Stories by Seth Arenstein

Pivoting is a staple of PR media training. But after the VP debate a few weeks ago, is it still a viable tactic? Does avoiding answering a question still work in this transparent world? Yes and no. (See what we did there?) We asked a group of communicators for their views on pivoting within PR and also in politics. In addition, we asked for best practices. Here’s what they told us.

Many companies struggle with if and when to respond to things that happen in the news or on social. For ExxonMobil, a confusing presidential monologue late yesterday prompted a response. Abandoning corporate niceties and jargon, the company stated plainly that a conversation between its CEO and the president never happened. It was a savings of $25 million. Hypothetically.

It’s great when brands and organizations have purpose. On the other hand, a survey of your target audience might show that this moment calls for garden-variety fun, purpose be damned. Several aviation companies are earning revenue by pushing the experience of flying, not the destination. And one carrier boasts full aircraft though their tires never leave the tarmac.

PRNEWS lost an important member of its family this time last year when Melissa Hoffmann, content director since early August 2018, passed away suddenly in Manhattan. The PRNEWS staff remember her as a passionate and compassionate editor and person. A recurring theme with PR pros and others who reminisced about Melissa was her enthusiasm for people and PR. We reprint an appreciation originally published last year at this time.

Technology has invaded the world of media relations, allowing PR pros to send press releases and other announcements easier and quicker than ever. Still, a recent PRNEWS webinar emphasized the human factors in media pitching, including building relationships with journalists through phone calls and empathy.

Tonight’s vice-presidential debate is a chance to revive civil discourse and democracy. In addition, it will offer an opportunity (missed last week) for the debaters to present solid messages and discuss policy prescriptions. A group of PR pros and several others discuss debate tactics and strategies.

It was one of those rare weekends. Just about any news story was getting crickets from the media except for one. Indeed, there were several examples of moderate PR crises, but few noticed. Basing your crisis strategy on other stories crowding out media coverage of your company’s PR crisis is a gamble that hardly ever pays.

As we head to Nov. 3, brands and organizations are touting get-out-the-vote efforts. While these non-partisan efforts are the norm, will consumers’ desires for brands to take a stand lead companies to begin endorsing candidates?

It’s not news that 2020 seems destined for the history books. A global pandemic, protests against systemic racism and a critical election are some of reasons consumers insist brands take stands. Ben & Jerry’s and… Continued

The PR industry might need to come up with a new term for Internal communication now that so many staffers are working from home. For HPE CCO Jennifer Temple the issue seems permanent. In a wide-ranging interview she tells us nearly half her company’s 62,000 global staff probably will not return to the office on a regular basis after the pandemic. Temple tells us how her team plans to engage a segmented employee base.