Stories by Sophie Maerowitz

Human Rights Campaign’s red equality logo put the spotlight on HRC and spread awareness about the organization. Whether the logo is seen on a T-shirt or a lawmaker’s lapel, it sends a message that the Human Rights Campaign and its supporters remain vigilant in the fight for LGBTQ equality. To celebrate HRC’s induction into the 2018 Platinum Hall of Fame, PR News sat down with HRC’s senior design director Robert Villaflor to learn more about the inner workings of the campaign.

One of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, KFC, was selected by PR News’ panel of judges for its creative reimagining of a brand icon via its “Rotating Colonel” campaign. Over the past few years, the mascot has been given several new faces—perhaps most memorably, Reba McEntire. The brand kept audiences holding their breath for the next influencer to don the signature goatee and white suit. PR News asked Staci Rawls, director, PR & internal communications at KFC U.S. to pull the curtain for a peek behind one of the most beloved campaigns in recent history.

One of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, CVS Health, was selected for its CVS Quits campaign. In 2014, the company announced the banning of tobacco products in its stores. The brand received a slew of media accolades for its bold move in mainstream news publications, on social media and from influencers in the health space. Furthermore, it successfully established itself as a health care organization, rather than simply a pharmacy chain. In a PR News exclusive Q&A, CVS Caremark’s VP, corporate communications Carolyn Castel shared some of the communications victories of the initiative.

At a fireside chat exclusive to Platinum & Agency Elite Awards attendees, ESPN’s Hannah Storm will share her insights on visual storytelling and branded content, as well as her vision of influencer relations and the media landscape. In anticipation of the Platinum & Agency Elite Awards luncheon, which will be held Sept. 21 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, PR News spoke with Hannah about her latest projects and her view of PR in 2018.

One of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, the Purina ONE Cat Café, wowed judges for its forward-thinking approach as the first cat café pop-up in North America. For this campaign, Purina ONE, working with agency partner Golin, took a cue from the popular trend in Eastern Asia and Europe. The pet food brand also partnered with the North Shore Animal League, which organized cat adoptions onsite, and won placements on “TODAY,” Reuters and other top outlets through strategic media outreach. PR News learned more about the inner workings of the campaign from Golin’s Stephanie Matthews.

How long does it take before a crisis is truly over? That’s a question some communicators might be asking after news broke that comedian Louis C.K. performed live for the first time since sexual misconduct allegations against him went public in November.

One of this year’s Platinum Hall of Fame inductees, the DoSomething.org website, was selected by PR News’ panel of judges as leading the pack in clear and achievable calls to action. Website visitors have the option to get involved on a variety of causes using a simple dropdown that filters by time commitment and type of cause. PR News spoke to DoSomething.org’s CMO Carrie Bloxson about her organization’s Hall of Fame win, and what makes DoSomething.org’s website such a standout.

Content marketing is an element of many communicators’ daily work. But it can be challenging to tie back content marketing efforts to overall communications and business goals, from audience growth to fundraising. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to successful content marketing, it’s most important to play to your strengths, sourcing content that’s close to home, according to Indiegogo’s director of integrated marketing, Kira Sparks.

As part of its annual Platinum & Agency Elite Awards celebrating the best and brightest in communications, PR News handpicks a group of campaigns that will likely be remembered in years to come for their ingenuity, strategic messaging and measurable communications outcomes. These campaigns make up PR News’ Platinum Hall of Fame, and will be officially inducted at PR News’ Platinum & Agency Elite Awards luncheon Sept. 21 in New York City.

For communicators working with a tight budget, it can be tough to find time to post to social media, let alone measure the success of those posts. But there are ways to prioritize social media measurement in your daily work, especially if you fully consider the benefits of doing so. Here are three tips for communicators seeking to bolster their social media measurement efforts without exhausting their teams’ resources.