Digital & Technology

Next in our series of interviews with senior communicators we speak with Julie O’Donnell, who last month was named EVP/global head of digital at health communications and PR firm Evoke. We asked her what she sees communicators doing well or badly in this moment with their digital communications.

This is a time when the public likely won’t mind over-communication as people clamor to learn everything they can to protect themselves and their families. And while every organization has its preferred method of distributing information to its audience, some are turning to podcasts for more comprehensive discussions around necessary information.

With so many communicators seeking to take physical events online, we asked PR pro and video specialist Doug Simon how to get started. We also asked how communicators can make their video and social video productions more engaging.

You’ve distributed messaging to staff regarding COVID-19. Sent emails to customers apologizing for canceling events and thanked those who RSVP-ed yes for their support. In addition, you’ve assured them the show will go on, just at a different date and possibly in the form of a virtual event. But how will you make your virtual event stand out, especially when there’s likely to be an unprecedented amount of them?

As many others are doing, members of the book industry have stepped up during the coronavirus crisis. Here are examples of how authors are working with PR pros to offer solace to a variety of groups during these difficult times.

So far, no country is able to control coronavirus. Arguably, South Korea is managing it, despite taking a very heavy hit. A communicator representing the Embassy of South Korea argues the country’s daily and transparent government communications protocol is playing a large role in the nation’s successful coronavirus management.

PR pros become part of a brand’s front line when events are cancelled or postponed. We asked communicators for tips and tactics about how to deliver postponement messages. In a health crisis such as coronavirus, they counsel crafting messages with empathy and positivity. In addition, having a plan for re-scheduling may help, as can streaming.

If anything, the remaining candidates are throwing everything they’ve got into this Super Tuesday, igniting digital strategies from all corners of the democratic universe. You’d be hard pressed not to open Instagram or Facebook and yes, even Twitter, without seeing some sort of political trend, video or paid advertisement. We took a look at the diverse social media strategies each candidate harnesses. Some feel forced, while others emerged organically, completely separate from the official campaign team. Will they make a difference on Super Tuesday?

Data breach. In this ever-connected world, those words conjure fear, and rightly so. Click on an innocent-looking email, webpage URL or attachment, and the next thing you know, someone has access to your email

In a wide-ranging address during day 2 of PRNEWS’ Crisis and Measurement Summit in Miami, political strategist Ana Navarro had positive and negative things to say about social media. In the end, though, she believes PR pros have a difficult but important mission to promote truth in messaging. “Don’t give up on the facts,” she said.