Stories by Sophie Maerowitz

Does your brand’s Instagram channel stand out among the other 25 million business profiles on the platform? If not, it could be because your feed and profile don’t embrace a strong visual identity.

Snapchat has announced a new feature, Shoppable Lenses, that aims to win brands’ advertising dollars by trading “soft” metrics like opens and impressions for clickthroughs, conversions and calls to action that can be tied directly to sales. The feature, which uses Snapchat’s AR lenses and allows users to virtually try a new product, could be a game changer for B2C brands, while acting as a proof-of-concept for companies wary of the platform.

There’s no question that measuring the value of PR is one a communicator’s biggest challenges. Whether you’re charged with handling your brand’s media relations, social media campaigns or both, a pointed question from the C-suite lingers: “How does this tie to our bottom line?”

As Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress, speculation is swirling as to whether Facebook will integrate portions of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into preventive measures it’s taking against future data leaks and election meddling. Brands operating solely in the U.S. now have strong reasons to fear (and begin preparing for) GDPR.

Snapchat has released two new features, one that allows users to video chat with up to 16 friends and another that provides the option to tag users in Stories. While Instagram already offers the latter feature, Snapchat has beat its chief rival to the video chat space…at least for now. One thing’s for sure: This arms race is far from over.

Heineken is facing a backlash on social media for a Heineken Light advertisement that many are calling racist. The offending ad portrayed a bottle of Heineken Light sliding across a bar past black patrons and into a white customer’s hands, along with the tagline, “Sometimes, lighter is better.” Two crisis management experts weigh in on this latest messaging fumble.

If you’re taking a break from Snapchat à la Rihanna or fed up with Facebook following the Cambridge Analytica revelations, LinkedIn and Instagram have got you covered with new features that could make communicators’ jobs a little easier. LinkedIn, well on its way to becoming a full-fledged social platform, continues to add visual storytelling elements to its offerings. This week it unveiled a video filter feature for users, complementing its new native video function.

March 21 marked 12 years since the first tweet appeared on Twitter. It’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on the platform’s successes—as well as its shortcomings—over the last dozen years.

The social media platform can be a double-edged sword for users. While Twitter has been heralded as a powerful tool for spreading awareness around important causes, it has also been the vehicle for millions of fake news-spouting accounts. To mark Twitter’s 12 years in operation, here are 12 defining moments in the platform’s history.

Are communicators evolving quickly enough to adapt to today’s data-driven workplace? What about the workplace of tomorrow? These are questions Andrew Bowins, executive director of corporate reputation and digital engagement at KPMG, plans to address at PR News’ Measurement Conference April 16-18 in Philadelphia, where communicators will gather to discuss and learn how best to quantify and qualify the success of their efforts. Here, he offers a quick overview of the evolution of digital communications, and a glimpse of what’s to come.

As Facebook continues to de-emphasize branded content in its News Feed, brands must strive harder than ever to run compelling campaigns, pouring bigger ad budgets and organizational resources into the platform. With so much at stake, how can brands drive a true return on investment with a Facebook campaign? By making those campaigns as enticing to their audiences as possible, of course.
On March 13, PR News will explore strategies for doing so in its webinar, “How to Increase the ROI of Your Facebook Campaigns.” For a taste of tomorrow’s program, here are four ways brands can increase ROI on Facebook.