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[Editor’s Note: In honor of Veterans Day, we present this case study that combines honoring our nation’s veterans and boosting employee engagement.] It’s undeniable: An engaged workforce can move the needle in any industry. In retail, though, markets continually fluctuate, shopping trends change, economies contract and expand, and it’s the workforce that determines whether a company succeeds and makes a positive impact on the world.

Recently it was a PR rep from a huge government organization. He said, “This is all great, but I don’t have any problems getting media attention. They’re calling me every day.” What a huge opportunity he is missing! Whether you’re at a big brand or a small one, it’s not solely about the volume of stories that include you. It’s whether you can place the stories you want told.

On Nov. 1 Instagram said it was testing a feature that will allow users to buy what they see in their feeds directly from brands. The beta involves 20 brands, including J.Crew, Macy’s and Levi’s. The user clicks on a button and up pops the product’s name and price. Another click provides a more in-depth description of the product. Then there’s the ever-popular “shop now” click, which takes the user to the retailer’s website. Seems simple, right? Actually, the implications could be enormous.

“When people are under so much pressure to process information, the result is an unstoppable flow of data, an overloaded mind and consequently an analytical mindset,” LEWIS founder and CEO Chris Lewis writes in his just-published book, “Too Fast to Think: How to reclaim your creativity in a hyper-connected work culture.”

About one-fifth of Americans have listened to a podcast in the last month, more than double the number in 2008. That amounts to roughly 57 million people. Nielsen plans to measure podcast listenership starting next year, a move that will give advertisers stronger evidence their spots are being heard.

The vending machines, styled “Snapbots”—are distinctively bright yellow, with a smiling mouth and one big cartoonish eye, like a Minion without the blue overalls. Also, they are elusive: The Snapbots will only be in one place at a time, for one day only.

Want to create a powerful video ad on Instagram that will get people to stop scrolling and pay attention? First, you have to know your brand story, but then it’s important to communicate in the correct visual language. You don’t want to be salesy, you want to be relational.

When some hear the word “influencer,” they may picture a celebrity with millions of followers. But influencers don’t always need to be famous to be effective brand ambassadors—take it from Amisha Gandhi, senior director of influencer marketing at SAP. She’ll be speaking as part of PR News’ Media Relations Conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8.

Well before Tuesday brands knew that this was an unusual election. Its surprising conclusion in the early hours of Wednesday morning confirmed that thought many times over. Obviously there are so many emotions to deal with and questions to answer; however, this brief essay will confine itself to the election’s implications for brands.

There are so many ways to send messages, yet email shows few signs of declining. In fact, it’s growing, according to the latest statistics from the Radicati Group, which predicts 3 billion people will be using email by the end of 2019. That’s about one-third of the world’s population.