Stories by Ian James Wright

Want to create a powerful video ad on Instagram that will get people to stop scrolling and pay attention? First, you have to know your brand story, but then it’s important to communicate in the correct visual language. You don’t want to be salesy, you want to be relational.

So you’ve been thinking about finally getting started with a brand Snapchat account, and all of a sudden, a new competitor comes along: Instagram Stories. An admitted copycat of Snapchat, Instagram Stories seems like a platform where you could produce the same content, which would be viewed in the same way. What’s your next move? Flip a coin?

Starbucks released a new cup design to celebrate community Nov. 1, and in a very much precedented turn of events, people are upset about it. A misperception that this is the 2016 design for Starbucks’ annual holiday cup plus a side of political baggage has made for some heated Twitter commentary.

When you see the high-quality, professionally recorded, intensely edited videos that some brands put out there, you may be pessimistic about what you can do on a small or nonexistent budget with nothing but your smartphone. But don’t mentally connect pedestrian equipment with pedestrian results. The content is the thing.

PR News celebrated the agencies that set benchmarks of excellence in client PR efforts, as well as internally, at its annual awards luncheon Oct. 19, where the 2016 Platinum PR Awards were also celebrated. Florencia Lozano of “Narcos” and comedian Aparna Nancherla were on hand to present awards to recipients.

In PR, it’s crucial to get a point across without writing a sprawling essay; in this way, we can all learn from Dylan. Though he wrote many a long-winded song, he also had a way with a pithy one-liner that sticks with people. These are lines that could serve as epigrams to novels and slogans on protest signs—and 50 bucks says that all of the below have been tattooed on somebody at some point.

In the new update being rolled out, auto advance is no more. Users will be returned to the story list, unless they use the new story playlist feature, tapping the thumbnail image of each story they want to view and then seeing all of those stories in order.

Snap Inc. is preparing for an initial public offering as early as late March, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The potential valuation: $25 billion. Those following Snapchat’s history may remember that Facebook offered a $3 billion buyout in 2013, which CEO Evan Spiegel turned down.

Google on Tuesday unveiled its new Pixel smartphone (and the slightly larger Pixel XL) at the #MadeByGoogle keynote. Capitalizing on the timing of the iPhone 7 announcement a month ago—and the controversy over its lack of a headphone jack—Google positioned its new offering as a favorable alternative for those who aren’t willing to follow Apple’s path.

Since Instagram Stories was released in early August amid accusations of it being a Snapchat ripoff, users have quickly warmed to the new feature—and that includes brands. What are brands communicating via this new platform? Let’s take a look at some of the Stories posted in the past 24 hours to find out how this evanescent medium is being put to use, and see if we can glean some lessons about what makes them effective.