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On Tues., March 5, investment bank and financial services company Goldman Sachs Group Inc. announced that it would loosen up its stringent employee dress code. Announced via internal memo signed by Goldman executives including chief executive David Solomon, this new “firm wide flexible dress code” has been instituted due to “the changing nature of workplaces generally in favor of a more casual environment.” The memo also urged employees to dress in a manner consistent with their client’s expectations.

The use of influencers is such a new tactic, there’s a lack of agreement on what exactly an influencer is. There’s plenty of agreement, though, about the popularity and importance of influencer marketing and communication, a new survey from PR News and Meltwater shows. The survey also finds brands’ and organizations’ budgets for influencer spending are holding steady or rising.

Developing a social listening campaign is an important part of any communications strategy, as it can point to new trends as well as be invaluable as a crisis and issues management tool. But thanks to technology, it need not be difficult. Here are some tools communications professionals are using to ensure they know what is bubbling about their brands on social media.

This is the first installment of a feature in which PR News will ask movers and shakers in the industry to share a little bit of their personal history and personality through answering a series of 10 questions.

Admit it, PR measurement has a PR problem. It’s particularly bad because some communicators resist working with data. Yet communications’ reliance on data is growing. The good news is data expert John Glinski says communicators need not be data experts to garner answers with data to important questions.

Social media can be a brand’s greatest friend or greatest foe in a crisis. Being honest, saying you’re sorry and responding to complaints with an authentic voice are keys to success, a panel of communications experts told the PR News Crisis Management Summit this week. Here are a few more things you should consider.

A brand’s culture and values are crucial components of its identity—a reminder to your customers that you’re in business for the right reasons. As Simon Sinek famously said, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” But sharing the why around your culture and values can sometimes be difficult. Communicators face the challenge of doing so in an authentic way. That’s where video is an often-underutilized tool for sharing the intangibles that make up the very core of your brand’s DNA.

Too many PR pros look askance at measurement. That’s not the issue with measurement advocate Graeme Harris, but he wants to know the most cost-effective way of measuring. Is it preferable to have your in-house staff do the collection and analysis, or contract with an outside firm to handle things? Harris does the math on both options.

This week, Facebook announced the launch of its “Showcase” feature, a program that allows brands to advertise on popular Facebook Watch videos. While the feature is referred to as a “premium video ad program” (read: big-ticket item), it’s important for brands of all sizes to note the direction in which Facebook’s advertising business is headed. Here are some takeaways from the feature announcement for brand communicators to be aware of.

Preparing the CEO or other C-suite executives for press interviews isn’t the easiest of tasks. They’re busy, don’t always see the value, and often have legal counsel telling them not to talk. So how do you crack the code? Patience, videotape and building a strategic relationship are key, said panelists at the the PR News Media Training Workshop on Feb. 27, part of the inaugural Crisis Management Summit in Miami.