Stories by Nicole Schuman

Social media followers punished the Girl Scouts on Oct. 28, after the 108-year-old organization posted politically-sensitive material on Twitter. Some found the post inappropriate, celebrating Amy Coney Barrett as the fifth woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court since 1789.

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Halloween will look un-traditional this year. But brands have come to the rescue with creative ideas to give back to customers and associate fond memories in minds and hearts—especially right before the holiday season. We look at some ghoulishly good campaigns for the holiday.

Today (Oct. 26), American Express announced its latest partnership—with Uber Eats. With 2021 approaching and annual fees on the horizon, many card holders may feel that they are not getting the value from their cards that they did before the pandemic, particularly when it comes to airline miles or hotel points. The Uber Eats partnership provides users another creative way to utilize their card memberships. 

PRNEWS Live welcomed Michelle Ngome, president of the African-American Marketing Association, as our guest. We discussed the continual actions companies and brands are taking to improve DEI, particularly during this Global Diversity Awareness Month.

It’s not just campaign season for presidential electoral candidates. It’s also a very creative time for brands getting involved with election-themed campaigns. Without playing politics many brands have taken advantage of the nation-wide event, which only occurs once every four years in the United States. 

New York City became a national epicenter of COVID-19 in April 2020. The government closed non-essential businesses, employees worked from home and living rooms became classrooms. New campaigns seemed unfathomable. And yet, some construction projects continued. Here’s how BerlinRosen shifted messages for One Vanderbilt, the city’s newest skyscraper, to reflect New Yorkers’ resilience during the pandemic.

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.