Stories by Seth Arenstein

In both of the Arthur W. Page Society “New CCO” Podcasts she has hosted, Home Depot CCO Stacey Tank asks her guest a version of this unlimited resources question: “If you had an unlimited budget, what would you do differently?” In an interview after we had exclusive access to the second podcast, we decided to turn the tables on Tank, asking her the same question. In addition, we queried Tank and Aflac CCO Catherine Hernandez-Blades, Tank’s guest on the second podcast that will be available in mid-April, about a theme that runs throughout their session: how brands integrate digital and traditional communications.

It’s a truism that brands must be on social media. The important question, though, is what platforms are best for your brand? In terms of Twitter, it depends on whether or not you are a B2C or B2B brand, according to data from Shareablee provided exclusively to PR News Pro.

It was an effective pitch: brief, tailored to the media outlet that received it, clearly and cleanly written. It pitched an essay about a relevant topic: best practices for small companies and startups seeking to obtain media coverage. That’s why the pitch, from a PR firm representing a communications director at a brand, and its attached essay made it through several layers of editors until it reached your blogger, with a message affixed from a PR News colleague: potentially usable content. It went downhill from there.

The media’s fascination with Donald Trump’s candidacy began in 2015. It continued in 2016, when during the 24 weeks of presidential primaries (Jan. 1-June 7) “there was not a single week when Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, or John Kasich topped Trump’s level of coverage,” a July 2016 study from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy says. Even after Cruz and Kasich quit the race in early May, essentially ceding the race to Trump, the businessman received more coverage than either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, the Shorenstein report says. Jump to the past two-and-a-half months and communicators can legitimately be forgiven if they feel like social media platforms and the media have adopted a philosophy of “all Trump all the time.” How can PR pros break through this clutter?

Our weekly roundup of trends, news and personnel moves in the PR industry. This week we feature stories about keeping watch over your LinkedIn account, new rules in Britain for brands and influencers and Verizon’s Torod Neptune departs for Lenovo.

There was more going on at the Oscars than the PR issues a pair of PwC employees caused. There was a great deal of social media traffic involving sponsors, film brands and the celebrity presenters, among others. Using Shareablee data provided to us we found Instagram was the dominant social platform during the broadcast. For example Viola Davis’ Instagram feed drove more than half of her total actions. Presenter Hailee Steinfeld posted just five times, all to her Instagram account.

The weekly roundup of news, trends and personnel moves in PR and communications. This week our stories include an account of the Arthur W. Page Center’s initial Integrity Awards, a new Instagram wrinkle and the elevation of Anne Cowan to CCO at CTAM, Natalie Kerris gets a new job and Andy Whitehouse of IBM departs.

To look at the news about Instagram last week you’d be forgiven if you didn’t think it also is a tool for business, particularly suited to small communications shops. The rapper Nicki Minaj, who hinted all week she was about to do something big, posted a photo of her sitting on a small bed in what appears to be a tiny bedroom. True to Instagram’s acceptance of informality, the photo seems far from the highly stylized, professional picture of a celebrity that the public usually sees. The photo’s lighting is spotty, Minaj isn’t centered and the bed is disheveled. Still, it’s a very effective photo. Clad in six-inch heels with tassels, wraparound shades, bikini bottom and nothing else, Minaj makes an arresting subject. Quickly the post had in excess of 10,000 comments and thousands of likes.

You might think a small or a 1-person communications department would be unable to make use of Instagram to humanize its brand and raise awareness. Wrong, a pair of communicators who make use of user-generated content say. Here’s how they do it.

Our weekly roundup of trends and personnel moves in PR. This week features stories about a forum on fake news, a revolt by Under Armour influencers and how Twitter continues to grow in recognition and users, but remains flat in revenue.