Stories by Seth Arenstein

On the surface, Equifax seemed to respond to its data breach in textbook fashion. It issued an apology both in writing and in a video. The brand also set up a web site where consumers could check if their data had been compromised. A deeper dive, though, shows Equifax may have committed several costly errors in terms of crisis response. An early lesson from Equifax’s crisis is that merely having a crisis plan is not enough. Execution of the plan is critical, too.

Our weekly roundup of trends, news and personnel moves in PR and marketing. This week’s page includes stories about President Trump’s possible communications change, J&J’s powder burn and two firms open their 5th offices.

PR News asked a cross-section of senior communicators and academics to share their responses to this question: How can public relations leaders become stronger strategic business advisers as the lines between PR, digital and marketing continue to blur? Their responses varied widely, although most agreed that being attuned to business goals is of primary importance.

It is a surprise that video is growing like a mushroom on Facebook? Provided exclusively to PR News, Shareablee data for the first half of 2017 bears this out for B2B brands, with Informatica leading the pack. Mark Zuckerberg will be pleased.

In this regular feature we ask PR leaders to tell us about people who’ve influenced their career, the best advice they’ve received and trends they’ve spotted. This week’s interview is with Heather Dueitt, director, marketing/communications, at NoteVault. She discusses lessons learned about social media.

Similar to a good newspaper or news site, a good content strategy is a combination of structure and spontaneity. We talked with Grubhub’s social media director Mallorie Rosenbluth to find out the brand’s recipe for creating such delicious content that’s both planned and spontaneous.

Facebook’s unveiling of Watch should come as little surprise to those who’ve been following the moves of the world’s largest social media platform. It’s a further blurring of the line between traditional TV and online video. It will also provide a place where brands can deposit their long-form content. But a warning: Watch allows viewers to comment on its “shows” in real time, so the bar should be high.

Oracle’s global director of social media Steve Moskovitz goes into depth about how the brand organizes and measures social media. He argues B2B brands continue to put too much emphasis on numbers of followers and likes. In addition, brands miss the point of social when they push sales as opposed to providing informative content for audience members.

Communicators spend many of their waking hours thinking of creative ways to break through the clutter and get their messages heard. For a few, this concern makes an appearance during their dreams, too. This likely is not the case with communicators and marketers who have the pleasure of promoting the match between undefeated, un-retired boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr., and mixed martial arts king Conor McGregor.

Podcasts are becoming more mainstream and so are finding their place in the tool kits of brand communicators. Are they right for your brand? If so, what should the podcast cover? Should it be a thinly veiled sales pitch or a storytelling vehicle that barely mentions your brand by name? We ask a pair of podcast veterans for best practices.