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We rarely cover live events in this publication. PRNEWS senior content manager Sophie Maerowitz gave us a reason to make an exception. She attended a PRSA session featuring former Hearst executive Joanna Coles, who offered so many interesting tips and tactics that we had to share them with you. Here are some gems from the sharp yet blunt mind of Coles.

It’s critical to keep a vigilant eye on your audience and frequently take its temperature. For example, based on the negative media coverage of big tech, you’d expect the industry’s reputation would be abysmal. Instead of assuming, a researcher used data to test that assumption. Some of the results were surprising.

With the unofficial start of the summer on July 4, Americans break out their grills. Demand for beef rises as a result. How can a vegetarian staple like hummus compete at this time of the year? Sabra Hummus did its homework and combined its research with humor for a campaign that goes to the heart of customers’ anxieties.

There was a slew of PR-related studies released recently. Some contained good news for the industry, others did not. Included in the findings: a good portion of executives in the U.K. don’t know what the abbreviation PR means; earned media remains a good bet; PR firm profitability remains in good shape; and MuckRack has added publisher data to its suite.

With PRNEWS’ Top Women in Healthcare Communications awards luncheon coming up later this month, we asked our data partner Shareablee to look at the most socially active pharma and healthcare insurance providers for the first months of 2019. Clearly, these sectors need to address their social media strategies as both suffered major downturns in consumer engagement vs 2018.

There are few topics that touch more people than healthcare. For the broader public, healthcare often is equated with cost. Fair enough: American healthcare spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product is enormous. We asked finalists for PRNEWS’ Top Women in Healthcare Communications to discuss several issues, including communicating about cost.

Many communicators know blockchain is a technology mostly with electronic cash or cyptocurrency. They also may know Facebook plans to unveil a cryptocurrency, Global Coin , later this year. In fact, there’s a lot more senior communicators should be aware of regarding blockchain and trust could be a big factor.

Communicators need to take a different approach to crisis management, three senior executives from APCO Worldwide argue. They must utilize research capabilities to constantly monitor the opinions and expectations of key stakeholders. This information will prove invaluable when a crisis hits.

In a sense, media relations is similar to a fast-food restaurant. We are competing against many others who are trying to gain the attention of a customer, in this case it’s a journalist. Why not look at one of the most successful fast-food outlets, Chick-fil-A, for training tips?

A career in PR can be wonderful. But it’s also regularly associated with high levels of stress, which can lead to mental health problems. A modest proposal urges PR leaders to provide a supportive culture and resources to employees to recognize and treat mental health issues.