Stories by Samantha Wood

Humanizing your brand online isn’t always easy, especially if you work in an industry that’s perceived as stuffy and stodgy. But State Farm Insurance is shattering those preconceived notions by using social listening to personalize their brand in unexpected ways. Here, Joe Strupek of State Farm Insurance, who will speak at the upcoming Digital and Marketing Show Oct. 17-19 in Miami, shared some best practices for using social listening on Twitter to delight and engage.

PR News recently asked its community to tell us who should be listed among the top game-changers of PR in the last few years. Here, we look at game-changer Maria Benvenuti, one of the first publicists to specialize in New York’s restaurant scene. Hailed as a trailblazer in culinary communications, Benvenuti has helped such celebrated chefs as Mario Batali and Masaharu Morimoto launch their local brands, and has gone on to publicize restaurants and produce events in Miami, Aspen, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

Communicators know that paid Facebook ads are a requirement, not a luxury. But that doesn’t mean your brand will be buried unless you spend like Coca-Cola. Even a small budget can have a big impact, but you need to start with specific goals, said Michael Lamp, senior vice president of social and digital media at Hunter Public Relations, at PR News’ Facebook Boot Camp July 20 in New York.

PR News recently asked its community to tell us who should be listed among the top game-changers of PR in the last few years. Here, we look at game-changer James Haggerty, a trailblazer of litigation PR. Haggerty’s 2003 book “In the Court of Public Opinion: Winning Your Case With Public Relations” earned praise as a landmark study, and through his work with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to individual plaintiffs, he established litigation communications on the world stage.

Cynthia Martinez has handled some of the worst crises you could imagine. As director of global corporate communications for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Martinez has dealt with everything from fires to a guest committing suicide by jumping overboard. And since any of Royal Caribbean’s guests can tweet or post a video the moment a crisis arises, her team needs to be quick, transparent and, most of all, prepared. Martinez, who will speak at PR News’ Digital and Marketing Show Oct. 17-19 in Miami, shares a few tips on how to own the narrative.

PR News recently asked its community to tell us who should be listed among the top game-changers of PR in the last few years. Here, we look at game-changer John Guilfoil, who was compelled to start a PR agency focused on first responders after witnessing the terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon. His premise: No police or fire department is too small to have its own press secretary. After just three years in business, John Guilfoil Public Relations, LLC serves more than 200 clients, including over 100 police departments in six states.

PR News recently asked its community to tell us who should be listed among the top game-changers of PR in the last few years. Here, we look at game-changer Serge Dumont, often called “the father of public relations in China.” Dumont established China’s first joint-venture PR consultancy, Beijing-based Interasia, in 1985, at just 25 years old, and has improved the global reach of Fortune 500 brands such as Nike, Rolls Royce and KFC ever since.

Influencer marketing can significantly extend a campaign’s reach, but only if it comes off as genuine—if it’s done right, it doesn’t seem like marketing at all. The trick is to ensure that the brand and product align with the influencer’s passion, says Anna Ritchie, social digital manager of integrated marketing at Pepperidge Farm. Ritchie, who will speak to the issue at PR News’ Digital and Marketing Show Oct. 17-19, in Miami, offered a couple of lessons learned in working with influencers.

PR News recently asked its community to tell us who should be listed among the top game-changers of PR in the last few years. Here, we look at game-changer Ahmad Itani, who founded Cicero & Bernay in Dubai in 2005. The agency began as a two-person firm with just two clients but today boasts a staff of more than 100 serving 60 clients—with a presence in 10 countries in the Middle East and Africa. And those first two clients, Hyundai and Kia, are still with the agency today.

PR News recently asked its community to tell us who should be listed among the top game-changers of PR in the last few years. Here, we look at game-changer Joy Hays. As chief storyteller and social strategist at AT&T, Hays took a fragmented social media division and built a department that’s become a model for others to emulate, establishing an organizational structure as well as universal processes, channel and content strategies, crisis protocols and a Center of Excellence.