Stories by Nicole Schuman

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) works best when local communities benefit. The key is knowing how to best reach communities in need. Some of the smallest organizations are making great strides using digital tools.

United’s decision to abolish change fees may empower consumers’ purchasing options, but also shows a half-hearted attempt at winning those health-conscious customers back. While other airlines may follow suit if United’s decision results in a travel windfall, quality customer service will remain a key strategy.

In this week’s LinkedIn Live, Sophie Maerowitz, senior content manager at PRNEWS and sister brand The Social Shake-Up spoke to Brian Fanzo, host and emcee of The Social Shake-Up 2020 virtual conference. Fanzo, social media expert, CEO of iSocialFanz and veteran keynote speaker on marketing and engagement strategy, shared best practices for virtual events and offered his take on video storytelling in the COVID era.

“Stick to sports” is what many contrarians say when athletes become involved in social and political causes. However, athletes enjoy a high-profile platform, and many want to utilize that visibility for change. More than athletes, they are human beings. Will the current movement mature and work toward solutions?

Women hold 73% of PR jobs, yet their representation in management and pay still lag behind male colleagues. While women in all industries have a ways to go to reach full equity, brands are acknowledging and embracing a need for change. We look at how organizations honored Women’s Equality Day on social media.

During an Aug. 25 webinar hosted by PRNEWS, panelists discussed the benefits of including AI in their communications strategy. The technology, they said, does not exist as the be-all solution for anyone’s needs. Instead, it provides a helpful boost where needed, particularly for PR. 

While PRNEWS focused on communicating school reopenings earlier this month, it now seems that most communicators need to have a plan for closing as well. We talked with two communicators in education to see how they’ve been strategizing for possible situations. 

The PRNEWS staff comes across many examples of brand advertising and communications every day. We have compiled a weekly assessment, with staff members providing their choices of the most notable, good or bad. This week, we placed a special focus on Back-to-School messaging.

A household name found itself having to explain what seemed to be a typical workplace guideline this week. An employee for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company shared a photograph of a slide, allegedly from a corporate diversity training session. The resulting political brouhaha offers several takeaways for PR pros.

PRNEWS Live welcomed Corley Kenna, director, global communications and PR, at Patagonia. We discussed Time to Vote, a bipartisan effort of 600 companies that pledges to ensure their employees have a work schedule that allows them time to vote.