Messaging

Many companies are now learning the hard way that communicating technical solutions about data centers alone isn’t nearly enough. Those wishing to do more than inform, or more specifically, persuade, must also tell a human story, focused on the benefits for the audience.

As 2026 approaches, it pays to take stock of everything that occurred in 2025 and how it could impact the next year of the PR industry. Some friends in the communications world approached PRNEWS with predictions for the coming year for many PR tenets including digital, crisis, media relations and more.

This week’s PR Roundup examines an AI-generated McDonald’s holiday ad gone wrong, a new study by Ruder Finn that reveals employee optimism around AI, and Beaches going all-in on experiential for an Elf on the Shelf vacation no family will soon forget.

America 250 offers something PR professionals rarely get: a year-long hook with sustained national attention. This is not a one-day news cycle; it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to align stories with America’s history.

How can PR specialists harness the cultural phenomenon of K-Pop oshikatsu in their own work?

As we move into 2026, the PR industry shouldn’t rush to follow new tools and trends. Instead, they need to apply proven strategies and ethically use resources to build better, authentic relationships with their audiences.

This week’s PR Roundup examines how a nationwide shredded-cheese recall put brand trust and transparency to the test, Black Friday chatter revealing just how quickly attention spikes—and disappears—in today’s media ecosystem, and Meals on Wheels delivering one of the season’s most resonant Giving Tuesday messages.

You must own your career story before AI or others define it for you.

If it feels like every brand has been running a sale for months, you’re not imagining it. According to a recent CNBC report, consumers are showing clear signs of discount fatigue ahead of Black Friday.

How healthcare brands like Tylenol, UnitedHealth and BetterHelp respond when trust meets skepticism reveals who they are, and whether they still deserve to be believed.