Stories by Nicole Schuman

In these turbulent times it’s important for brands to acknowledge their mistakes. It’s even more important for brands to audit their mission, policies and content to see if they meet modern-day culture and standards. Disney took this to heart as racial and social justice issues bubbled up to the surface during the past few years. Evaluating its content, Disney has placed warnings on some shows and films in an effort to head off potential issues with audiences.

When it comes to writing about and promoting others, PR pros excel. Writing about themselves, however, is more of a problem. One would think writing about yourself should be easy. No one knows you better than you know yourself. And yet, writing your professional bio can be daunting. We asked PR pros about their best practices.

Not everyone is game for sexy mac n’ cheese. Kraft Heinz celebrated National Noodle Day by encouraging Kraft Macaroni & Cheese lovers to “send noods.” The provocative promotion included a blurred picture of a bowl of mac and cheese, and a play on the misspelling of “nudes.” For many, the joke flopped. Moreover, a recent survey about brands and humor indicates levity is a risky tactic when consumers are dealing with a pandemic and social and electoral upheaval.

This week PRNEWS Live welcomed Sean Tuffnell, director of communications at Susan G. Komen. We discussed the evolving and important messaging surrounding National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Christopher Columbus could use a new PR campaign. Brands and organizations seem to be acknowledging this trend and embracing Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor tribes that populated the frontier of America. We look at several campaigns acknowledging the holiday(s) today.

The NFL had six months since coronavirus emerged to develop a plan to face possible crisis situations. It also had the benefit of seeing how the NBA, NHL and MLB handled the pandemic. And yet, NFL fans and players are left with a glut of silence from the league as several players are the first to test positive during the season.

A leader of a company or organization can serve as the quarterback when it comes to delivering a positive reputation to the public. While leaders do not always handle the day-to-day details of running a brand, they serve as a face for employees, customers, shareholders and more. We asked communication professionals about how to proceed when leadership falls ill.

Sephora has a competitive program for influencers that includes mentoring, education and other opportunities. We look at several other trends that emerged from our annual social media conference, The Social Shake-Up, which was held virtually Sept. 28 through Oct. 1.

President Trump, who according to photos released by the White House, has been spending his time at Walter Reed going along with his daily workload. However, not much is known regarding the details of his infection, marred by contrasting information (see Dr. Sean Conley and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows) and lack of transparent detail from the White House, leading much of the media to speculate and drum up outside sources. 

A dynamic Social Shake-Up panel including Catherine Hernandez-Blades, SVP, chief ESG and communications officer at AFLAC, Nadia Khamis, director of corporate engagement for Planned Parenthood, Elianne Ramos, chief communications officer at LatinoJustice, and moderator Dwayna Haley, SVP and practice director, brand innovation and impact at Porter Novelli, discussed the necessity and nuances of tackling social justice issues, and creating messaging behind it.