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More than a few PR pros theorized that consumers would remember brands’ performance during the pandemic. The newest edition of the Axios-Harris Poll 100 confirms that theory. Grocery chains and pharmacies, among others, earned plaudits from consumers for being able to deliver on their brand promises during the first months of the pandemic.

Each August, PRNEWS celebrates the opening of universities and colleges. We continue that tradition despite pandemic-fueled uncertainty surrounding the status of the first semester. As a result, you might have expected US colleges to reduce their social content. In fact, Shareablee data shows schools bolstered their Instagram posting 8 percent vs the same period last year.

More than a decade after the advent of hashtags, trendjacking may be evolving into a longer-term play. In the wake of social unrest, brands have begun chiming in on issues unfolding over a course of weeks or months rather than days. Sophie Maerowitz looks at the evolution of trendjacking and visits with brands and organizations that are using the tactic to enhance awareness.

For years, Adobe executives believed that getting a large volume of media coverage across a wide range of publications was more beneficial than fewer articles in targeted media. Using media measurement and analysis, Adobe’s Dr. Jennifer Bruce showed this was not the case.

As the pandemic has changed many aspects of life and business, it’s natural to think communicators are adjusting their messages and how they’re delivered. Nicole Schuman of PRNEWS found PR pros at brands and organizations are making subtle and significant changes in the wake of the pandemic.

Both The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Hearst publications were caught flatfooted after allegations appeared in the media that their brands’ values failed to equate with reality. In her regular Image Patrol feature, Katie Paine analyzes the slow response to each PR crisis and provides tips for how brands should handle such issues.

Our latest survey of PR pros found them working harder than before the pandemic, but for a reason that left them thinking the future looks bright. In addition, more than 80 percent of survey respondents said the industry will rebound to its pre-pandemic size and that PR’s prestige has risen during the past five months. The pandemic has illustrated that businesses need strategic communication, respondents said.

[Editor’s Note: We spoke with Crystal Cooper Mathis, director of marketing and communications, SignatureFD, and Toni Harrison, CEO of Etched Communication, about launching DE&I communication in the midst

As part of our pandemic interview series with new executives, we spoke with Elana Gold, the new chief marketer at Del Monte Fresh Produce. Hired during the pandemic, Gold discussed keeping customers at the apex of marketing during the pandemic as conditions change constantly and remote working is the norm.

Like a Nancy Drew page-turner, Sunday’s mystery of the vanishing baseball player took a shoddy communication road not many PR pros would care to ease on down. Yoenis Céspedes, an outfielder and DH for the New York Mets, chose to opt out of the rest of the 2020 Major League Baseball season. But before that acknowledgement, the Mets issued a statement suggesting the blockbuster player was missing.