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Shareablee data for 2021 show an 18 percent increase in consumer engagement versus 2020. Yet 2021’s consumer engagement was off a whopping 60 percent from 2019’s pre-pandemic figures across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

There are a number of organizations that are not in tune with their constituencies. The most obvious recent example is the European Super League, which went from a press release to dissolution in four days. It took longer for all the problems plaguing the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and its signature awards, the Golden Globes, to emerge. But both PR disasters resulted from being totally out of touch with stakeholders.

This case study on Trader Joe’s shows how quickly organizations, even those with very good reputations, can find themselves in a PR mess, particularly when leadership seems out of touch with stakeholders and the forces of social media and public opinion become involved

We know that PR can be a powerful tool to complement marketing efforts. However, within some technology companies, teams may downplay the importance of PR–often because they think it’s not as tangibly measurable as other activities.

Diversity and inclusion continue to be at the forefront of necessary change in the PR industry (and beyond). As such, communicators should be crafting inclusive messaging. Among their considerations should be race, gender and identification, sexual orientation, religion and disability, along with other factors. To create inclusive messaging, PR pros need to look beyond their unintentional biases.

When pitching, we must reframe our approach to effective emailing—which ultimately is defined not by how we communicate, but by how we connect with our words. Only after adopting this approach can we begin to master the art of communication and build genuine rapport in digital exchanges across cultures.

Research is more accessible now to more professional communicators. What’s more, communication technology platforms are ubiquitous and at many price points…some cost nothing! With free and low-cost technology, the decision to measure, even with a modest budget, is a matter of willingness rather than ability.

With the arrival on April 22 of Earth Day, our History column looks at the largely unknown role several PR pros played in developing awareness for environmental CSR.

There’s one thing you can say about social media–sometimes it helps remove doubt. It goes to a principle that communicators know well: Nothing disappears once it’s posted on social media.

Creativity and authenticity also are at the heart of Ninja’s social media search for a Smoothie Bowl Sommelier. After a nationwide search in late January, Ninja chose Gillean Barkyoumb, a registered dietician with 8,000 followers on Instagram. We asked Sasha Hartman, SVP, director, global creative and digital at SharkNinja, about why Ninja chose a micro-influencer and specifically Barkyoumb.