beneath the hype to reveal that Body Shop has misled customers about the safety and purity of its products and the extent to which its sales benefit indigenous cultures.

Rather than admit the error, the Body Shop hired public relations specialist Frank Mankiewicz. A former president of National Public Radio, Mankiewicz assailed her former NPR colleagues for running a piece critical of the Body Shop. Incredibly, NPR responded by pulling all records of the story from public-accessible databanks and removing the original NPR reporter and editor from the story (PR Watch, fourth quarter 1994, 3318 Gregory St., Madison, WI 53711).

From the makers of the Hard Rock Cafe comes the Hard Rock Hotel, a 339-room, 11-story rock 'n' roll temple/casino hand-tailored for Generation X. Two million dollars have been injected into the memorabilia budget alone, meaning casino patrons can feast their eyes on a Pearl Jam surfboard, an Elvis (Presley) gold lame jacket, and a billboard for an old Doors record. The casino will also feature piano-shaped roulette tables, guitar-armed slot machines, and $25 chips emblazoned with Jimi Hendrix's face. Conscious gamers can play "environmentally active" slot machines while rain forest depletion numbers are tallied on a board spanning the length of the casino. The hotel rooms will be furnished with 27-inch stereo televisions with cable and music channels. Cabanas, also equipped with TV sets, will surround the pool (a lagoon with a sand bottom). Free-range chickens and eggs, organic produce, and vegetarian alternatives will be featured on all menus, as well as through room service. And just when it seems as though it couldn't get any better, the Hard Rock's 11,000 square-foot club promises to attract the likes of rock 'n' roll performers Sheryl Crow and Stone Temple Pilots. Call (800) HRD-ROCK.

Absolut Ads aren't the only ones pumping the blood of American youth. Now, courtesy of indie go-getters Beyond the Wall, there's a catalog devoted entirely to hawking wall-size ads. The glossy, full-color publication is just like a regular magazine, only without the editorial. As Beyond the Wall co-founder Brian Gordon says, "College students don't like to read. Our catalog cuts through the clutter." Backed by corporate sponsors such as Levi Strauss, Union Bay, Nike, Reebok, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and Sony paying $40,000 a page, Beyond the Wall is an ideal way for advertisers to reach the college market -- using "art." Wonderbra ads, for example, feature a sultry, full-figured gal wearing only a black lace model and the tagline "Double Major." Advertising Age notes, "Wonderbra knows men are ordering its sexy poster more than women and that's OK." (Ad Age, Jan. 30, 1995)

Of course, the fact that huge wall ads should pass as art isn't so surprising at a time when the federal government prepares to slash funding for the arts. The savvy arts council director knows how to pitch the arts to corporate sponsors. Just look at the Super Bowl, one director says, and you'll see artists galore. Graphic artists for uniforms, logos, NFL fashion; videographers and copywriters, and animation freaks for commercials (Super Bowl ads were $2 million a minute -- better make it good); the phalanx of half-time lip-syncers, dancers, musicians, directors, choreographers. Not asking for no handout, just good business. (The Nation, Feb. 6, 1995)