Latest Posts

What Communicators Can Learn From How CBS Handles the Moonves Situation

July 31st, 2018 by

A PR crisis often becomes a media feeding frenzy. When the crisis involves a media brand and a CEO, it’s a frenzy run amok. Media, like PR, usually abhors being the story. The sexual harassment allegations against CBS chief Les Moonves are far more than the story of a top media executive and his brand wishing to stay out of the news, though. Communicators will be watching closely to see how CBS talks about this crisis, although the network might not be allowed make all its own choices.

3 Takeaways for Communicators From U.S. Sen. Warner’s Paper on Social Media Regulation

July 31st, 2018 by

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has released a policy paper proposing 20 different paths toward social media regulation. In the paper, Warner divides his proposals into three categories: combating disinformation, protecting user privacy and promoting competition in the tech space. Here’s what the paper’s key points mean for communicators.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This Story Before

July 30th, 2018 by

If you listen to podcasts in which Hollywood actors and directors are interviewed you’ll often hear the statement, “I love telling stories.” Storytelling is presented as a calling and given a spiritual sheen. Entertainment, by contrast, is crass. You’ll often hear the same phrase from PR practitioners—that they “love telling stories” and that storytelling is at the core of everything they do.

tables, attendees, winners at PR News' agency elite awards

PR News to Announce 2018 Agency Elite Awards Winners at Sept. 21 Luncheon in NYC

July 30th, 2018 by

With a new marketing agency, PR practice or digital communications firm seemingly opening up shop by the minute, sometimes even the top performing communications organizations can get lost in the shuffle.

That’s why PR News celebrates the cream of the agency crop each year with its Agency Elite Awards. The Agency Elite Awards benchmark the communications and marketing firms that, over the last year, truly stood out for their creativity, strategic expertise and achievement of successful outcomes for clients.

3 Steps to Build Better Insights with Google Analytics

July 27th, 2018 by

Google Analytics is one of the most accessible measurement tools out there today, due in large part to the fact that it’s free to use for anyone with a website and a Google account. But chances are you’re not using it as efficiently as possible to glean important insights from your communications efforts. Paul Headley, director of digital strategy and analytics at ZOG Digital, explains that Google Analytics is more customizable than many people understand, and if used properly it can show you the insights you need without the noise of unimportant data to you and your team.

3 Ways Communicators Will Be Critical to AI’s Impact on Reputation

July 27th, 2018 by

There is much talk about how jobs and the economy will fare as a result of the continuing advance of AI and automation. As communicators, though, we should also be looking at AI’s impact on reputation and the role PR will play in educating the public about critical issues related to AI, argues Sophie Scott, global managing director of FleishmanHillard’s technology sector practice.

Hannah Storm, Platinum PR

PR News’ 2018 Platinum PR Awards Finalists Announced, Hannah Storm to Host Sept. 21 Awards Luncheon in NYC

July 27th, 2018 by

At PR News’ annual Platinum & Agency Elite Awards luncheon—which this year will be held Sept. 21 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City—hundreds of communications professionals gather to celebrate the top communications and marketing campaigns of the last year, as well as the PR and marketing professionals behind the strategy and execution of those initiatives. This year’s Platinum & Agency Elite Awards luncheon will be hosted by ESPN’s Hannah Storm.

What Facebook’s Stock Plunge Means for Communicators

July 26th, 2018 by

Facebook didn’t lose a cow today, it lost nearly all of McDonald’s. The question for communicators, though, is whether or not this is the right time to abandon the platform as a marketing and communications vehicle. It is if you believe Facebook is irreparably damaged and millions of users will depart abruptly. Of course, Facebook could shed several million users gradually and remain the dominant social network.

3 Ways to Make Buyer Personas Part of PR Measurement

July 26th, 2018 by

As the PR industry looks forward into the next few years, PR pros are being advised to move away from old-school metrics like ad-value equivalencies (AVEs) and impressions. But what should communicators focus on instead? According to Renee Spurlin, vice president of analytics and digital marketing at ARPR, personas and customer journey mapping are the metrics of the future, and all PR goals should be in alignment with them.

Why PayPal Uses Visuals to Tell Part, But Not All, of Its Story

July 25th, 2018 by

PayPal’s director of global corporate communications Amanda Miller cautions the next generation of PR professionals to realize that visuals, owned media and social are just a piece in an ecosystem that should include earned media, too.