Clients that truly want to identify and hire the very best PR agency, whether for a short-term project or an ongoing contract, should undertake the same level of due diligence, review and evaluation as their human resources departments would put into the hiring of a new staff of public relations professionals—because that’s essentially what the new agency will bring to the organization.
Topics
Brands’ Tactics Burnish and Tarnish Their Reps at Summer Olympics
August 29th, 2016 by Katie PaineThe Olympics is not for the faint of heart. Never mind the athletes. Being a spectator or a sponsor requires as much grit and fortitude. I know. I just got back from watching my cousin, Caleb Paine, compete on the U.S. Sailing Team. For years, I observed the Olympics from the comfort of my living room, watching the celebration of human spirit and athleticism play out against what I assumed was a perfectly orchestrated spectacle, replete with major brands and a lot of media coverage. It’s not like that at all.
Use of Data and Social Are Key Trends for Advocacy PR
August 29th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinA weekly look at the latest trends in PR and communications with a key leader in the industry. This week we speak with Karen Moore, an advocacy PR specialist, who points to data-driven communications and social media as trends in advocacy PR.
PR Pros Still See Writing as Key to Success, But Analytics, Digital, Business Skills Also Important
August 29th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinTo get readers in the right frame of mind for the start of the school term this two-part series begins by asking a bevy of veteran in-house and agency communicators to discuss the latest trends in the field and how they are being taught (or not) at colleges and graduate schools. Their responses are included in this week’s edition. In our next edition, we’ll present the academics’ responses to similar questions.
Instagram Is Most-Engaged Platform for B2B and B2C Brands During Olympics
August 29th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinNo doubt, the Olympics was good for Instagram. We told you last week how Shareablee data provided exclusively to PR News Pro showed consumer actions, or engagement, with B2B brands grew 50% August 5-17. Actions are the total of consumer likes, comments, shares and retweets. B2B brands had 1.8 million actions; B2C had 213 million.
The Week in PR
August 29th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinA roundup of the week’s new items in PR, including allegations against the Kardashians for endorsing products on social without mentioning that they are paid to do so; the departure of Robyn Massey as Ogilvy’s CCO; more bad news for Chipotle, this time from the NLRB regarding its social media policy.
Labor Day Idea: Enhance Company & Employee Performance via Vacations
August 29th, 2016 by Mike McDougallIs paid time off (PTO) a relic of the past? Should PR leaders abandon the concept? That doesn’t seem to be the ideal solution, especially when the benefits of vacation are well established. A Diamond Resorts International survey conducted by Nielsen found 71% of people who take a yearly vacation are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. Just 46% who fail to take a yearly vacation are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs.
Is Apple Making Moves Toward the Next Big Social Platform?
August 26th, 2016 by Sophie MaerowitzRumors have been circulating in tech blog circles this week that Apple has been developing a camera app-based social sharing tool to rival Snapchat and Instagram. Given the likelihood of the next generation of smartphone buyers to prioritize visual language—sharing photos and video over text—over text-based communications, this is a smart move for the tech giant, especially as Facebook and Google continue to grow in influence.
How to Work With Law Firms, One of PR’s More Complex Clients
August 26th, 2016 by Andrew Blum, AJB CommunicationsA large law firm can be a source of great PR potential, with exciting news and high-profile clients. Sometimes, getting the news out or commenting to reporters can be sticky. The problem can boil down to internal rules and policies and client conflicts that prohibit talking to the media on certain topics, or need multiple layers of approval to do so.
Kardashian/Jenner Family Accused of Not Disclosing Paid Posts
August 25th, 2016 by Ian James WrightAccording to FTC guidelines, paid social media posts must carry a “clear and conspicuous” disclosure that they are in effect paid advertisements; starting a post with #ad, for example, would suffice. But a letter sent Aug. 17 to the Kardashian/Jenner family and their sponsors alleges that the celebrities in question routinely “engaged in deceptive marketing campaigns” by failing to disclose their relationships with companies paying them for endorsements.