Latest Posts

image_pdfimage_print

How AI Can Help Communicators Tell Stories on Video

December 3rd, 2018 by

How many times have you created a video at work using a mobile phone and then had to wait for someone to edit the footage and add graphics and music so it could pass muster on your brand’s social channels? APCO’s lead storyteller Kareem Farid tells us AI soon will be able to collaborate with communicators to produce videos quickly and efficiently.

The Words We Choose: Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Tone-Deaf Response to Assault Allegations

December 3rd, 2018 by

Famed astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women, ranging in time from 1984 to the present day. Tyson has drafted a response he entilted, “On Being Accused,” and posted to Facebook on Saturday, defending his behavior after his most recent accuser, a production assistant on his show Cosmos, gave an interview to Patheos about her claims.

Top 10 Public Relations Trends for Those Paying Attention (Plus, One Call to Action)

December 3rd, 2018 by

It comes up in most conversations and lingers, unresolved: how can I find and retain great talent? Underlying this question is a decades-old trope about what PR really is. Will it be called PR 10 years from now? The question is irrelevant. More important is what do PR professionals need to master to move forward and insure that PR’s role is strengthened within an organization?

Communications Lessons From Marriott’s Data Breach Announcement

November 30th, 2018 by

On the morning of Nov. 30, Marriott announced that the data of approximately 500 million customers had been compromised by a breach of the Starwood Hotels database. Starwood became a subsidiary of Marriott when it was acquired by the hotel chain in 2016, and according to the statement on Marriott’s news site the breach has been an ongoing occurrence since 2014 but wasn’t detected until Sept. 8, 2018. The breach impacts guests who booked stays at Starwood properties on or before Sept. 10., and could be the second largest in history.

patagonia, linkedin

With $10M Gift to Address Climate Change, Patagonia Offers a Master Class in Thought Leadership

November 30th, 2018 by

On Nov. 28, Patagonia CEO Rose Mercario announced in a LinkedIn post that the company would be putting $10 million—the amount it received in tax returns following Trump administration tax cuts—toward alleviating the harmful effects of “human-caused climate disruption.” Here are some lessons learned from Patagonia’s initiative.

Surveillance is a Bad Look: The Untimely Optics of Google’s Project Dragonfly

November 29th, 2018 by

Google’s controversial plan to create a censored search engine in China enabling state surveillance has become a tale of two memos. The optics of Google’s willingness to work on a “pro-surveillance” product is particularly untimely as talk of user privacy issues and data regulation continues to dominate the news.

5 PR Measurement Myths Debunked

November 29th, 2018 by

Members of the Commission on Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation at the Institute for Public Relations point to the biggest measurement myths they’ve seen emerge as the world of PR measurement evolves. For a deeper dive on the future of PR measurement, join members of IPR and PR News for a Twitter chat on Tuesday, Dec. 4, using hashtag #PRNews.

2018 Top Places to Work in PR Award Winners

November 28th, 2018 by

Among the criteria the judges for the Top Places to Work in PR considered: growth opportunities, the quality of communication with senior leaders, benefits and compensation, turnover rate, workplace culture, flexibility of working hours, career development and training, mentoring opportunities, diversity at the managerial level, gender equality and opportunities for volunteerism.

How Not to Brand Yourself: 3 Lessons From Lena Dunham

November 28th, 2018 by

“Lena Dunham Comes to Terms With Herself” has its fair share of lessons for communicators, especially those in media working to build out their personal brand. The piece artfully uses scene, narrative and exposition to demonstrate the blind spots that Dunham, and those caught up in the digital generation’s ‘cult of personality’, can easily miss. Here are a couple.

3 Changes Coming Down the Pike at YouTube

November 28th, 2018 by

The social media landscape has shifted considerably this year and YouTube is no exception. The video platform, one of the most used among U.S. adults, recently announced changes for 2019 as a way to remain competitive. Here are three changes you can expect at YouTube in the coming year.