Stories by Sophie Maerowitz

As quarantine stretched on, virtual happy hours and video-call dinners with family and friends tended to become less exciting. Similarly, as work-from-home continues, the push is on for internal communicators to keep things fresh at the virtual office. Here are tips for a fresh approach to internal communication months into the pandemic.

With the mainstream media laser-focused on election coverage, how should communicators be spending their time? We asked PR professionals how they’re managing the lack of status quo externally and internally. Here’s what they told us.

Celebrities—they’re just like us. That sentiment worked in the era of celebrity spotting on beaches and in Whole Foods, but in a pandemic year, audiences are not interested. Kim Kardashian West, arguably the internet’s first celebrity influencer, is in the crosshairs of the social media masses this week after posting photos from a lavish island gathering with friends and family. How would you advise her to respond?

For many this holiday season, it is not, in fact, the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. “Peanuts” fans nationwide were dismayed to find out that the fall favorite will run exclusively on AppleTV+, Apple’s paid streaming service. While the special will be free to non-subscribers for a limited period, would-be viewers were not shy about expressing their displeasure. The snafu teaches communicators a valuable lesson this holiday season: Now is not the time to mess with what few annual traditions we have left.

Sometimes, when a company fails to take full stock of its actions—particularly around internal operations—activist employees take to social media to call out their organization. When an employee’s post goes viral, PR pros are expected to pick up the pieces. So, what is the best course of action when an employee puts a company on the stand regarding DEI, the election or another hot-button topic? Experts weigh in.

Earlier this week, Johnson & Johnson announced it had paused “further dosing in all our COVID-19 vaccine candidate clinical trials” due to an “unexplained illness” in a volunteer. One day later, drugmaker Eli Lilly paused its clinical trial for an antibody treatment. For PR pros, messages related to the race to find a vaccine and treatment serve as a natural experiment in healthcare communication.

On Oct. 6, Ocean Spray CEO Tom Hayes posted his version of the latest viral video craze to hit TikTok, which has since racked up more than 1.3 million views. His video is a spin on a Sept. 25 video posted by TikTok user 420DoggFace208, the handle of Idaho warehouse worker Nathan Apodaca, 37. Squeezing some extra earned media juice, Hayes’ company donated a red pickup truck filled with bottles of Ocean Spray to Apodaca. The surprise gift video has seen more than a million views on Instagram, exhibiting cross-channel appeal.

Ahead of this year’s Social Shake-Up virtual social media conference, we spoke to #SSU2020 speaker Alanna Bass of Okayplayer. Whether you are trying to communicate with a diverse audience or jump into a trending conversation, Bass says to keep these things in mind in tumultuous 2020 and beyond.

In this Social Shake-Up 2020 preview, we catch up with brand strategist Tracey Del Moral on the latest in influencer marketing. On her mind? Campaigns that illustrate meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion, dialing in key performance indicators and looking for brand ambassadors in unlikely places.

This year’s Social Shake-Up cast is made up of marketing and communications professionals who manage social media messaging at top brands and nonprofits, from the American Heart Association to UPPAbaby. Today, we hear from Jamie Lieberman, owner of Hashtag Legal, a law practice that specializes in digital media. As part of the Shake-Up, Jamie will be speaking on the elements that make for a successful social media policy.