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No company, not even timeless luxury brands, is immune to today’s social, racial and political movements. While luxury brands once were able to float above social issues, that’s not the case today. How should these ‘timeless classics’ navigate the current landscape? In short, much the same way other brands do.

The questions for communicators: Do you craft messages differently, internally and externally, when you know the country is divided politically, and in other ways? In addition, do you change communication to adapt to the fact that a significant portion of the electorate believes the election was rigged, and, by extension, the true winner is not scheduled to be inaugurated next week?

Most communicators understood that the online presence of what others regarded as fringe groups needed serious consideration. It was this lack of concern that, in part, led to last week’s violence on Capitol Hill. Going forward, PR pros will need to redouble their obligation to act ethically and responsibly.

There are many lessons from the violence on Capitol Hill January 6. For PR pros, one of the biggest takeaways is the need for prompt and transparent communication during a crisis. DC Police, Capitol Police and federal law enforcement remained relatively silent initially, allowing others to create narratives.

We had a good feeling about Linda Thomas Brooks, who was named PRSA’s CEO today, before we met her. The last line of her bio did the trick.

Pizza Inn took a stand on the 2020 presidential election, stating that it’s unsure if the contest was legitimate. It’s a stance that a significant portion of the public disputes, in addition to several dozen court cases that upheld the election. Why would a brand intentionally alienate potential customers?

Podcast host and musician John Roderick, now known to the Twitterverse as “Bean Dad,” found his parenting philosophy under fire over the weekend, following a viral Jan. 2 (now-deleted) 23-tweet thread. Here are some PR takeaways from Roderick’s and podcast co-host Ken Jennings’ responses to the viral blowback.

Those who thought PR crises were finished for the year probably hadn’t counted on Hilaria Baldwin’s identity issues popping into the news just days before 2020 ended. OK, so Ms. B. isn’t who she’s claimed. Instead of coming clean, she and her husband have made things worse. Fast, someone, get them a PR pro!

It’s said that life sometimes imitates art. For many PR pros in 2020, it was difficult to separate life at home from life at work. For at least one PR pro, the confluence of home and work was beneficial as she learned that training in PR helped her stage a wedding during the pandemic.

It’s nearly time for a break. Yet social media never really takes a breather. That’s why it’s crucial that brands continue to monitor the social conversation during the 2020 holiday season.