PR Insiders

On Jan. 23 in New York, PR News celebrated its 2018 Top Women in PR. These inspiring women have risen above the crowd to make a difference in their workplaces and in their communities, both as communications professionals and as mentors to other women. We took some time out at the luncheon to speak with some of them on camera.

It’s not often we get a close-up look at how communicators handle crises. Brad Ross, executive director of communications for Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), takes us through a difficult week, day by day. In the end, TTC feels that being honest and transparent and apologizing will re-build the reputation hits it absorbs after a difficult week on the rails. It might take a little bit of time, though.

Kevin Elliott, U.S. director, risk & crisis communications practice at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, has a favorite aphorism about crisis management: “If you treat a bad day like a crisis, you’ll turn it into one. And if… Continued

Comedian/actor Jim Carrey has begun a campaign to dump Facebook due to the company’s profiting off fake news and ads it sold to Russian agents during the U.S. presidential election. Part of Carrey’s beef is that Facebook still isn’t doing enough to stop it. He’s removed his Facebook page, given up his Facebook shares and urges concerned investors to do the same. Should Facebook consider Carrey’s actions a crisis or a bad day?

For those unfamiliar, blockchain is the underlying technology of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies that enables open, anonymous and secure transactions. As traditional businesses and enterprises were introduced to blockchains, however, their visions for applications have ranged far and wide — as has the hyperbole of its promises. Now, before we go any further, I have to get something out of way: Blockchain is not a cure-all. It will not revolutionize every facet of human life. Now that that’s covered, let’s focus on how the hype came to be, and how communicators should really be talking about it.

It’s a relative walk in the park when a PR pro is asked to create messaging around a glamorous or high-profile event. Perhaps the mark of a great PR pro is when you are able to craft compelling messages around a seemingly routine event or product. Here’s a mini-case study of how communicators created buzz around the renovation of the San Diego Convention Center.

The speed of communications is ever-increasing, and new channels are constantly emerging. There’s also a greater need to micro-target messages using interconnected cross-platform campaigns to create a continuous story experience. But getting the basics right still applies.

Failure, my friends, is the F word I am referring to and the word that so many business leaders tout as the holy grail to get ahead. You’ve heard it so many times: fail fast, learn… Continued

At the PR News Top Women in PR Luncheon on January 23 keynoter Melissa Bernstein of toy company Melissa & Doug shared all the misses among the hits of puzzles, toys and stuffed animals over the company’s 30 years. At their headquarters in Wilton, CT, there’s a whole room dedicated to failure—toys that seemed like such a good idea until they weren’t. As Melissa pointed out, it’s only through repeated failure that she’s found great success.

Failure, my friends, is the F word I am referring to and the word that so many business leaders tout as the holy grail to get ahead. You’ve heard it so many times: fail fast, learn and grow. If only it were easy to fail successfully. At the PR News Top Women in PR Luncheon on… Continued

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