Late last month, cyber crime whacked yet another large brand. On the evening of July 29, Capital One , the nation’s largest issuer of credit cards and the 10th largest bank by assets, issued a statement that millions of its accounts were compromised. While brands are concerned about their sites and servers, few seem to take seriously the security of their social media platforms, a new study finds.
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Security of Social Media Lags Despite Strong Upturn in Cyber Crime
August 1st, 2019 by Seth Arenstein
Extending PR for Anniversaries with Lights, Locals and Creative Thinking
August 1st, 2019 by Michael Munz, The Dalton AgencyBrands and organizations often fail to create as much awareness around anniversaries and other milestones. To remedy this situation requires just a bit of creativity, argues Michael Munz, president of The Dalton Agency.

5 Powerful Data Integration Approaches for Strategic PR Campaigns
August 1st, 2019 by Julie C. Lellis and Marybeth WestSince the dawn of PR as a profession, the sector has been fighting for the right to exist. If you’ve been considering how to reframe PR functions as part of a broader business strategy, here are five ways to stay focused.

Universities Grow 2019 Social Engagement 12%, Video Engagement Rises Just 1%, Harvard Leads
August 1st, 2019 by Seth ArensteinEven with something as relatively new as social media, it’s good to have a brand with years of name recognition. In addition, size can be beneficial. Harvard leads U.S. colleges and universities in consumer engagement with social posts for the first half of 2019, according to data provided to us exclusively by Shareablee.

New FleishmanHillard Chief Strategy Officer Urges Brands to Use Data to Align with Audiences
August 1st, 2019 by Seth ArensteinThe new Chief Strategy Officer at FleishmanHillard, Marjorie Benzkofer, talks to us about how she keeps 4,000 employees working in concert and why brands continue to struggle aligning their values and actions.

New Data About Tech’s Reputation Illustrates Need for Regular Testing Market Assumptions
July 1st, 2019 by Seth ArensteinIt’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.

Sabra Hummus Does Its Research and Exploits the ‘Meatiest Time of the Year’ Using Humor
July 1st, 2019 by Seth ArensteinWith 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.

Survey Roundup: Trust Tops List of PR Issues, 20% of U.K. Execs Don’t Know What ‘PR’ Means
July 1st, 2019 by Seth ArensteinThere 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.

Consumer Engagement With Pharma’s Social Off 62%, Health Insurers Take 42% Whack
July 1st, 2019 by Seth ArensteinWith 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.

Top Women in Healthcare Communications See Data as a Tool to Boost Industry’s Storytelling
July 1st, 2019 by Seth ArensteinThere 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.