Stories by John Casey

As we approach Thanksgiving, we offer an essay that expresses one PR pro’s gratitude for the industry. It’s our way of wishing you a wonderful holiday.

John Saunders, president and CEO of FleishmanHillard, believes organizations are stronger now than before COVID-19 because of the ascension of corporate values; the visible action taken on critical issues; and an unprecedented perception of the importance of communication

The idea for this month’s Crisis Dialogue springs from something we hear often from crisis pros: ‘That person/company is difficult.’ So, we talked with Chanel Cathey, founder/CEO, CJC Insights, LLC, and Daniel Roberts, a corporate crisis specialist, about handling uncooperative executives during a crisis.

Creativity and authenticity also are at the heart of Ninja’s social media search for a Smoothie Bowl Sommelier. After a nationwide search in late January, Ninja chose Gillean Barkyoumb, a registered dietician with 8,000 followers on Instagram. We asked Sasha Hartman, SVP, director, global creative and digital at SharkNinja, about why Ninja chose a micro-influencer and specifically Barkyoumb.

With Major League Baseball’s full, 162-game season returning and fans allowed in stadiums for the first time since Oct. 2019, you’d assume social media would be awash with baseball-related posts. A PR maxim, though, says it’s best to test assumptions.

One thing economic historians likely will include in their accounts of Jan. 6, 2021, is the reaction of some of the country’s largest companies. It started with several blue-chip firms denouncing the violence and the 147 lawmakers who voted in favor of overturning election results.

As PR marks Communication Measurement Month in November, measurement seems to be continuing its upswing of recent years. Ironically, the global pandemic, is partially responsible.