PR News Blogger Network

Fictitious ad man Don Draper of the AMC hit series Mad Men famously said, “If you don’t like what is being said, then change the conversation” (season 3, episode 2). While it’s inadvisable to take business… Continued

If you’re looking at an electronic screen as I write this, there’s a good chance you have a craving for a Hershey’s Kiss or two or 10, or for a Hershey bar with almonds, or… Continued

You’re halfway through what’s been a rather interesting year in business, politics, brand successes and blunders and Game of Thrones developments. Which is to say: you still have another five solid months to make this… Continued

Portraits in the hallway. Your team. Resumes. The About Us page on your website. When you look closely at the things and people you’re surrounded by every day at work, do you get the sense… Continued

“I just want to get away from it all” is a popular refrain, especially around vacation time. It could be one of the reasons reality shows about Alaska have been so popular—uncharted territory can be… Continued

If that new car you’re shopping for doesn’t have the latest bells and whistles, it’s likely you’ll opt for the one that sports the coolest technology and whose dashboard displays practically everything except your blood… Continued

Conversing one-on-one reminds me of writing by hand—they’re both modes of communication that have been eroded by the electronic screens that are perpetually in front of our faces. There’s an important distinction to be made… Continued

Are these signs of the times? Last week a sports announcer was pilloried for what some felt was an inappropriate remark. The University of Virginia men’s basketball team in the Elite 8 of the NCAA… Continued

PwC—one of the biggest global names among audit and tax consulting companies—is decreasing its press release output by 75% and shifting its communications emphasis to Snapchat and LinkedIn blogs, among other mobile, digital platforms. Megan… Continued

As a former reporter, I received my share of misguided story pitches, voice mails asking if I received the press release and invitations to parties and lunches followed by product pitches. I’ve also been on… Continued

Well, it’s almost a wrap on 2016, and what a year it’s been. I’ll bet you thought those presidential primaries would never end. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration. It only feels like the last five weeks… Continued

“Don’t talk to strangers!” That was the advice many of us received as children. No one told us when to start talking to strangers again (at 19? 22? 43?) We had to figure that one… Continued

The buzz surrounding this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was predictably ubiquitous and positive. Even the taxi driver who picked me up from the airport was talking drones and smart homes. Surely, when you have 170,000 people… Continued

We've all had to deal with unhappy customers, whatever our line of work. If you're an agency PR pro, you have to respond to unsatisfied clients from time to time. If you're an in-house PR… Continued

Let’s assume you are brilliant.  And you’re an inspiration to your peers, an asset to your organization.  Let’s also assume that while you’re an A-player you still have a lot to learn. As the late,… Continued

Please visit your local mom-and-pop shops this holiday season. Go to that toy store that's been around for 65 years and which just suffered another humiliating rent increase. Buy your wrapping paper at the greeting… Continued

Now is the time of year when we dispense a lot of thanks. Yet after the ball drops in Times Square and we start referring to the year 2016, the amount of thanking we do… Continued

What happens when you gather more than 400 of the best communicators in a room and ask them to share best advice? It’s no surprise that you get really smart answers worthy of a blog.… Continued

It’s said that good things and bad happen in three’s. Sometimes in two’s, and a few times they’re mixed, good and bad. Recently several events happened in quick succession and while not good or bad,… Continued

Envision a nationally televised debate among leaders in Public Relations. Who you picture on that stage is a pretty good indicator of the state of our profession. To keep the personalities out of this for… Continued

There are many reasons people use clichés, catchphrases and trendy words of the day: it’s a communications shortcut, and for the most part it’s not illegal. Those are the only reasons I can think of.… Continued

At PR News’ upcoming Measurement Conference in Chicago, Kirstie Foster, director of corporate and brand communications for General Mills, is going to present a case study looking at a new measurement program she just rolled… Continued

Signs of the times: Jeb Bush goes on the offensive, attacking Donald Trump, but does so with a video on the Internet. Trump returns serve via Twitter and Instagram. Blue Bell Creameries, founded in 1907,… Continued

Search the term “hires a PR firm” on any given day and you’ll find a fresh news story about a company hiring a PR firm to handle a crisis. Shocking news! Stop the presses! How… Continued

Subway must want this year to end quickly. Jared Fogle, the company-created celebrity spokesperson, this week agreed to plead guilty of traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and the distribution and… Continued

We’ve reached the point in summer when the accumulation of heat and humidity slows the reflexes and thought processes. This is when stories about shark attacks dominate news cycles. Calculated, outrageous statements by politicians running… Continued

The lines are blurry. As a communicator you are usually selling something – an idea, a story, an interview to the media, a budget, a campaign. To close on that effort – to get the… Continued

My older brother, knowing that that I want to get into online video—but continue to procrastinate about it—got me a Sony camcorder as a gift and I thank him for it. He gave me a push to finally start to better educate myself about how to shoot and produce online video, which is red-hot in PR and marketing.

The moving company that assisted with our house move last week sent us a hard-working crew. Hauling boxes and furniture to and fro, they didn’t spend much time chatting, but when they did they usually… Continued

Write exceedingly well and you’ll increase your chances of succeeding in your workplace and in the job market. Write poorly and you’ll increase the burden of work for your colleagues and be seen as potentially… Continued

It’s not every day that you get a free scoop of ice cream with your bacon and eggs, unless you’re eating breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s. The iconic Chicago diner has been surprising first-time customers and… Continued

PR News’ millennial advisory board members were pretty emphatic when they told us Twitter is the social networking platform they use the most in their work lives. Nothing else comes close. These dozen or so… Continued

As C-level managers demand more accountability from their PR departments, communicators increasingly are trying to take their lead from marketing when it comes to measuring activity and demonstrating value. But the arc of media consumption is bending toward PR. If they’re to succeed in the future, both need to work together.

Throughout the next five years, PR managers will also need to empower their staffs so that managers focus more on corporate goals and objectives.

Years ago—during a time before the Internet—PR and marketing executives, not to mention advertisers, were talking about the future of television, specifically the television commercial. VCRs (remember them?) were coming on the scene, and the… Continued

The series finale of ‘Mad Men’ left it up to us to decide if Don Draper took on a new, third identity or whether California bliss and an inspired retreat experience led him back to… Continued

“Know Thyself” —inscribed on the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi *** In 1967, in what seemed like a far less-complicated time, a McDonald’s TV commercial, borrowing the tune from “Down by the… Continued

There are so many sources of news media now and so many ways to get the news, it’s difficult to determine which outlets and journalists have the most influence. Also, social media has leveled the… Continued

In-house PR practitioners don’t have it easy, in general. Sometimes they have to deal with a lack of understanding and appreciation for the work they do. (Did I say sometimes?) Sometimes they get recognized internally… Continued

I was in high school when my Home Economics teacher disclosed that Betty Crocker was not a real person but was a device to personalize the brand. For this naive Jewish girl in Baltimore, it… Continued