Archive: June 2016

We live in a mobile world, so mobility is ubiquitous, right? Not so fast. While it’s true that many things are done via mobile apps, it’s not been the case with internal communications (IC). Even some top-flight technology companies are only just now introducing mobility to their intranets via smartphone apps in response to employee demand.

In our nervous-twitch environment, PR execs who provide media training often face an executive or a team that has received coaching previously. These executives or team members know—or think they know—the basics and don’t want to waste time on Training 101. They are content- and results-focused and likely lack the PR knowledge about how the 3 P’s (preparation, practice and performance) can be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful interview.

The Week in PR

In one of social’s least-surprising developments, video is booming. Exclusive data Shareablee has provided PR News is evidence that consumers are engaging with brands’ video at unprecedented levels. And with online video having an estimated ad revenue of $10 billion in the U.S. market, even Instagram, created to highlight still photos, added a whopping, by its standards, 45 seconds to its stingy 15-second video limit for non-brands; brands were granted a full minute early in 2016 to preview Super Bowl ads.

You still have another five solid months to make this your best year ever as a communicator. First, you’ll need to take stock of what you and your team have accomplished and perhaps reset priorities. Here are the seven most important areas of focus for PR leaders, according to Diane Schwartz, SVP, PR News.

Hopefully there’s time in the short months before the unperturbed seasons move onward to not only get sucked into a good story, but also to learn something new and better your professional self as well. The unfortunate reality is that on top of work, family and fun this summer there just isn’t enough time to cover everything. In the search for the perfect reading list, difficult decisions are sure to be made. In an effort to help you along the journey to literary enlightenment, here are six books from various genres that PR pros should check out this summer.

Crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter burst onto the scene in the late 2000’s, providing startup companies with an innovative and unique way to generate buzz around new products. Recently, media have tired of the crowdfunding angle and often will not cover campaigns at all. While crowdfunding can still be successful, entrepreneurs must be prepared with a strategic plan for setting and reaching their goals.

For a brand that so aligns itself with happiness and childlike wonder, it must be difficult even to address the tragedies that have occurred on and near its property recently. But since addressing them is necessary, brevity has been the name of the game when it comes to official messaging from Disney.

When House Democrats began their sit-in on June 22 to force a vote on a gun-control bill before the House of Representatives begins a scheduled vacation recess, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) put the legislative body into recess, which meant the cameras and microphones were switched off. Soon afterward, C-SPAN began broadcasting Periscope and Facebook Live feeds of the sit-in shot by various House Democrats.

With Snapchat raking in over 100 billion video views a day, it’s well past the time to say “Snapchat isn’t right for my brand.” But once you’ve locked down a witty username…what, exactly, should you be snapping to reel in the platform’s rapidly growing demographic? Carolina Valencia, senior director of corporate communications at Univision Communications, shares some jumping-off points to help you generate fresh ideas for your Snapchat content.