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Even just a couple of years ago brands were more than a bit cautious when wading into social and political issues. Things are different now. Consider the size and scope of the 56 companies that signed a letter yesterday protesting rule changes for transgender people. Still, brands need to be careful when taking stands on social and political issues.

A sigh of relief emanated from College Park, Maryland, early on Halloween, when University of Maryland president Wallace Loh announced his firing of head football coach DJ Durkin. It was one of the few correct notes sounded during a crisis that centered on the death of a student and athlete Jordan McNair.

Facebook has reported slow growth this quarter, most likely a result of the data leaks, fake news and hate speech the embattled platform has faced over the last two years, not to mention a saturated global user base. But in its quarterly earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg spoke to four new directions Facebook is headed, all of which will affect how communicators approach the platform. Here are some of their implications for communicators.

PayPal’s director of corporate communications, Amanda Miller, shares how PayPal packages its data to easily leads journalists to a story. “I believe that the relationship between a publicist and a reporter is a partnership, a collaboration,” she says. “We both have a job to do, and it’s my job to give you the information you need to tell the story that I want you to tell, then work with you to help make sure that the facts are accurate.”

Programmatic advertising is not new, but as machine learning becomes more sophisticated, it is becoming a more important tool for social media marketers. But one thing standing in the way is of them harnessing the… Continued

Each fall, PR News celebrates the top digital campaigns and initiatives of the last year at its Digital Awards luncheon. This year, the event will be held Nov. 8 at The Yale Club in New York City. Leveraging video, mobile apps, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more, this year’s finalists have taken an unrivaled creative and tactical approach toward digital communications. Here is a list of this year’s finalists.

PR pros are asked to write content in various styles, including reports to the C-Suite and messages to stakeholders from members of the C-Suite. Andrea Staub, SVP, corporate communications at Perdue Farms, provides insight on how she crafts these communications.

Asked what type of social video they watched most, consumers’ top three responses were telling: how-to videos, lists, and clips about sales and promos. Two of these video types also translate to strategies for engagement through editorial content—the reason people read so many listicles and how-to pieces is because they want to know, upfront, how the information you are providing benefits them. It’s unsurprising, then, that providing a service to your audience through how-to content and lists provides many happy returns in video form, too.

More than 150 social media marketers, communicators and PR pros attended the summit at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront on Oct. 23 to hear from some of the industry’s top social media, marketing and communications pros… Continued

Google and NBC are both under fire this week for employees’ inappropriate behavior and subsequent backlash in the news cycle and on social media. Here’s a contrasting look at each company’s response, with commentary from PR professionals on how well each brand tackled its crisis communications.