Topics

A new study from PR News and Crisp, a social media issue detection and crisis monitoring firm, of more than 400 PR executives finds more than half of respondents saying their brands and organizations have current crisis plans. The downside is brands seem slow to react to a situation during off hours and communicators say they lack the resources to respond to a crisis.

A trio of new studies tell you the best time and day to pitch your stories to media, why scalability is a concern with influencers and a common concern among PR’s women and men.

With March Madness permeating the zeitgeist in a few weeks, we asked some of the 2018 PR News Rising PR Stars to answer our roundtable questions this month. We asked, “What gets you mad about PR and communications?” And, “What can be done about it?” Their edited responses follow.

With PR News’ CSR and Nonprofit Awards luncheon coming March 15, we look at two brands taking stands, though they do so with different philosophies and strategies.

A roundup of takeaways from select articles in the current edition of PR News.

Veteran PR guru Katie Paine looks at the crisis responses of the New England Patriots and the Chinese company Huawei. She gives neither one of them a passing grade.

Too many PR pros look askance at measurement. That’s not the issue with measurement advocate Graeme Harris, but he wants to know the most cost-effective way of measuring. Is it preferable to have your in-house staff do the collection and analysis, or contract with an outside firm to handle things? Harris does the math on both options.

This week, Facebook announced the launch of its “Showcase” feature, a program that allows brands to advertise on popular Facebook Watch videos. While the feature is referred to as a “premium video ad program” (read: big-ticket item), it’s important for brands of all sizes to note the direction in which Facebook’s advertising business is headed. Here are some takeaways from the feature announcement for brand communicators to be aware of.

Preparing the CEO or other C-suite executives for press interviews isn’t the easiest of tasks. They’re busy, don’t always see the value, and often have legal counsel telling them not to talk. So how do you crack the code? Patience, videotape and building a strategic relationship are key, said panelists at the the PR News Media Training Workshop on Feb. 27, part of the inaugural Crisis Management Summit in Miami.

While anecdotal evidence shows many or even most recent PR crises were self-induced and therefore predictable and preventable, more than a few “come out of the blue,” says Emma Monks, head of trust and safety at Crisp, a social media issue detection and crisis monitoring firm. Fortunately, many of the same tactics used in predictable crises are of use in managing unexpected #PR crises, Monks says.