Stories by Mike McDougall

Mike McDougall’s Thanksgiving column is a PRNEWS tradition. His advice for stressed PR pros sounds good to us.

It’s not news that Thanksgiving 2020 will look different for many families across America. But brands should not confuse different with indifferent. Americans remain hungry for turkey and all the holiday traditions. For brands that read the room, Thanksgiving offers potential opportunities to engage the public, writes veteran PR pro Mike McDougall.

The turkey has been picked apart, the wishbone wished upon, and the rounds of coffee are morphing into stronger beverages. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. Yet some family members have vanished. They’re braving the crowds at the mall on Black Friday. How should PR craft messages about retail brands opening (or closing) their doors today?

Is paid time off (PTO) a relic of the past? Should PR leaders abandon the concept? That doesn’t seem to be the ideal solution, especially when the benefits of vacation are well established. A Diamond Resorts International survey conducted by Nielsen found 71% of people who take a yearly vacation are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. Just 46% who fail to take a yearly vacation are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs.

Despite years of being asked for more concrete performance metrics, of complaining that “they just don’t understand” what we do, and of being given opportunities at every turn to make a change, we somehow believe that public relations is absolved from having to play by the same rules.

Before throwing yourself headlong into a race to year’s end, commit to finding a few ways to keep a bit of that summer-like mindset in the mix.

Is your to-do list spiraling out of control? Try these six suggestions to tame the beast.

For today’s PR professional, data-analytics skills must go hand-in-hand with non-linear creativity.

For today’s PR professional, data-analytics skills must go hand-in-hand with non-linear creativity.

Those in leadership positions have a responsibility to set the tone in their organizations by encouraging big ideas and celebrating when those ideas come to fruition.