Stories by Seth Arenstein

Earlier this month we asked questions of communicators who were honored as PR Professionals of the Year during 2018’s PRNEWS Platinum Awards luncheon in NY. We asked about improving relations with journalists, how brands can maintain a human touch in a tech-driven world and several other topics.

Is there ever a good time to break bad news? Perhaps not, but letting it sit for awhile is unlikely to make it more palatable. Part of the communicator’s job is communicating news that might anger employees. A group of PR pros offers tips and best practices on how to communicate difficult news.

We can speculate about why Wells Fargo created bogus credit cards or the motivation other brands had for doing things they knew were wrong or even illegal. Tobacco giant Philip Morris International is trying to remake itself into a purveyor of smoke-less product. It says it wants to discourage teen smoking. Then why was it flouting its own rules and using young, attractive influencers to tout its cigarette alternative?

It was a fitting message for the final speech of The Social Shake-Up. Though attendees were loaded with days of social media takeaways, they also were beginning to feel the effects of some great parties and a lot of shaking. Clad in a great suit, Ann Handley urged the crowd to slow down…strategically. Well received, Handley’s message was loaded with insightful tips about improving content creation.

In each edition of PRNEWS we highlight takeaways from select articles as well as important notes for subscribers. Remember, PRNEWS subscribers are entitled to a 33 percent discount on all PRNEWS events and webinars.

Our regular roundtable feature includes honorees from the 2018 PRNEWS Platinum PR awards and speakers from The Social Shake-Up. Among the questions we put to them: What qualities does a successful communicator need? With the onslaught of technology, how can brands ensure customers have a human experience? And what social media trends are you eager to learn more about during the Social Shake-Up?

We enjoy learning about brands using unusual communications methods. Capital One bank is well known for its “What’s in Your Wallet?” tagline and sponsorship of sporting events. One of the country’s leading issuer of credit cards, the bank leaves its cards home for its latest communication effort. Instead, it concentrates on conversations with customers about purposeful travel.

Our regular Stealable Slide feature looks at a slide Kevin Elliott of Hill + Knowlton Strategies presented during PRNEWS’ Crisis Management Summit in Miami Beach last March. Interestingly, Elliott says the key lesson the slide illustrates is not seen on the slide itself.

The disparity between the number of communicators and reporters is widening. The ratio stands at 6:1, meaning that journalists may feel even more besieged. This puts an emphasis on knowing how to do media pitching in the most successful ways. PRNEWS asked ClarityPR to survey journalists about what turns them on or off about PR pitches. We also asked how many journalists have Twitter shamed communicators. Their response was unfortunate.

Diversity is both good to do and good for business. That concept should apply to media in its use of sources. Unfortunately, data show media sourcing in western media favoring men 3 to 1 over women. Preliminary findings indicate media with a more representative source base may reap financial and other benefits. PR pros can help media by curating and promoting a diverse source base.