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While debate rages about the death of the press release, many brands continue to use this traditional vehicle, although with updates, of course. As such, it’s important to know what a press release can do for your brand, and what it can’t. Strategic use of well-crafted press releases can garner useful coverage and contribute tactically to your media strategy.

New Hurricane Harvey-related public health concerns arose Aug. 31 when two explosions were reported at a chemical plant in Crosby, TX, about 25 miles outside of Houston. The plant, owned by French chemical company Arkema, lost power on Aug. 26 as a result of Harvey’s floods. Here are five ways Arkema’s communications team has responded to the crisis so far.

Like any good friendship, the relationship between a brand and its audience on Snapchat should be a two-way street. Matt Johnston, executive director of video at Rodale, worked directly with Snap Inc. to build a Discover platform from scratch. Here, he shares his tips and tactics for how to meet your audience halfway on Snapchat to keep the eager tapper glued to your story.

Users logging on to Facebook today will notice a new television-shaped icon gracing the platform as the social media giant unveiled its latest video feature, dubbed Watch. The feature looks to do battle with YouTube for advertising dollars as it offers brand communicators a new platform for evangelizing branded content. Marketers from B2C organizations now have a new front to drive engagement with billions of users on the world’s largest social network, and for B2B marketers, Watch may offer the ability to engage more specialized, targeted audiences.

Doing good for people in times of need can be tricky for brands. If you draw attention to a tragedy too much or in the wrong way, the public might accuse you of trying to score PR points. (And some brands might be doing just that.) Sometimes it helps the cause to draw more attention to it; sometimes the classy thing is to remain silent and speak through your actions.

With B2B buying decisions sometimes taking weeks and months if not year, how can PR and marketing work with sales to unclog the bottle neck? A content strategy can help, but it must be an integrated effort. Here are tactics that marketing and PR can employ to assist sales in guiding prospects down the decision funnel.

If you’re a Snapchat aficionado, you’ve probably heard of Julieanna (“Julz”) Goddard, better known as YesJulz to her followers. The agency founder and philanthropist has earned her social media stripes by growing a sizable Snapchat and Instagram following, and covering live music and events. We talked to Julz to find out more about her approach to social media, how brands can work with their ambassadors to merge philanthropy with influencer marketing and how her childhood camcorder sparked a life of digital influence.

In the Houston area the priorities are rescue, assistance and recovery. Finger pointing about who’s to blame has started, but properly should come much, much later, if at all. Still, there are PR lessons in the early stages of what looks to be a years-long issue. Here are a few.

PR News recently asked its community to tell us who should be listed among the top game-changers of PR in the last few years. Here, we look at game-changer Alyson Roy, a leader in the world of fashion PR. When she was just 23, Roy co-founded AMP3 PR, and has since led the boutique New York-based firm to be ranked among the top fashion PR agencies in the nation.

Our weekly roundup of news, trends and personnel announcements in communications and marketing. This week’s stories include PR lessons from the disaster in Houston, Uber’s new CEO, Bell & Pottinger’s fate and Chipotle gets a CCO.