PR advice for Vick: Don't pass on charity

The PR machine is in full tilt for Michael Vick.

But the Eagles' newest player needs to do a lot more than appear on television, be photographed with poodles, or express remorse for the dogfighting scandal that sent him to jail, local marketing and public relations professionals say.

He needs to walk the walk: Do meaningful charity and community service, and actively fight against animal abuse such as the case that landed him in the slammer.

"If I was running his PR, I'd say, 'Look, dude, you are going to have to demonstrate that you are a big crime fighter against this,' " said Jan Talamo, cofounder and chief creative officer of the Star Group in Cherry Hill.

Talamo said he would advise Vick to become aligned with the Philadelphia Police Department to rid the city of animal cruelty. "I'd have him in city neighborhoods that are hot spots for dogfighting to speak at town-hall meetings and educate people."

Peter Madden, founder and president of AgileCat marketing in Philadelphia, said: "People want to see contrition. It needs to be meaningful and it needs to be consistent."

"Michael Vick needs to make sure his off-field performance matches or outweighs his on-field performance," Madden said. "He needs to take this to an entirely other level, doing real charity, real community service, and just stay the heck out of any limelight."

David Neff, president of Neff Associates advertising and public relations in Center City, said Vick "must become a poster child for animal rights."

"I would have him actively pursue a campaign in inner cities across America against abuse of dogs and animals," Neff said. "He has to be aggressive and proactive in his approach."

But St. Joseph's University marketing professor David Allan said Vick and the Eagles would need to "tread slowly because people are going to think it's contrived."

"I think he's going to have to form a foundation, a nonprofit, with total community ties."

"And, by the same token, he's going to have to keep his nose clean," Allan said. "He's going to have to stay out of bars, stay out of trouble, be careful of who he hangs around with and where he's seen. He's not going to want to be on South Street at 2 a.m."

Local marketing professionals expressed surprise that the Eagles had signed Vick. "It came down to they needed a backup quarterback," Allan said. "They decided the potential of him was worth the pain."