Check back regularly for our latest coverage related to communications, PR and the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
THE LATEST
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.
June 29, 2020
Gilead Sciences Outlines Pricing Process for Treatment in Statement
by Nicole Schuman
Today Gilead Sciences announced its remdesivir treatment plan for those battling COVID-19. The announcement included a steep pricing structure and a statement from the CEO, Daniel O’Day, on its website and social media posts.
June 28, 2020
Coronavirus Task Force Briefing Provides a Mixed Bag
by Seth Arenstein
Is the glass half full or half empty? Do you accentuate the positive or own the bad facts? Do you mention bad news once and then move on? Those were the choices members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force faced during Friday’s public briefing, its first since late April. As it turned out, the briefing contained a mix of information.
June 25, 2020
Vegas, Disneyland Pivot Messaging for Visitor Safety
by Nicole Schuman
America’s tourist playgrounds face a giant test as coronavirus cases increase in the south and west, just after the northeast successfully stopped the spread, getting some of the worst hit areas like New York City and Boston under control.
Public officials and companies are scrambling to deliver guidelines and messaging to promote health and safety to visitors, particularly for those areas which have reopened, like Las Vegas resorts and casinos.
June 16, 2020
We Need PR Pros to Help a Confused Public on Coronavirus
by Seth Arenstein
For months, we’ve noted mixed messaging about coronavirus, leaving the public confused, attempting to chart a course. It's terrible for confusion to reign when life and death are involved. Yet even the statistics seem muddy.
Hospitalizations and fatalities in 18 states are increasing, we read. And reports say a White House model predicts 200,000 dead Americans by October 1. More than 2 million of our fellow citizens have been infected, and in excess of 116,000 have died.
June 9, 2020
WHO Said What? Confusion Erupts Over Virus Transmission
by Seth Arenstein
Though much press coverage concentrated on the death of George Floyd and related protests, WHO made pandemic news yesterday. In truth, it added confusion to an already unclear situation. Inexact word choice was the issue.
At the pandemic's start, advice was simple. PR pros should send audiences to trusted sources of information, such as the CDC or the WHO. Those beacons of science would offer consistent, factual information, was the thinking.
It wasn’t long before that advice went awry.
June 2, 2020
Edelman Follows Standard Practice on Coronavirus Layoffs
by Seth Arenstein
The question facing Edelman, the world's largest PR firm and founders of the eponymous Trust Barometer, is how to regain trust. In late March, global CEO Richard Edelman promised staff there’d be no coronavirus-related layoffs at the firm. Today, Edelman went back on its promise.
