RED CROSS MARKETING

The American Red Cross spent more than $500,000 over the past three years on efforts to raise its profile, reports The Washington Post. It paid $127,000 to a Houston company to promote Marsha J. Evans, its chief executive who stepped down last year, as the public face of the organization. The charity also paid a Beverly Hills, Calif., company more than $110,000 to promote the Red Cross in Hollywood and secure a role for the charity in television and movie plot lines. The spending came as the Red Cross was laying off workers and eliminating merit pay and travel expenses. The charity defended the expenditures, saying they helped get Ms. Evans speaking engagements and improve the charity’s image, thereby enabling it to raise more money.