On November 4th, Apple announced a massive initiative intended to combat the housing crisis in California. The $2.5 billion plan not only marks a larger investment than Google’s previously announced $1 billion effort to combat the California housing crisis, but goes into much greater detail than Google’s initiative around how, exactly, those funds will be allocated. Apple’s ownership of its role in contributing to—and remedying—this crisis offers lessons for brands hoping to take on a social good program with substance.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Can Airbnb Convince Users of Safety after the Orinda Shooting?
November 5th, 2019 by Nicole SchumanAirbnb gives users a lot of freedom. It allows people to become entrepreneurs and host strangers in their homes. In addition, travelers can forgo expensive and occasionally bland hotels for the comforts of home, or the adventures of living as a local. But with freedom comes responsibility. After a tragic event occurred at one of its host properties, the company worked quickly to limit the PR damage.
From JUUL to Facebook, Self-Regulation is Always Bad PR
October 31st, 2019 by Justin JoffeJUUL Labs, the now ubiquitous e-cigarette manufacturer whose pocket-sized vaporizers work with its propriety pods of nicotine liquid, has found itself in a free fall over the past few months. In June, the company’s own city… Continued
Big Companies Making a Local Impact: Lessons from Past CSR Award Winners
October 29th, 2019 by Nicole Schumanost consumers get a little boost when they learn the brands they support practice an element of social good. Corporate Social Responsibility, affectionately referred to in the communications world as CSR, provides an organization with the opportunity to give back and make a difference. As the entry deadline for the 2020 PRNEWS Nonprofit/CSR Awards looms, we take a look at several past winners who really leaned into the mission of creating change.
PR Lessons From Facebook’s New Policies to Combat Disinformation
October 23rd, 2019 by Justin JoffeIt’s been an tumultuous week in Menlo Park, California. Facebook once again dominated the news cycle with a widely-maligned public speech from Mark Zuckerberg. Next was a series of new policies intended to curb hostile foreign governments from once again weaponizing the social network to influence our 2020 elections. For communicators, this saga has proved to be many things—a lens into the distrust that engulfs marketing communications, a lesson on the power of self-regulation, and a reminder of what transparency does (and doesn’t) look like in action.
8 Ways to Make Your Social Good Campaign Great
October 21st, 2019 by Meredith KlenkelControversies around GMO labeling and discrimination scandals have prompted a general need to know what happens behind the curtain of every process, from production to consumption. The overwhelming bridge between this booming demand for social responsibility and the PR pros who called to build it can only be connected by transparency and campaigns that truly stand out.
How Brands Can Evaluate a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program
October 15th, 2019 by Caysey WeltonCorporate social responsibility is a win-win program for your brand. Not only will your company be improving your stakeholders’ community, but your CSR programs can also enhance team-building efforts.
Brands Embrace Global Climate Strike Message and Action
September 20th, 2019 by Nicole SchumanToday’s Global Climate Strike includes the involvement of more than 7,000 brands, finding a kindred social responsibility with the upcoming generation. The event reveals a possible escalation within corporations to become more involved in promoting social good, and that’s getting noticed. We look at how brands are participating in the Global Climate Strike.
Biz Roundtable’s New Corporation Rests on the CEO’s View of Communicators
September 6th, 2019 by Debra Peterson, PRSAThe PRSA chair argues that the Business Roundtable’s new definition of a corporation is well suited to what communicators already do each day. They build and protect the brand, forging alliances with stakeholders. For this effort to work, though, CEOs must have full confidence in communicators and in the importance of communication.
What Happens When an Apolitical Brand Finally Takes a Stand?
September 4th, 2019 by Seth ArensteinTwo more brands stepped into the gun control debate. Walmart, which sells arms, said it would halt sales of handguns, though it will continue offering hunting rifles and ammunition. Grocery chain Kroger, which, as far as we know, doesn’t sell guns, joined Walmart in asking customers not to carry arms in its stores. Did these brands make the right call?