The Week in PR

News Bits: It seemed inevitable smart speakers eventually would carry PR or marketing messages ( PRN, June 12, 2017). Indeed CNBC reports Amazon is exploring ads for its Echo smart speaker and Alexa voice assistant. Amazon seems wise to the customer experience, though. Apparently Echo and Alexa will remain silent and won’t spew ads unless a human talks to them first. -- As readers of this publication know, we applaud that #MeToo has exposed decades of sexual harrassment. We believe much more is to come. Time’s Up, aimed at fighting sexual harrassment and unveiled Jan. 1, also is uplifting. As is a $1.25 million settlement between USA Gymnastics and gymnast McKayla Maroney, who allegedly was subject to years of sexual abuse from team doctor Larry Nassar ( PRN, July 17, 2017). Still, corrective actions speak louder than words. Brands harboring sexual harassers (who also were top talent) for years have yet to communicate the kind of action-based correction plans expected in a post-crisis scenario. Yes, NBC made a good PR move Jan. 2 inserting Hoda Kotb to replace #MeToo-oustee Matt Lauer at The Today Show. Yet there’s so much we still don’t know about the timing of Lauer’s departure and how long NBC execs knew about the former anchor’s behavior. Only after such housecleaning can we accept NBC will take sexual harassment seriously. A sticking point: Kotb confirmed reports Jan. 4 Lauer’s $20 million+ salary dwarfs hers, estimated at $7 million. -- Will fans of DJ Khaled’s music emulate his lifestyle choices? Weight Watchers believes so, naming him its social media ambassador Jan. 1. Financial details were not released. Shares rose $4 Jan.3 on the news, adding considerable value to Oprah Winfrey’s 10% of the company she bought last year. Khaled’s largest social aggregation is on Instagram, where he has nearly 9 million followers. Oops.Khaled’s initial IG posts lack mention of his being a sponsored influencer, disregarding Federal Trade Commission rules.

Deals and Growth: One day after Christmas Cision said it signed a definitive agreement to acquire PRIME Research, the global media measurement and analysis firm. Cision said the deal is expected to close this month. In response to a question from us about the future of PRIME’s employees, Cision said: “PRIME Research brings a ton of industry expertise and we are excited to have them as part of the Cision family.” Asked about financial details, Cision directed us to a Dec. 14 statement about its agreement on a $75 million loan facility with Deutsche Bank. Cision acquired digital media monitoring firm CEDROM Dec. 20. -- Highwire PR acquired PR firm Inner Circle Labs. Financial details were not disclosed.

Platform Prater:In our last edition ( PRN, Dec. 19, 2017) we told you about Twitter’s Dec. 18 blog post that spelled out its policy for “reducing hateful conduct and abusive behavior” on its platform, which went into effect that day. Why, then, is President Trump allowed to tweet seemingly violent statements about nuclear war, such as his Jan. 2 blast about having a nuclear weapons button on his desk? (The tweet responded to a statement N. Korean leader Kim Jong Un made Jan. 1 about N. Korean nuclear weapons reaching U.S. territory.) The answer is Twitter’s rules against violent invective are vague, allowing for interpretation. The rules also exempt “government entities,” which Trump is, and newsworthy tweets. -- Not all is wrong with social, though. You might recall predictions of senior communicators in our Dec. 19 edition envisioning brands and organizations in 2018 working to quell societal divisions and project a sensibility on social media. Early in 2018 the social media community blasted a video YouTube star Logan Paul posted Dec. 31 about suicides in Japan. Paul removed the vid and apologized, as did YouTube. Unfortunately for YouTube, someone claiming to be one of its content assessors tweeted Jan. 2 the company gave the Logan video a green light Jan. 1. As of our press time, YouTube failed to respond to that BuzzFeed story. On Jan. 4, Paul said he’d be stepping away from posting vids so he could “reflect.”

People:At our press time Cision said it hired 15-year Adobe veteran Pritham Shetty as chief technology officer. Among the positions Shetty held at Adobe was VP, product development. -- Hotwire upped Lindsay Riddell to VP, corporate & executive communications. T-Mobile raised Janice Kapner to EVP, communications & community engagement. Durée & Company elevated 15-year PR vet Chrissy Cox to VP. -- Ruder Finn named Laura Ryan EVP in its corporate communications practice. -- Stephen Chavez, owner of ChavezPR, was elected president of the 2018 Hispanic PR Association/LA Chapter. -- We’re sad to report Chicago PR icon and PR News Measurement Hall of Famer Louis Williams Jr. passed two days after Christmas. In 1985 he founded L.C. Williams & Associates (LCWA). He also chaired and was a Fellow of the International Association of Business Communicators. He also was aFellow of the Institute for Public Relations and its measurement commission.