Digital & Technology

Dr. Julie Albright will join us for a fireside chat at PRNEWS’ Digital PR Awards breakfast on October 18 in NY. We’ll discuss her provocative research, what this shift away from old, “nuclear family” models of the American Dream means for communicators, and the role we play in adjusting to these seismically shifting cultural behaviors.

A look at why these branded podcasts are working provides many strong lessons for communicators about the merits of the medium.

Aligning your brand with your website is all about consistency, core messaging, and audience appeal. How can you make sure your website is compelling to your audience and encouraging return visits? Some pros on the front lines weigh in.

The New York Times reported Facebook receiving a record $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission in regards to “deceiving users about their ability to control the privacy of their personal data.” Facebook also received a $100 million penalty from the Securities and Exchange Commission for neglecting to inform investors about the risks of utilizing private data. To top it all off? The FTC ordered Facebook to hold themselves accountable and increase transparency surrounding data practices by creating a privacy committee.

Because reputation lies at the heart of public relations, organizations have come to determine their own definitions of brand safety as digital marketing evolves. Brand safety is no longer solely about ad placements, but has grown to include associations with malevolent sentiment, influencers’ stodgy backgrounds and unfortunate algorithmic decisions.

Amazon’s Accelerator program, launched in spring 2018, provides select manufacturers with prioritized exposure in exchange for commitment to marketing on the platform. Amazon offers placement at the top of search results in addition to feedback and shipping logistics assistance, on the condition that businesses meet sales quotas and dedicate branding to the conglomerate platform. The deal may sound like a no-brainer for struggling enterprises and start-ups in need of publicity, but coming under the protection of the tech giant’s umbrella could mean signing away native audiences and the potential for independent PR.

Yesterday, Bloomberg cited a 2018 Pew Research Center study that found YouTube to be the most popular online platform among those in rural America—at 59 percent—drawing more eyes than Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more. This trend comes bundled with some strong takeaways for communicators about why how-to, service-oriented content always does well and why YouTube is a more powerful platform for engagement than many PR Pros realize.

Social media guru and Thrillist audience development director Erin Weaver served up wisdom backed by personal flare at PRNEWS’ Digital Bootcamp yesterday, emphasizing the value of content and illustrating for the audience why excelling at Google Analytics is a goal worth prioritizing.

Whether or not Alexa or Siri are your best girlfriends, public relations practitioners should research and explore the extent to which their organizations use AI and its performance. According to the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute: “AI is the umbrella term for the algorithms, technologies and techniques that make machines smarter, and give them superhuman capabilities.” While AI may seem smart enough to set and forget, responsible pr pros should lean in to the learning, advantages and possible disadvantages the tools may provide.

Nearly all communicators use technology in their daily work. In healthcare, though, technology surrounds communicators and the practitioners they work with each day. Ahead of next week’s PRNEWS Top Women in Healthcare Communications awards luncheon in NY, we asked several awards finalists to discuss communications, technology and how to maintain a human touch.