Archive: March 2016

Communications, Rep and ROI: Communicators will be interested in an addendum to Reputation Institute’s Global RepTrak 100, its annual list of the top 100 companies based on reputation.

It’s important for communicators to remain calm and collect the facts. In a situation where the CEO is the focus of media scrutiny, one way to do that is for communicators to play journalist and literally interview the CEO. Senior communicators should have the kind of relationship with the CEO where he or she can discuss things with communicators and confide in them.

With the plethora of tools available and an abundance of social metrics crying out for attention, what are the best metrics to measure?

Nearly half of the communicators surveyed in a poll conducted earlier this month said their organizations lack a crisis communication playbook.

Overuse of the dash is becoming an issue. You might be using it wrong, or your thoughts might be cluttered and disjointed. It’s time to stand up for restraint and examine your writing for signs of this creeping menace. Let’s get back to basics and talk about when it should and shouldn’t be used.

Any communicator who’s worked in the nonprofit space knows just how tricky it can be to stand out among the cacophony of worthy causes jockeying for donations. Havas PR and the IPLP focused on making an emotional connection with potential donors and linking up with already-existing trends to achieve their fundraising goals.

Credit is due to ad agency J. Walter Thompson and WPP for surpassing our advice on their crisis. A new CEO with a new vision, backed up by JWT’s new documentary focused on the achievements of female pioneers and leaders, all add up to an earnest response to an ugly public relations moment.

If there’s a letter in the alphabet that sprouts legs and chases PR pros through the hills and valleys of their nightmares, it’s the letter D, as in data and dashboards. Your first step in cutting them down to size: Have a clear understanding of what success looks like to senior leaders.

The C-suite’s time is limited and expensive—a recent estimation found that a one-hour meeting with executives at a mid-sized company would cost shareholders $30,000 per hour. These three measurement tips will help focus your PR reports to ensure they line up with executives’ priorities.

“Storytelling” is a trendy concept in the world of PR and marketing that implies elevating your work to a realm of artistry. But every story has a first step, so start at the beginning and don’t ignore the foundation of what makes a story effective.