Stories by Steve Goldstein

Like you, perhaps, Stephanie Elsea of the American Heart Association doesn’t have an unlimited budget for videos. What she does have is firsthand experience in keeping AHA’s video strategy under budget and an arsenal of time-tested, go-to tools. Here are six of Elsea’s tried-and-true resources, as well as recommendations for when and where to use them.

At the heart of the crisis management response to an outraged community is the apology itself. An apology should have three parts: Say you are sorry; express sympathy for specific victims, real or perceived; and accept responsibility. Donald Trump has just had an opportunity to put that theory into action.

The Internet has, of course, revolutionized the way we communicate. And since public relations is at its core communication itself, PR professionals have had to make great, Darwinian leaps in the last 40 years. PR News and Havas PR teamed up for a Twitter chat to look at PR’s next evolutionary phase and the trends that will further reshape the discipline.

It’s a given that b2b leadership is focused on sales. You can use that to your advantage if you’re trying to win C-suite approval at a b2b company for investing resources in an ongoing series of Facebook Live broadcasts. Define your ideas for Facebook Live streams in terms of lead-generation and sales potential. This will also help give weight and meaning your Facebook Live metrics.

Every brand has a story to tell, says Doug Busk of Coca-Cola. While the mechanism may not be the size and scope of Journey, Coca-Cola’s digital magazine, brand-building for any organization type is a matter of leveraging the awesome opportunity of digital storytelling.

Mars Inc., owner of the Skittles brand of candy, waited five hours to release a statement in response to a tweet from Donald Trump Jr. that used an image of a bowl of Skittles and the brand name in a political message posted to Twitter. Those five hours were put to good use.

At its Platinum PR Awards luncheon in New York on Oct. 19, PR News will induct four communications campaigns into its Platinum Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honors communications campaigns or initiatives that have become inspirational benchmarks for other communicators. These are campaigns that have had a larger cultural or business impact than even their creators might have imagined.

For the third year running as part of AMEC’s September Measurement activities, we’ll be hosting a Twitter chat with some of PR News’ Measurement Hall of Famers. Mark your calendar for the Measurement Twitter Chat: Monday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m. to noon ET. Hashtag: #PRMeasure

PR News will celebrate the winners and honorable mentions of its 2016 Agency Elite Awards at its annual Platinum PR/Agency Elite Awards luncheon at New York’s Marriott Marquis on Oct. 19, 2016. The Agency Elite Awards benchmark excellence in PR agencies’ key practice areas, from advocacy, crisis communications and social media to measurement, media relations and reputation management.

Harnessing the potential of the communications/IT nexus is all about authentic relationship building and professional respect. Being a great teammate makes all the difference, regardless of your position. At the very least, PR pros should work on their (yes) communications skills with their IT counterparts so they can establish a true partnership with common goals.