PRNEWS Live welcomed Corley Kenna, director, global communications and PR, at Patagonia. We discussed Time to Vote, a bipartisan effort of 600 companies that pledges to ensure their employees have a work schedule that allows them time to vote.
Corporate Social Responsibility
A Potential Crisis on the Business Roundtable Statement’s Anniversary
August 19th, 2020 by Adam SnyderToday marks the one-year anniversary of the Business Roundtable’s Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. Corporate communication veteran Adam Snyder believes the 181 companies that signed the statement have yet to effect significant changes. He offers three ways they can start.
Survey Reaffirms Consumers are Serious About Brands Taking Stands
August 19th, 2020 by Nicole SchumanMore evidence that consumers want brands to take stands on social and political issues and act on the pledges they make. Moreover, 42 percent of consumers say they will buy from competitors if brands don’t stay true to their word, according to a new Sprout Social survey. In a related story, the Business Roundtable celebrated the one-year anniversary of its Statement of the Purpose of the Corporation. The 181 signatories pledged to remake their companies to serve society as a whole as opposed to shareholders only.
Weber Shandwick Releases and Owns Its Dismal Diversity Data
July 19th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinWeber Shandwick did a very good thing last week. It released diversity data for its senior levels. The data were dismal and the agency said as much. It also made the correct point that benchmarks are needed before you can make improvements. Though the agency needs to offer detail about how it will improve, Weber has taken a bold first step.
Unmasking The Truth Behind Retailers’ Face-Covering Rule
July 17th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinA well-known PR adage is, ‘If you don’t tell your story, someone else will.’ A bevy of major retailers has paraphrased that aphorism to fit the moment: ‘If the government doesn’t protect our employees and customers against coronavirus, we will.’ By requiring masks, these iconic brands have become healthcare policy wonks.
Communicators Say ‘We Need to Help a Confused Country’
July 17th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinIt’s July and we’re still stuck in a pandemic. By most measures, things are getting worse, not better. The country seems to be confused. We asked a group of healthcare communicators how PR pros can help at this moment. Most said the industry can and should.
A Tale of Two Companies and Employee Relations: Verizon and Airbnb
July 15th, 2020 by Nicole SchumanAs the virus continues to impact every business across the globe, there certainly are no right answers on how to tackle different companies’ economic issues. While Airbnb’s heart may have been in the right place, it also may have benefitted from some sort of interior plan instead of placing the burden on the consumer, much like Verizon’s training rollout.
Winners Announced for Top Places to Work in PR
July 12th, 2020 by PRNEWSPRNEWS surveyed an outstanding group of entries for this year’s Top Places to Work in PR. Here are the honorees.
PR Lessons from a Bizarre Friday in July
July 12th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinIt was a hot Friday in July. The perfect slow news day. But not for the world of PR, where some of the major teachings of the craft seemed to be thrown to the dustbin. See what happens when a brand CEO steps directly into politics, a brand disregards optics and the computer system of a mega-retailer goes whacky.
Storytelling Gold and Your Company’s Pandemic History
July 8th, 2020 by Jason DresselWe’re living in difficult times. Yet, the events of 2020, for good or ill, are shaping up to be storytelling gold. It’s a time for brand storytellers to gather and capture real-time history and to think more broadly about how these stories can be used.