Stories by Jerry Ascierto

An overwhelming majority of brands choose Facebook as the front lines of their customer-service efforts. And while many organizations seek to resolve questions or complaints as quickly as possible, about a quarter of brands still take up to 24 hours to respond. Those are just two of the findings of a recent survey conducted by The Social Shake-Up Show and Lithium Technologies.

Snapchat is working on a tweak to its much-maligned redesign that harks back to the way the platform once was—with user-generated Stories on the Discover page, right next to branded content, according to Recode While it’s just a test, the latest iteration proves that the best laid plans of social media redesigns often go awry. But it’s also good news for brands who may have felt partitioned off from the very people they’re trying to reach.

Most measurement initiatives proceed in three stages: defining the goal, determining the KPIs that align with the goal and communicating the results to senior leaders. But the devil is in the details. Given the mountain of data available to communicators, moving from the first to the second step—from defining the goal to identifying specific KPIs that will help you achieve it—can be a mighty challenge. Here’s a segmentation of metrics aligned with four main business goals, including measuring brand reputation and sales leads.

YouTube is once again in hot water for running ads on channels promoting disturbing content, a CNN investigation has uncovered. More than 300 organizations had their ads running on channels promoting Nazis and North Korean propaganda, to name two. For now, brands are still willing to take the risk.

How are brands building relationships with micro-influencers to launch collaborations that result in compelling, authentic content, and what types of content resonate the most? Those are the central questions examined by “Major Insights From Micro-Influencers,” a survey of 400 micro-influencers from across the nation, conducted by Atlanta-based Everywhere Agency.

More than 3,100 Google employees have signed a letter asking the company to halt its work on a Defense Department initiative. While the letter has made headlines, it also raises an important question for professional communicators: How should a brand prepare for the possibility that part of its workforce has a political or moral objection to some of its activities?

Weber Shandwick’s crisis management work for Michigan State University (MSU) has come to light, dealing a blow to the industry’s reputation—and raising questions about the agency’s client-vetting process. While the price tag is raising some eyebrows—Weber Shandwick billed MSU for more than $500,000 for one month’s work—the real question for PR pros is, what should agencies do when they consider taking on a controversial client, particularly in the age of #MeToo?

Facebook is nursing yet another bruise to its reputation as it manages the fallout from a scandal involving leaked data from nearly 50 million users. The latest incident regarding Strategic Communication Laboratories and its political research arm Cambridge Analytica will likely amplify calls for increased regulation and further erode public trust in the platform.

Eleven months after its disastrous handling of an incident in which a passenger was violently dragged off of a flight, United Airlines is once again in hot water due to a dog’s death. But unlike its tone-deaf response last year, in which it vigorously defended its employees and blamed the victim, United has accepted full responsibility, shown support for the victim and said it is investigating its employee’s actions.

The annual South by Southwest (SXSW) conference—a week-long spectacle filled with experiential marketing stunts and immersive brand experiences that’s equal parts technology, education and entertainment—always offers plenty of style and substance for professional communicators. For those unable to attend, here are five fascinating live-streamed interviews and sessions that communicators will want to catch.