A well-known PR adage is, ‘If you don’t tell your story, someone else will.’ A bevy of major retailers has paraphrased that aphorism to fit the moment: ‘If the government doesn’t protect our employees and customers against coronavirus, we will.’ By requiring masks, these iconic brands have become healthcare policy wonks.
Crisis Management
Communicators Say ‘We Need to Help a Confused Country’
July 17th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinIt’s July and we’re still stuck in a pandemic. By most measures, things are getting worse, not better. The country seems to be confused. We asked a group of healthcare communicators how PR pros can help at this moment. Most said the industry can and should.
Twitter Hack Reminds PR Pros to Stay Vigilant
July 16th, 2020 by Sophie MaerowitzPR professionals representing the country’s largest public figures are likely having a rough week after a wave of cyberattacks on Twitter. Around 4:00 p.m. Eastern on July 16, tweets from celebrities including Kim Kardashian West, Joe Biden, Bill Gates and others started rolling in, asking Twitter users for Bitcoin donations in service of “giving back to the community.” These celebs would double donations to the unnamed “community” cause, the tweets read. All told, hackers made off with nearly $120,000, The Verge reported.
PR Lessons from a Bizarre Friday in July
July 12th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinIt was a hot Friday in July. The perfect slow news day. But not for the world of PR, where some of the major teachings of the craft seemed to be thrown to the dustbin. See what happens when a brand CEO steps directly into politics, a brand disregards optics and the computer system of a mega-retailer goes whacky.
Storytelling Gold and Your Company’s Pandemic History
July 8th, 2020 by Jason DresselWe’re living in difficult times. Yet, the events of 2020, for good or ill, are shaping up to be storytelling gold. It’s a time for brand storytellers to gather and capture real-time history and to think more broadly about how these stories can be used.
Washington Football Team Continues Fumbling Its PR
July 7th, 2020 by Seth ArensteinFrom a PR viewpoint, the majority owner of Washington’s football team continues to fumble. The latest issue is a long-standing argument over changing the team’s name. Finally, team owner Daniel Snyder has agreed to review the issue. For two decades he’s ignored PR best practices. Will he change his ways this time?
Everything PR Pros (and Brands) Need to Know About Deepfakes
July 6th, 2020 by Ellen HuberUsing AI to create realistic but deceitful video content, known as a deepfake, is rapidly moving into the business world. As such, communicators need to know how to recognize and combat deepfakes to protect their business and the brands they represent. Kglobal’s Ellen Huber offers tips and tactics.
Don’t Believe Your Eyes: Deepfakes Could Haunt PR Soon
July 1st, 2020 by Sophie MaerowitzDeepfakes, or Artificial Intelligence-generated synthetic videos, have been on the crisis communications periphery since 2017. Here’s what you and those you represent need to know about them.
Value and PR Must be Linked to Maintain Business Strength During COVID-19
July 1st, 2020 by Erik ZijdemansFaced with a long-term crisis, a media landscape that transformed priorities seemingly overnight and budgets of many businesses frozen, PR pros need to adapt. Here are some strategies to use.
Communicators Deploy Strategies to Pivot as Pandemics Unmoor Businesses and Organizations
July 1st, 2020 by Seth ArensteinWith the country facing three pandemics, the only certainty is that nobody knows what’s ahead. In this atmosphere, brands and organizations are pivoting at a rate not seen previously. PR veterans offer suggestions about the best ways to approach this fluid situation.