Stories by Seth Arenstein

In late July Kia Canada launched its EV6 crossover with a press event featuring Canadian singer/songwriter Fefe Dobson. The car’s battery powered the electric guitar of Dobson’s guitarist. Our curiosity led to a conversation with Michael Kopke, marketing chief, Kia Canada.

Obfuscating bad facts is one way to survive a crisis. Unfortunately, it’s often not a good long-term strategy.

just when you thought cyber would recede from the news cycle after it dominated the June Summit between President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Russian hacking returned it to the headlines.

For this month’s Buzz Box, we look at names and numbers you should know.

Ken Fields, SVP and senior partner, Americas crisis lead, at FleishmanHillard, and Ben LaBolt, partner, Bully Pulpit Interactive, often ‘parachute’ into a crisis. We asked them what they like to see when they get there. In short, the answer was preparation. Companies with a crisis infrastructure, a set of plans and procedures and a well-practiced team will be several steps ahead when outside crisis pros arrive.

Another round of surveys demonstrates the importance of persistence when it comes to media relations. And with all the surveys floating around, are your company’s employees experiencing survey fatigue? There’s a cure.

We asked PR professors about trends in education for the approaching academic year. Where do students need instruction most? What skills or knowledge do they hope their charges gain before heading into the business world? We inquired of PR pros about skills/talents they seek most in young candidates. What areas require on-the-job training, which, during COVID-19, has been done remotely?

[Editor’s Note: Since many of our readers will take time off during August for a well-deserved break, we follow our July books reviews with another installment. It’s our way of wishing you a good vacation

We asked Rachael Horwitz, operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz, about ‘translating’ a new currency format. We also asked what communicators at small companies need to consider as crypto continues its increasingly larger role in the business zeitgeist.

Laughing is good medicine. It’s appreciated when brand communicators add to the upbeat chorus and raise awareness with fun campaigns.