Bringing together people who share common concerns and interests while putting a brand’s immediate needs in the background—or, even better, on the moon—is easier said than done. But maybe that’s what we really mean when we talk about authenticity in communications and community-building—a willingness on the part of a brand to be quiet about itself and encourage others to do the talking.
PR Insiders
How Southwest Communicated News and Empathy in the Aftermath of Flight 1380
April 18th, 2018 by Seth ArensteinAs communicators know, crisis communication begins well before a crisis occurs. Southwest’s communicators demonstrated they were prepared for April 17’s fatal incident aboard flight 1380 from NY to Dallas. Beyond their technical competence, Southwest used several tactics to inject a human touch in its crisis communications.
3 Questions to Consider Before Launching Your PR Career
April 13th, 2018 by Arthur SolomonA career in PR can be many things. Usually one thing it is not is the glamorous, party-hopping profession portrayed in movies, television and novels. Sometimes PR pros are asked to represent brands whose positions on social and political issues they abhor. In other cases they’re asked to lie to protect the brand they represent. Veteran PR pro Arthur Solomon offers three questions aspiring PR pros should ponder before making their career choice.
Mark Zuckerberg Offers a PR Lesson on Capitol Hill
April 11th, 2018 by Seth ArensteinPR professionals say it all the time. They repeat the phrase so often sometimes its meaning gets lost. I’ll admit, my eyes roll when this concept is the first takeaway of a submitted essay I’m editing… Continued
Mark Zuckerberg Offers a PR Lesson on Capitol Hill
April 11th, 2018 by Seth ArensteinThe key to Mark Zuckerberg’s fine April 10 performance before a Senate committee on Capitol Hill, which resulted in his becoming billions richer when Wall Street approved of what it heard, is something so basic it often is glossed over in PR training courses. While Zuckerberg’s vast resources no doubt helped his preparation, any PR pro can avail herself/himself of many of the same tips and tactics his handlers used.
New Job at Google for duBrowa, CMO Mendenhall Leaves IBM and AMEC Seeks New CEO
April 10th, 2018 by Seth ArensteinAs we went to press Tuesday a slew of top-flight communications and marketing positions changed hands. The biggest was the move of Salesforce’s CCO Corey duBrowa to Google.
Lessons From Morgan Stanley’s Silence in the Face of a Physical Abuse Issue
April 6th, 2018 by Claudia Keith, City of Palo AltoIs it better for a company to own a bad situation and communicate about the underlying issue or remain silent and hope it all goes away? That was the predicament for Morgan Stanley recently when a front-page story in the NY Times exposed the company knew a star employee was battling repeated accusations from multiple parties of physical abuse and stalking. Claudia Keith, chief communications officer of the City of Palo Alto, CA, argues Morgan Stanley’s response will hurt its reputation and bottom line.
YouTube Shooting Shows Brands Can Be Unwillingly Dragged Into a Crisis
April 4th, 2018 by Seth ArensteinA few years back, the conventional wisdom was brands were better off staying as far away from social and political issues as possible. In many cases, it’s still the advice communicators and marketers advocate. For example, … Continued
YouTube Shooting Shows Brands Can Be Unwillingly Dragged Into a Crisis
April 4th, 2018 by Seth ArensteinSeveral early media reports about yesterday’s awful shooting at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, CA, linked the alleged shooter’s actions to YouTube policies on monetization of videos and prohibiting gun-related content. In reality the shooter likely was mentally disturbed as there can be no justification for shooting at innocent people. What can brand communicators learn from this incident?
When Sorry Isn’t Enough: Three Tips for Companies to Protect Reputation in Ingraham’s Wake
April 2nd, 2018 by Katie Sprehe, APCO WorldwideThe U.S. public is feeling empowered to use social media to document or talk about a company’s wrong doing. The latest target seems to be Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham, whose taunting of a Parkland student on Twitter sent one dozen brands fleeing from her show. A question for brand communicators: How do you protect your company’s reputation in this fast-moving name and shame environment? APCO’s Katie Sprehe has several suggestions.