Stories by Nicole Schuman

Today’s Global Climate Strike includes the involvement of more than 7,000 brands, finding a kindred social responsibility with the upcoming generation. The event reveals a possible escalation within corporations to become more involved in promoting social good, and that’s getting noticed. We look at how brands are participating in the Global Climate Strike.

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), the nonprofit formed to educate and help prevent gun violence in schools, pulled no punches with the launch of its latest PSA, “Back-to-School Essentials.” The minute-long video highlights the excitement of new backpacks, clothing and art supplies, which jarringly transform into tools of protection during a school shooting. Within hours the video reached more than 1.2 million views.

More than 500 award-winning brand, agency and nonprofit communicators gathered last evening (Sept. 17) to celebrate the PRNEWS Platinum PR Awards. Our most prestigious honors salute top campaigns and leaders in a variety of categories including advocacy, branding and social media. PRNEWS also inducted campaigns from Nike and Sandy Hook Promise into the Platinum Hall of Fame.

Anything can be politicized, however, it takes a very serious turn when the safety of people is at stake. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, home of the National Weather Service, continues to be at odds following a tumultuous week with the White House on the communication of disinformation regarding Hurricane Dorian and the state of Alabama.

With the continual introduction of new platforms and instant response, management and moderation becomes a key skill for any brand. Contrary to popular belief, the titles social media manager and community manager are not interchangeable. Both work towards the positive promotion of a brand underneath the direction of the marketing department, but the similarities really stop there.

The 100th season of the National Football League got underway earlier this week, with the sort of pomp and circumstance this television behemoth is known for generating. Yet professional football, America’s most popular sport, is showing more than a few cracks. You’d not know it, however, to listen to the vague responses to real issues that emanate from the league office in NY.

Trying to plan out or refurbish a social strategy can seem overwhelming. Gone are the days where brands can set and forget a strategy for a year. A social plan evolves with not only brand changes and promotions, but also platform innovations and announcements. Before you sit down and decide on content and where to post that content, you need to take a look at the intended audience and goals.

During our Aug. 22 PRNEWS Webinar, “Boost Coverage With Your Own Brand Newsroom,” Jennifer Nycz-Conner, director of brand communications at Hilton, Kevin Deane, digital design director at Northeastern University, and Jen Schertz, senior communications manager for Certified Angus Beef, discussed their organizations’ journeys to build and nourish in-house brand newsrooms that gain the attention of the media and appropriate audiences.

On Monday, PepsiCo Inc., the parent company of Frito-Lay’s iconic Doritos chips launched a new advertising campaign during the annual entertainment celebrating the pulse of youth culture—the MTV Video Music Awards. The campaign, titled “Another Level,” removes all logos and names from Doritos packaging, leaving behind unmarked bags of blue and red, and the archetypal triangle snack shape.

As a company grows, so does its variety of personalities and backgrounds, which contribute to the promotion of diverse creations and thinking, ultimately making an organization more well-rounded. However, growth can yield growing pains, and at almost 100,000 employees strong, Google management felt it needed to revisit and remind its workforce of the importance of work and reel in what it saw as wasteful and hurtful discussions.