Digital & Technology

Brands are still learning how to assess positives and risks when working with influencers. In light of this report, however, new questions emerge: How do brands protect themselves by properly vetting influencers, and what do they do when someone is falsely posing as a legitimate brand influencer?

We’ve all been there. You click on a product, perhaps even buy it. And then ads for that product and similar ones chase you around the internet. Things are particularly bad when these targeted, programmatic ads follow people who are grieving. That’s a position no brand wants to find itself in. Here’s what communicators need to know in such cases.

Entering for industry awards is often a major part of PR professionals’ work, but it poses significant challenges. How do you ensure your entry copy will stand out among a slew of other awards entries? And how to best discern exactly what judges are looking for? Lucky for you, the PR News editorial team judges its fair share of industry awards each year, and offers up the following tips for strengthening your industry awards entries.

Tis the season for listicles. With every holiday party or cup of eggnog poured comes a treasure trove of lists recapping significant marketing and communications developments from the last year, along with forecasts for 2019. Among them, Boston-based agency Pan Communications has shared a roundup of what 19 notable CMOs and influencers are expecting for their fields in 2019. Here are some of the list’s top takeaways.

The future appears bright for PR as advertising will cede its authority, a panel of veteran PR executives says. Yet PR pros must be prepared to grab the mantle, bolstering their knowledge and use of technology and working strategically. In addition, communicators must continue to build relationships with clients.

AI will greatly affect the communications business, whether we understand it or not. Just last week, the Chinese Xinhua News Agency debuted the world’s first AI news anchor. AI clearly has big plans for communicators, but how do communicators plan to use AI?

PR professionals are in the business of influencing public opinion. But the methods around that influence have changed with the times, says Andy Cunningham, PR entrepreneur, author of “Get to Aha!” Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition” and PR News’ 2018 Digital Awards Luncheon keynoter. Cunningham, who helped Steve Jobs launch the original Macintosh, shared best practices for establishing a digital footprint using memes and a special kind of content marketing in an exclusive Q&A with PR News.

Communicators and marketers are continually adapting and learning new digital strategies to expand their brand reach and recognition. And each year, PR News’ Digital PR Awards recognize the year’s top digital communicators and campaigns in… Continued

Each fall, PR News celebrates the top digital campaigns and initiatives of the last year at its Digital Awards luncheon. This year, the event will be held Nov. 8 at The Yale Club in New York City. Leveraging video, mobile apps, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more, this year’s finalists have taken an unrivaled creative and tactical approach toward digital communications. Here is a list of this year’s finalists.

Asked what type of social video they watched most, consumers’ top three responses were telling: how-to videos, lists, and clips about sales and promos. Two of these video types also translate to strategies for engagement through editorial content—the reason people read so many listicles and how-to pieces is because they want to know, upfront, how the information you are providing benefits them. It’s unsurprising, then, that providing a service to your audience through how-to content and lists provides many happy returns in video form, too.