Branding/Marketing

PR and communications leaders have historically been trapped in a reactive loop. We build strategies around what we already know to watch, measuring keyword volumes after a trend has already spiked, instead of following fandom.

Between the marketing jargon, branded tote bags and exclusive yacht brunches, Cannes conversations around the future of communications gained momentum on some of the biggest stages.

Drawing on his experience leading communications for The Trevor Project, Kevin Wong discusses how to maintain mission visibility amid shifting corporate priorities, including during Pride, what authentic partnership actually looks like and how to turn earned media moments into lasting impact.

Apple offers a lesson in getting ahead of bad news, new Sprout Social confirms that social media is now the front line of crisis, and Starbucks turns to employee creators.

Cannes Lions has long been considered a marketing and advertising festival, but as the media industry fragments and the ways brands reach audiences multiply, communicators can no longer afford to watch from the sidelines.

This week’s PR Roundup examines what it takes to build—and keep—consumer trust in uncertain times.

Like-minded independent PR agencies are proving that impact does not have to come with unnecessary overhead, endless layers or a model that mistakes size for strength.

The most successful attendees don’t treat Cannes as a series of meetings, panels and parties. They approach it with a clear strategy and a disciplined plan.

PR Roundup covers how communicators can interpret Kalshi’s compliance move, which brands are actually breaking through the World Cup noise and why “Toy Story 5” is giving brands a nostalgia-fueled engagement boost ahead of its release date.

Consumer brands often make the same seasonal PR mistake: They start pitching when shoppers begin buying. Editors, however, start planning those stories months earlier. While marketers and communicators focus on summer promotions, Prime Day and… Continued