PR Agencies

In a far-ranging interview, new PRSA chair T. Garland Stansell discusses the need for PR pros to be courageous enough to accept and shape change, his goals for the 30,000-member organization and the challenges of communications measurement.

Plenty of PR pros have made predictions for the year ahead. We go farther. As we embark into a new decade of opportunities, what will PR look like in 2030? A trio of brave PR prognosticators looks 10 years hence. In spite of huge technological change, at least one PR pro sees relationships maintaining their importance in 2030.

Ethics has long been a hallmark of public relations. In this fourth and final installment of PRNEWS’ 2020 predictions, the theme of ethics seemed to dominate. Whether it be in technology, storytelling or writing, several of our prognosticators emphasized ethics’ importance in the coming year.

In the second of a multi-part series of predictions, several PR pros anticipate a rise in the need for crisis communications in 2020. They also see rises in diversity and inclusion as well as transparency. There also will be a need for storytelling that allows consumers to escape from the noise of the 2020 elections.

On this day of giving, a former service member and current PR professional, Anthony LaFauce, recalls receiving care packages during the holidays while being deployed. Though he remembers the packages fondly, he urges PR pros to think about those we represent year round, not just during this time of year.

Depending on where you live you might have the winter blues. Believe it or not, this is a real condition. As you will read in this case study, Arizona used the winter blues as part of a social campaign to encourage tourism. Turns out Arizona is the country’s sunniest state.

Top Places to Work and Agency Elite Awards keynoter Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO of Pure Performance Communications, and PRNEWS content manager, Nicole Schuman, sat down for a discussion regarding Breakenridge’s research on emotional intelligence. They also covered how the infusion of empathy can improve communications efforts not only in the office, but throughout an overall brand strategy.

Important lessons can emerge from tragedy. For Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO at Pure Performance Communications, the loss of a young family member inspired her to look at the communication gaps between millennials and other generations. Breakenridge will keynote PRNEWS’ Top Places to Work and Agency Elite Awards in November.

Veteran PR pro Arthur Solomon assembles a checklist comprising the traits he thinks would make the perfect PR pro. The idea for this exercise is based on an assignment a brand executive gave him years ago, when he was with Burson-Marsteller. Despite the myriad changes in PR since that time, the traits he chose then don’t seem very different from those he says he’d pick today. They include a mix of media relations skills, integrity, and creative thinking.

The new Chief Strategy Officer at FleishmanHillard, Marjorie Benzkofer, talks to us about how she keeps 4,000 employees working in concert and why brands continue to struggle aligning their values and actions.