Latest Posts

Why the Amazon-Berkshire Hathaway-JPMorgan Chase Health Alliance Is Great PR

January 31st, 2018 by

While analysts are scrambling to digest Tuesday’s announcement from Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase about their new healthcare alliance, the PR perspective, at least at the outset, seems less complicated. It was a tremendous win for the trio of companies in terms of internal and external communications as well as reputation management.

6 Ways to Excel at Media Relations When You Can’t Pitch Puppies

January 30th, 2018 by

In her nearly two decades as a PR pro, Maire Griffin, VP, global communications for the Wyndham Hotel Group, has been a witness to many changes in the PR pro/reporter relationship. What hasn’t changed is the need to work equally hard on relationships with internal and external stakeholders. One feeds into the other, and back again.

Your Brand Can’t Afford a Super Bowl Ad? You Can Still Compete in Twitter’s #BrandBowl

January 30th, 2018 by

Twitter announced its first ever #BrandBowl, a competition that will award prizes to brands whose commercials are most often referenced on the platform during the game. But the awards aren’t dedicated only to those who can afford the astronomically priced ad space: One award category gives every brand a fighting chance.

The Week in PR

January 30th, 2018 by

Our weekly roundup of trends, news and personnel announcements in PR and marketing. This week’s stories include several about the Dr. Larry Nassar scandal at Michigan State University, Cision closes its deal to acquire PRIME and Rupert Murdoch suggests Facebook and Google pay for the premium content it carries.

Cutting Through the Data Wilderness: Next-Gen Communicators Preach Data With a Human Heart

January 30th, 2018 by

The final article in this 5-part PR News/PublicRelay series about data and measurement profiles three rising communicators leaders. Each of them is a firm believer in data-centric communications, yet none of them is what you’d call a numbers nerd. They all learned to embrace data analysis on the job, not in college.

Follower Bots Exposed: How to Spot Fake Influencers

January 29th, 2018 by

The practice of buying social media followers has been around nearly as long as social media itself. And it’s still unclear whether platforms like Twitter and Facebook are responsible for weeding out the fake accounts. So, how can a brand separate influencer fact from fiction?

3 Ways Grammy Awards’ #MeToo Moment Was Off-Key

January 29th, 2018 by

Are #MeToo moments part of a movement, or have they become a marketing tactic? To many, the Jan. 28 Grammy Awards fell short of the former, paying lip service to the women of #MeToo and #TimesUp without making a real statement. Most of the night’s award winners were men, with female performers like SZA—who was nominated for five awards—losing to the likes of The Weeknd and Bruno Mars.

The F Word: It’s Time to Make Your Move

January 29th, 2018 by

At the PR News Top Women in PR Luncheon on January 23 keynoter Melissa Bernstein of toy company Melissa & Doug shared all the misses among the hits of puzzles, toys and stuffed animals over the company’s 30 years. At their headquarters in Wilton, CT, there’s a whole room dedicated to failure—toys that seemed like such a good idea until they weren’t. As Melissa pointed out, it’s only through repeated failure that she’s found great success.

snapchat

Will Snapchat Survive Its Redesign?

January 26th, 2018 by

Snapchat’s coming redesign, which aims to court advertisers and make the interface easier to use (especially for the 35-and-above set) is currently being tested in the U.K., Australia and Canada. But so far, users in those countries have not been impressed, posting negative reviews on the App Store and tweeting complaints at Snap Inc.’s support handle.

USA Gymnastics, USOC, MSU and the Nassar Sentencing: Behind the Messaging

January 25th, 2018 by

There’s no crisis management cure-all for organizations linked to heinous, life-destroying and unchecked behavior like Larry Nassar’s, but there should be a guiding principle—learn from your errors, and show that you’re learning and changing. Two crisis management experts weigh in.