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It’s the 75th anniversary of PR News this month and we are celebrating in a variety of ways during the coming months, with editorial features about PR’s history and on what’s to come. There also will be a commemorative Power of PR magazine and an anniversary party in NY in October. This 75th anniversary is a celebration of you, our loyal readers, event attendees, award entrants and engaged voices across all our platforms.

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, our blogger looks for things to love about PR and marketing. Certainly PR pros like their jobs (we’re unsure if they love them). And the profession can do more better and quicker than ever. Unfortunately, the public sometimes has a tarnished view of PR. It’s time for this to change.

They make others look good and know never to apologize when they get a promotion or land a big account. They are mentors and have unabashedly sought out sponsors. They know how to read a balance sheet and understand that work/life balance is an imperfect science. These are the 2019 PR News Top Women in PR. Our salute to them on January 25 during a gala luncheon in NYC yielded a lot of great advice. Here are some samples.

Americans sometimes look admiringly at their more civil British cousins. More civilized isn’t quite how we’d describe the penalties Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority brandished in the direction of celebrity influencers the other day. The U.S. and its Federal Trade Commission seem far more civilized in their treatment of influencers.

On the tranquil island of Santorini, Greece, hugging the cliffs overlooking the azure blue Aegean Sea, it’s one person’s job to touch-up a boutique hotel’s white exterior. Every day; and it’s a full-time job. The hotel spends $29,000 annually on white paint. The hotel’s pristine exterior makes guests feel special, part of something luxurious. Does your brand’s image need a fresh coat of paint?

It wasn’t long ago when brands were told to steer as far away as possible from politics and social issues. The situation is more complicated today. Some consumers expect brands to take stands and will reward them for it. Several brands in the Washington, D.C., area are reacting to the government shutdown with acts of kindness. Will they be rewarded?

It comes up in most conversations and lingers, unresolved: how can I find and retain great talent? Underlying this question is a decades-old trope about what PR really is. Will it be called PR 10 years from now? The question is irrelevant. More important is what do PR professionals need to master to move forward and insure that PR’s role is strengthened within an organization?

A sigh of relief emanated from College Park, Maryland, early on Halloween, when University of Maryland president Wallace Loh announced his firing of head football coach DJ Durkin. It was one of the few correct notes sounded during a crisis that centered on the death of a student and athlete Jordan McNair.

Money can’t buy you love and it can’t buy you passionate employees, but it surely can buy you more resources. When posed with the question of “What would you do with a 15% increase in your budget?,” executives participating in a recent PR News/Crisp leadership roundtable shared an interesting wish list.

Yesterday (Oct. 17) we wrote about the worsening reputation of USA Gymnastics (USAG). That post is updated with more bad news involving USAG. A former USAG president was arrested Oct. 18 for obstructing Texas’ investigation into Dr. Larry Nassar’s alleged crimes at the Karolyi Ranch. Our Oct. 17 post is updated with information about the arrest.