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PRNEWS lost an important member of its family this time last year when Melissa Hoffmann, content director since early August 2018, passed away suddenly in Manhattan. The PRNEWS staff remember her as a passionate and compassionate editor and person. A recurring theme with PR pros and others who reminisced about Melissa was her enthusiasm for people and PR. We reprint an appreciation originally published last year at this time.

Technology has invaded the world of media relations, allowing PR pros to send press releases and other announcements easier and quicker than ever. Still, a recent PRNEWS webinar emphasized the human factors in media pitching, including building relationships with journalists through phone calls and empathy.

A leader of a company or organization can serve as the quarterback when it comes to delivering a positive reputation to the public. While leaders do not always handle the day-to-day details of running a brand, they serve as a face for employees, customers, shareholders and more. We asked communication professionals about how to proceed when leadership falls ill.

Tonight’s vice-presidential debate is a chance to revive civil discourse and democracy. In addition, it will offer an opportunity (missed last week) for the debaters to present solid messages and discuss policy prescriptions. A group of PR pros and several others discuss debate tactics and strategies.

On Oct. 6, Ocean Spray CEO Tom Hayes posted his version of the latest viral video craze to hit TikTok, which has since racked up more than 1.3 million views. His video is a spin on a Sept. 25 video posted by TikTok user 420DoggFace208, the handle of Idaho warehouse worker Nathan Apodaca, 37. Squeezing some extra earned media juice, Hayes’ company donated a red pickup truck filled with bottles of Ocean Spray to Apodaca. The surprise gift video has seen more than a million views on Instagram, exhibiting cross-channel appeal.

It was one of those rare weekends. Just about any news story was getting crickets from the media except for one. Indeed, there were several examples of moderate PR crises, but few noticed. Basing your crisis strategy on other stories crowding out media coverage of your company’s PR crisis is a gamble that hardly ever pays.

One of the most difficult aspects of crisis communication is deciding when and how to respond. In the case of truck start-up Nikola, which a short-seller attacked as a fraud, it chose to respond almost immediately to a short-seller’s allegation-filled report. Now with Nikola’s CEO gone, the company must be as transparent as possible in combatting allegations.

There was a time when much of PR was about trade shows. They were crucial for product launches. With shows on hold for now, communicators must review their product-launch strategies.

The celebrity influencer, with millions of fans in tow, is dead, right? Perhaps not. Especially if you want to bolster a nation-wide campaign and can find an influencer like Eva Longoria, who has history with your cause.

We jumped at the chance to interview Michael Monahan, a veteran brand communicator who’s now on the agency side. In addition, he and his team have been working in their offices for months. He tells us what’s on his mind.