Stories by Ivette Achong

Public service announcements (PSAs) are an effective tool for creating awareness about a cause or issue, while generating visibility for nonprofit organizations. Although media outlets are no longer required to air PSAs, TV and radio stations use these announcements regularly to fill unsold airtime and as a community service.

No longer a “nice to have,” CSR programs have become de rigueur among brands and organizations of all stripes. PR News’ CSR Awards run the gamut, from Cause Branding to Environmental Stewardship to Social Good.

While many PR pros and communicators landed salary increases last year, the percentage increases (for the most part) were nothing to write home about.

The numbers are staggering. According to the 2013 Teradata-Driven Marketing Survey, 71% of marketing professionals plan to pursue big data deployment in the next two years.

As more and more brands engage those followers who produce user-generated content via social channels, Paramount Pictures’ move is a bit of head scratcher.

The keys to Jack Link’s success were developing and leveraging the “Feed Your Wild Side” brand position, and executing an annual media relations program to shift perceptions, build stronger consumer relationships, and drive sales.

Whatever the case, the gap continues to narrow between what “they,” the C-suite, know and what “we” (employees) don’t.

By acting thoughtfully and strategically, you will demonstrate your business acumen, provide informed counsel and get the information you need to move forward with your work.

In a digital age editing copy no longer means making sure “just the facts” are presented in an inverted pyramid. Now, editors need to focus first on whether the writer is telling a good story—and if it can be summarized in a 140-character tweet.

Depending on how much access they have toward the C-suite, PR pros can enhance their value by counseling senior managers to be more transparent when communicating to the rank-and-file as well as other stakeholders.