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If you are a crisis consultant, 2020 was your banner year. When we look back at the year, clearly there were societal changes that contributed to a proliferation of attacks on brand reputation.

In years past, launching product was a boon for publicists. It was fairly easy. In 2020 and beyond, not so much.

In addition to breaking through the noise of COVID-related news, brands with product launches were forced last year to compete with stories about social justice and the election. Combine that with shrinking newsrooms and an inability to host live events and the appetite for product launches was just not the same.

To succeed in 2021, we recommend “the Landscape Analysis” as the best way to catalog, evaluate and improve your situation. Even if you think you know the answers, the current atmosphere indicates a need to reassess the communication environment.

Podcast host and musician John Roderick, now known to the Twitterverse as “Bean Dad,” found his parenting philosophy under fire over the weekend, following a viral Jan. 2 (now-deleted) 23-tweet thread. Here are some PR takeaways from Roderick’s and podcast co-host Ken Jennings’ responses to the viral blowback.

Data is data, right? Not if it’s dirty. Considering how many businesses have downsized, closed temporarily or shuttered completely, it’s a good bet that a significant number of contacts on your marketing lists are out of date. Ditto employees, some of whom were furloughed, terminated or work from home (do you have their correct address and phone number?). Now’s the time to begin cleaning.

Those who thought PR crises were finished for the year probably hadn’t counted on Hilaria Baldwin’s identity issues popping into the news just days before 2020 ended. OK, so Ms. B. isn’t who she’s claimed. Instead of coming clean, she and her husband have made things worse. Fast, someone, get them a PR pro!

It’s said that life sometimes imitates art. For many PR pros in 2020, it was difficult to separate life at home from life at work. For at least one PR pro, the confluence of home and work was beneficial as she learned that training in PR helped her stage a wedding during the pandemic.

It’s nearly time for a break. Yet social media never really takes a breather. That’s why it’s crucial that brands continue to monitor the social conversation during the 2020 holiday season.

TikTok can be friendly to brands, or a terror. Here are tips to help brands navigate the sometimes-difficult waters of the hottest new social media platform.

You thought 2020 was difficult? It was. But what about 2021? Successful communication amid the coming year’s highly sensitive environment will require more authenticity, empathy, and innovation to meet new and evolved expectations.