Check back regularly for our latest coverage related to communications, PR and the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
THE LATEST
November 16, 2020
Vaccine News Releases Promote Collaboration, Not Competition
by Nicole Schuman
Upon first glance, observers of the media 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 from Pfizer last week or Moderna, as we saw today.
October 29, 2020
The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t: Brands Step Up
by Nicole Schuman
Thanks to COVID-19, Halloween may look anything but traditional this year. With socially-distanced corn mazes and spooky carwashes trying to fill the gap, and costume parades and haunted houses cancelled and closed, respectively, one shining item remains an uncertainty—the annual trick-or-treat.
October 28, 2020
Kardashian Post Gets Insta-Memed, Disrupts COVID-19 Healthcare Comms
by Sophie Maerowitz
Celebrities—they’re just like us.
That sentiment might have landed in the era of celebrity spotting on beaches and in Whole Foods, but in a pandemic year, audiences do not want to hear it.
October 27, 2020
Tips for Communicators Considering a Transition Back to the Office
While most of us won't be back in our offices soon, communication leaders are beginning to imagine how to invite some staff into a hybrid model of in-office and remote. How safe and comfortable PR pros feel will be of utmost importance.
October 22, 2020
Opening a Skyscraper During a Pandemic: One Vanderbilt
by Nicole Schuman
New York City became a national epicenter of COVID-19 cases in April 2020. The government closed non-essential businesses, such as bars, restaurants, theaters and shops. Offices mandated employees work from home where able, and living rooms became classrooms. Launching a business seemed like an unfathomable idea.
And yet, the real estate team at PR firm BerlinRosen forged ahead to prepare for the ribbon-cutting and launch of One Vanderbilt, the newest addition to the city skyline.
October 14, 2020
Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly Hit the PR Pause Button on COVID Trials
by Sophie Maerowitz
For PR pros, the race to find a vaccine and treatment serves as a natural experiment in healthcare communication. After all, communicators can always learn from examples of messaging, especially when it comes to delivering unhappy news.
October 13, 2020
A Flight to Nowhere Proves It’s The Experience, Not the Destination
by Seth Arenstein
Singapore Airlines (SIA) is selling out its planes—though they never leave the ground. Customers are paying to eat airline food in parked aircraft, the BBC reports. Each 'seating'—the planes are half full owing to social distancing—lasts three hours. Movies are available while dining. Economy (starting at $40 US) and first-class seats ($500) are available. BBC reported the first two seating dates sold out in 30 minutes. There's a waiting list for future dates.
October 9, 2020
NFL’s COVID Chaos Leaves Fans, Players Confused
by Nicole Schuman
The NFL had the good fortune of six months of lead time since coronavirus emerged to develop a plan with the NFL Players Association. It also has had the benefit of seeing how seasons and tournaments played out with other major league sports, including the NBA, NHL and MLB. If you remember, not too long ago, the MLB dealt with a COVID outbreak. And yet, football fans and players are left with a glut of silence from the NFL. The lack of information and messaging is allowing for much speculation among fan communities on social media. No one is happy.
October 6, 2020
Why Hope is Necessary for Crisis and Its Worst Enemy
by Seth Arenstein
It’s rare when one event, or several, suffocates coverage of a crisis. The exceptions are out there, though. A good Super Bowl can do it. As can a controversial confirmation for a Supreme Court justice nominee. The latest example, of course, was the president’s positive coronavirus test. The news broke Thursday night (Oct. 1). His visit to Walter Reed, which started late the next day and ended Monday night (Oct. 5), dominated the news cycle all weekend.
October 5, 2020
Trump Hospital Visit Leaves Gaping Informational Holes, Opportunity for Misinformation
by Nicole Schuman
The president has been managing his daily workload as usual, according to White House videos and photos. Subsequently, Trump is delivering an image of normalcy to the media and public. However, few details of his infection are known. Clarity has been marred by contrasting information (see Dr. Sean Conley and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows) and a lack of transparent detail from the White House, leading much of the media to speculate and drum up outside sources.
October 2, 2020
President’s COVID-19 Night Highlights Need for Transparency
by Seth Arenstein
Many Americans awakened this morning to the news that the First Couple has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The president tweeted the news a bit before 1 a.m. ET. News operations had an inkling something was afoot long before that, however. Yesterday evening, around 8 p.m. ET, media reports quoted sources saying presidential advisor Hope Hicks, the former White House communication official, had tested positive.
September 17, 2020
Big Ten’s Reversal on Season Raises Questions
by Nicole Schuman
The confusion continues across the country surrounding what is safe and unsafe during the pandemic. While many colleges, universities and public schools reopened with safety measures in place, several have had to close again due to COVID outbreaks and spread. This also rings true for businesses. JPMorgan Chase welcomed back traders and staff to its Manhattan location just after Labor Day, only to send employees home this week after a worker contracted the virus.
September 15, 2020
The Pandemic and Communication are Intimately Related: Discuss
by Seth Arenstein
A politically-appointed communicator at HHS, under fire for several things, reportedly has decided to resign his post. The communicator, Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign official, was accused in a Politico exclusive Friday of toning down CDC scientists' reports about COVID-19. The reports, Caputo argued, failed to support the president's messaging about the virus. Two days after that article went live, Caputo hurt his cause. During a Sunday session on Facebook Live, Caputo alleged the CDC and its scientists were housing a “resistance unit” designed to undermine the president.
September 13, 2020
9/11 and COVID-19: A Communicator Reflects on Life Lessons
by Seth Arenstein
Veteran PR pro Rob Densen was in his office in one of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. He also was there years earlier, when a truck bomb detonated underneath the complex, killing 6 and injuring 1,000. Densen is an optimist. After 9/11, he almost has to be. Given a chance, he says, people will do the right thing. It's how he explains why NYFD, NYPD and other first responders ran up the stairs, into the Towers on 9/11, as he and others were scrambling down.
September 4, 2020
Coronavirus Communication and Sanjay Gupta’s Sobering Labor Day
by Seth Arenstein
Instead of lauding Memorial Day weekend 2020 as the end of the pandemic, historians one day will see it differently. Social activities that weekend led to a spike in the South and West. July 4 parties poured gasoline on the flame. Now, with many states and localities easing restrictions and schools reopening, some public health experts are experiencing sleepless nights pondering Labor Day weekend 2020's legacy.
August 24, 2020
Crisis Plans for Back-to-School Include a Closing Strategy
by Nicole Schuman
Many school districts across the country face issues regarding preparation and safety with staggered openings. At the beginning of August, Georgia’s largest school district—Gwinnett County Public Schools—which serves 180,000 students, returned only to find 260 employees test positive for the virus in the days following. The district moved to on-line learning, but may bring some students back.
August 7, 2020
Schools Work to Create Clear Communications Plans for Return
by Nicole Schuman
It’s a tense time for education. Teachers are fraught with worry over possible outbreaks of the virus in their classrooms. Parents fret about sending children to college, where safe behavior cannot be guaranteed. For those with younger children, a concern is that schools have loose guidelines around masks, and a lot of speculation.
July 30, 2020
Australian Premier Releases Impressive Coronavirus Statement
by Nicole Schuman
In some countries, leaders are not taking any chances when a COVID spike occurs. As of this morning, the premier of Victoria, a province in Australia, released a statement announcing mandatory face coverings for the entire state, not just heavily-populated urban areas. Victoria is home to Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne.
July 17, 2020
Communicators Say ‘We Need to Help a Confused Country’
by Seth Arenstein
What happened? Things were supposed to be different. Five months into the pandemic, many of us expected the virus would be receding. Political officials told us so. Instead, cases in nearly 40 states are on the rise. Yesterday, the U.S. set a record for new cases in a single day, at 70,000. Problems many believed were over are not. Hospitals and medical staffs in the south and southwest are overwhelmed, and there are reports of PPE and testing shortages.
July 2, 2020
Vanilla Ice, Airlines Need to Read the Room via Social Listening
by Nicole Schuman
It’s not a surprise that many people need to take social media breaks nowadays. With the daily deluge of bad news and waves of hot takes, everyone has an opinion, and no one is afraid to share it. However, some brands and public figures could benefit from spending MORE time on social media, particularly before making big announcements or decisions. While market research is not a new tactic, it may adhere to a newer term called social listening, which takes the temperature of how people feel about topics and brands on social platforms. Read the room is not just a phrase, it's a strategic tactic.
