Stories by Nicole Schuman

The Great White Way will shine again. And an eager, informed audience will help in its return. Today on Good Morning America cast members from shows Hamilton, Wicked and The Lion King announced a Sept. 14 restart of performances. The good news comes after theaters darkened for the past year due to COVID-19. 

While TV shows and novels tend to focus on the glamorous side of PR, it’s important to remember that in reality communication also is necessary to raise awareness of topics some may find uncomfortable.

Earth Day may have come and gone, but businesses like Pandora and Eleven Madison Park are taking what used to be a once-a-year acknowledgement and committing to sustainability in their day-to-day activities. 

While some executives believe banning political discussion can protect workers and create a more productive environment, employees and consumers may disagree.

PRNEWS welcomed Julie Ulrich, Idaho National Labs communications strategist, to discuss recent communications campaigns promoting a diverse and engaged workforce.

There are plenty of reasons for communicators to celebrate Earth Day this year. More companies are including conservation and sustainability in their corporate culture. In addition, media is hiring more full-time journalists to cover the environment. There are many ways to make sustainability stories more attractive to them and their audiences.

With cannabis legal in a growing number of states, it’s no longer surprising to see pot products and messaging within the mainstream. 

 While we lack data on it, we’ll guess that with so many employees working from home since the start of the pandemic, the already-sparse scheduling of desktop crisis drills has contracted even more. One of the characteristics of crisis is an uncanny ability to arrive according to its schedule, not yours. As a result, a PR crisis strikes when the CEO is in a remote part of China negotiating a deal or the COO is on a ski vacation in Aspen and has gone off the grid. As such, the most realistic crisis-readiness exercises, pre-pandemic and now, were and are conducted with staff situated in various locations.

PRNEWS Live welcomed Jenan Matari, director of accounts at Victory Public Relations. Jenan discussed inclusive messaging, recent campaigns to promote Ramadan and the importance of marketing to the Muslim population.

PR pros and the media face a critical situation. They must get the J&J vaccine narrative right, informing the public about risks while not inducing undue concern and spurring more vaccine anxiety. It’s also an opportunity for government, the medical community and media to regain public trust.