Reputation

Upon first glance, you might think pharmaceutical companies are in a race to become the first to develop and administer a COVID-19 vaccine. This belief strengthens with every announcement coming out from Pfizer last week or Moderna, as we saw today. But communicators might want to look a little deeper, as a race can completely devalue the important, strategic work healthcare communicators do. The power of collaboration, rather than competition, emerges as the true message sent with each news release.

The news media and social media platforms know it is of the utmost responsibility to get this right. With Twitter and Facebook battling swarms of disinformation posts daily, the companies prepared strategies to combat this ahead of Election Day. The media also seeks to instill and keep the trust of the American people, with most outlets announcing reporting processes. Both industries worked extra hard to focus on protecting the integrity of election results to earn trust. 

The US presidential election is all about competing personal brands, argue two executives at Ipsos, one of the world’s largest public opinion polling companies. Though the president has a formidable road ahead, his brand-loyal base could inject some surprises into the contest.

Celebrities—they’re just like us. That sentiment worked in the era of celebrity spotting on beaches and in Whole Foods, but in a pandemic year, audiences are not interested. Kim Kardashian West, arguably the internet’s first celebrity influencer, is in the crosshairs of the social media masses this week after posting photos from a lavish island gathering with friends and family. How would you advise her to respond?

Marketing and communication professionals gathered virtually Tuesday to celebrate honorees selected for the PRNEWS Platinum Awards, which recognize excellence across people, teams and campaigns.

For many this holiday season, it is not, in fact, the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. “Peanuts” fans nationwide were dismayed to find out that the fall favorite will run exclusively on AppleTV+, Apple’s paid streaming service. While the special will be free to non-subscribers for a limited period, would-be viewers were not shy about expressing their displeasure. The snafu teaches communicators a valuable lesson this holiday season: Now is not the time to mess with what few annual traditions we have left.

As we head to Nov. 3, brands and organizations are touting get-out-the-vote efforts. While these non-partisan efforts are the norm, will consumers’ desires for brands to take a stand lead companies to begin endorsing candidates?

The PRNEWS team has announced the 2020 Platinum Awards finalists. Winners across several dozen categories will be announced live in October.

Ahead of this year’s Social Shake-Up virtual social media conference, we spoke to #SSU2020 speaker Alanna Bass of Okayplayer. Whether you are trying to communicate with a diverse audience or jump into a trending conversation, Bass says to keep these things in mind in tumultuous 2020 and beyond.

Since 2012, the 4th Tuesday of September is known as National Voter Registration Day. Considering this country was born, in part, over the lack of voting rights, you’d think more of those eligible would vote. Finally, voter registration has its own day, though this year it’s sharing the date with elephants, diaries and white chocolate.