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PR professionals from around the globe came together at PR News’ Platinum PR and Agency Elite Awards luncheon at the Grand Hyatt in New York City on Sept. 14 to celebrate the winners and honorable mentions of PR News’ 2017 Agency Elite Awards. The Agency Elite awards benchmark excellence in PR agencies’ key practice areas, from advocacy, crisis communications and social media to internal communications, media relations and reputation management.

All communicators are tasked with crafting clear, concise and interesting messages and pitches. Communicators in the technology field have the additional difficulty of translating arcane, jargon-laden ideas into plain English. More than that, the pace of products and ideas flooding the market can cause headaches. Tips that tech communicators use to manage the load can help PR pros in any field.

Pizza Hut is facing heat on social media after an internal memo, posted at one of the chain’s Jacksonville, Florida locations before Hurricane Irma made landfall in the area, threatened to punish employees that evacuated more than 24 hours before the storm. But while social media’s ire is centered on the Jacksonville location’s apparent disregard for employee safety, one key phrase in the memo, the location’s “commitment to the community,” raises an important point.

Chances are we wouldn’t be writing this post had British PR firm Bell Pottinger’s demise yesterday remained a story limited to Europe and Africa. Unfortunately for the reputation of the PR industry here and abroad, Bell… Continued

As Katie Paine wrote about Bell Pottinger in PR News this past July, “PR counselors long have argued that ethics are critical and apologies, honesty and transparency are the best cures in a crisis. It’s a bit mind-boggling when one of the world’s leading PR firms ignores its own advice.” This was before its recent death spiral.

There’s nothing like doing PR for a much-anticipated, star-studded event, such as the Mayweather-McGregor fight. What about when you’re asked to get people riled about seemingly mundane issues such as the country’s infrastructure? Here are a few tactics PR pros can employ that will help make un-sexy issues seem far more relevant to average citizens.

With brands creating content without going through media channels, is the art of pitching stories dead? It just might be more alive than ever, our author argues, although he admits pitchers will need to adapt some of their tactics slightly.

With employees taking stands on political issues and urging their companies to do the same, what contribution can communicators make to keeping a brand’s reputation unblemished by political turmoil? Our author provides 5 steps that communicators can take to put their company in a position to receive limited negative public attention, minimize business impact and reputation damage.

The cruise ship industry is often on the wrong end of crisis communications, but Hurricane Irma has given Royal Caribbean the chance to show its humanitarian side, even as it deals with pressing customer service issues on social media. The Miami-based company is mobilizing four of its ships to help people in need with food, water and other supplies, in coordination with the federal government as well as local governments in St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Marking any tragedy, let alone one of the most tragic events to happen in the history of the United States, is not a time to make it “all about you.” For your average brand, the only time it is a good idea to insert yourself into the message is if you have something of value to offer that is intrinsic to the brand (and you have a clear-eyed perspective on what “value” means to the public).