Subscriber ResourcesPRNEWS editorial staff aggregates the resources below solely for PRNEWS subscribers. Our goal is to be a resource for you and your team, so you can gather ideas and best practices to ensure your success in business and in your career.
Contents
- Annual Reports and Sustainability Reports
- Case Studies
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Crisis Management
- For The Record
- Influencers
- Interactive Newsrooms
- Live Presentations to Learn By
- Measurement
- Media Relations
- Media Pitching and Media Relations Training
- Media Trends
- PR News Exclusive Research
- Reputation Management
- SEO
- Social Media
- Visual Storytelling
- Writing
Annual Reports and Sustainability Reports
Yum! Brands' 2017 Global Citizenship-Sustainability Report (released July 2018)
Deloitte 2016 Global Impact Report (Winner, Best Annual Report, 2017 Platinum PR Awards)
You, With IBM, 2016 Annual Report*
Ferrovial, 2016 Integrated Annual Report*
* Finalist, Best Annual Report, 2017 Platinum PR Awards
Earlier Reports
Sustainability Reports
Coca Cola (2017 Report, issued Sept. 2018)
Yum! Brands' 2017 Global Citizenship-Sustainability Report (released July 2018)
Air Canada [Note: In 2017 the Finance and Sustainability Initiative (FSI) judged Air Canada's 2015 report Canada's best corporate sustainability report, transportation.]
Case Studies
How Arby's Found Its Voice Under Pharrell's Hat
Managing An Unpopular Stance: The Boston Bar Association and the Boston Marathon Bombers
How a Resort Used Old-Fashioned Networking to Gain National Exposure
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
"Navigating Zero Gravity," a survey from FleishmanHillard that discusses what companies should do to stay relevant regarding today’s issues. (Oct. 2018)
Coca-Cola Company Sustainability Report 2017 (Sept. 2018)
BlackRock Chairman/CEO Larry Fink's Letter to CEOs (Jan. 16, 2018)
Crisis Management (see also For The Record below)
The October 2018 report of an independent board to the University of Maryland about its football program's culture. Released to the public Oct. 29, 2018, the report was issued in the wake of the June death of football player Jordan McNair. The 19-year-old player collapsed during a practice in May. After the report was released to the public University president Wallace Loh announced he would step down. Head football coach DJ Durkin was reinstated after being on administrative leave since August, pending the report's findings. Athletic director Damon Evans also kept his job. The report said the football culture was "dysfunctional," though not "toxic." The culture did not cause the death of McNair, the report found. It blamed the University, the athletic department, Durkin and his hand-picked trainer Rick Court for the culture's dysfunction. Court was dismissed in August. Durkin eventually was fired. [Also see For the Record, below.]
A February 2018 statement from the Security Exchange Commission detailing policies on public company cyberattack disclosure. Companies have varied widely in the timing of such disclosures, ranging from brands such as Equifax and Google+, which hid cyberattacks for months before disclosing them, to Facebook, which took just three days to make public a September 25, 2018, cyberattack.
A September 4, 2018, note to staff and memo/timeline from NBC News chief Andrew Lack addressing how NBC News handled Ronan Farrow's story about sexual harassment claims against Harvey Weinstein. In the memo Lack claims NBC refused to carry Farrow's story because it failed to include victims who would go on the record on camera. Farrow subsequently took his story about Weinstein to The New Yorker, which published it. That story followed a New York Times article that helped usher in the #MeToo era. Both won the Pulitzer Prize.
Toward a Vision for Racial Equity & Inclusion at Starbucks: Review and Recommendations: An interesting aspect of this July 2018 paper is that its authors are consultants Starbucks hired to advise the brand on anti-bias training in the wake of the April 12, 2018, incident at one of its Philadelphia stores. The task Heather McGee, distinguished senior fellow, Demos, and Sherrilyn Ifill, president/director-council, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, undertook was to step back from their roles as consultants and look dispassionately at how Starbucks was addressing racism in its stores.
Deloitte's 2018 Crisis-Management-Survey: The management firm's survey of some 500 crisis management and risk professionals. Among the takeaways is that there's a significant difference in outcomes when senior management and board members are involved in crisis management. Deloitte argues the lessons are that leaders plan and prepare for crises and participate in crisis simulations and exercises.
Wells Fargo's board investigation of sales practices (April 2017): This 113-page report details the board's examination into the bogus credit card scandal that made headlines in September 2016. The report puts much of the blame on former CEO John Stumpf's underestimation of the problem that was centered in the Community Bank unit.
Internal Crisis Communications Cheat Sheet
Crisis Management Special Report 2016
Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans: A FEMA document that helps organizations create crisis plans.
For The Record
Statements of interest to PR and marketing professionals from brands, organizations and individuals. Dates of articles in PR News that refer to the statements are enclosed in editor's brackets. Items are arranged in chronological order, with the latest items listed first.
The October 31, 2018, transcript of Maryland Board of Regents chair James Brady explaining to the press the board's decision to reinstate U of Maryland football coach DJ Durkin and retain athletic director Damon Evans. The coach was on paid leave pending the findings of an independent report to examine the school's football culture in the wake of the death in June of student-athlete Jordan McNair. An espn.com article charged the school's football culture was "toxic." The report found the culture was "dysfunctional."
An October 30, 2018, memo to employees from Google CEO Sundar Pichai responding to a NY Times story about sexual harassment allegations at the company. Pichai apologizes for past cases at Google and offers support for workers who pledged to stage a walkout in protest November 1. He fails to provide specifics about harassment policy going forward or mention a 2014 $90 million payout to former Google exec Andy Rubin, which spurred the walkout.
A September 25, 2018, report from the German Bishops' Conference, Sexual abuse of minors by catholic priests, deacons and male members of orders in the domain of the German Bishops’ Conference, detailing 1,670 clergy members and deacons had abused 3,677 children from 1946 to 2014.
A September 4, 2018, note to staff and memo/timeline from NBC News chief Andrew Lack addressing how NBC News handled Ronan Farrow's story about sexual harassment claims against Harvey Weinstein. In the memo Lack claims NBC refused to carry Farrow's story because it failed to include victims who would go on the record on camera. Farrow subsequently took his story about Weinstein to The New Yorker, which published it in October 2017. That story followed a New York Times article that helped usher in the #MeToo era. Both won the Pulitzer Prize.
An August 16, 2018, statement from The Vatican reacting to the August 14 Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing sexual abuse of some 1,000 children by 300 priests during several decades. The statement was seen as late, inadequate and impersonal. Four days later the Pope issued a long letter addressing the report.
An August 6, 2018, statement from MoviePass explaining why it reversed policies on its offerings.
A July 27, 2018, statement from CBS CEO and chairman of the board Leslie Moonves, reacting to allegations made in a story in The New Yorker that he sexually harassed six women.
A July 13, 2018, statement from actor Scarlett Johansson explaining why she decided to withdraw from the film Rub & Tug. The actor was excoriated on social media and elsewhere for initially agreeing to play a transgender man. Before she gave up the role, she said in a curt statement to her critics, “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.” Cisgender actors Tambor, Leto and Huffman played transgender characters in Transparent, Dallas Buyers Club and Transamerica, respectively.
A Feb. 28, 2018, statement by the U.S. Olympic Committee announcing "significant changes to further protect athletes." The news release also announces the resignation of CEO Scott Blackmun, who, it said, was stepping down due to "ongoing health issues resulting from prostate cancer." Since Blackmun is widely acknowledged to have ignored for years complaints about the sexual abuse of gymnasts by Dr. Larry Nassar, the statement is a classic example of an organization's attempt to obfuscate the truth.
A Feb. 26, 2018, statement by FedEx regarding its stance on assault rifles and the N.R.A.
A Feb. 2, 2018, op-ed column by Virginia Heffernan that claims "lying to the media is traditionally called PR." PRSA chief Anthony D'Angelo's response to the column is here.
A Jan. 16, 2018, letter from BlackRock Chairman/CEO Larry Fink to CEOs about CSR
A Jan. 6, 2018, letter from JANA Partners and the CA State Teachers' Retirement System urging Apple to consider the damage iPhones are having on children and teens.
Apple's Dec. 28, 2017, statement about slowing performance in its older iPhones, allegedly to increase the phones' battery life. [See PR News: Jan. 9, 2018]
Twitter's Dec. 18, 2017, Rules for Reducing Hateful Conduct and Abusive Behavior. The rules contained in this policy fueled critics' charges that President Trump's Twitter account should be silenced when he tweeted belligerent messages about nuclear war with North Korea. [See PR News, Dec. 19, 2017 and Jan. 9, 2018]
Celebrity chef Mario Batali's Dec. 11, 2017, initial statement re allegations of sexual misconduct. A subsequent message from Chef Batali in his newsletter of Dec. 15, 2017, re-used the previous apology but also included a holiday cinnamon bun recipe, which critics felt was inappropriate given the situation. [See PR News: Dec. 19 and Dec. 12, 2017]
PBS host Charlie Rose's Nov. 20, 2017, statement re allegations of sexual misconduct. [See PR News: Nov. 21, 2017]
Comedian/actor/producer Louis C.K.'s Nov. 10, 2017, statement re allegations of sexual misconduct. [See PR News: Nov. 15, 2017]
A timeline of statements United Airlines issued in April 2017 reacting to the forced removal of Dr. David Dao from one of its flights on April 9, 2017. Initially, United failed to apologize; the next day CEO Oscar Munoz apologized, but did so without mentioning Dr. Dao and apologized for having to “re-accomodate...customers." Later in the day he changed course.
Equifax's Sept. 7, 2017, initial statement re its mid-May 2017 data breach that compromised 143 million Americans' credit information. [See PR News: Dec. 19, 2017 and Sept. 19, 2017]
BP CEO Tony Haywood tells an interviewer he'd like his life back in the early stages of the April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. [VIDEO]
Influencers (and working with them; see also Social Media Policy below)
Micro-influencers and consumer behavior (2019): A short survey arguing that micro-influencers have strong pull with consumers and might be more effective than macro-influencers.
FTC's First Case Against Individual Influencers is Settled (Sept, 2017)
FTC Advertising Endorsements (2017)
A Sample Legal Agreement Between a Brand and an Influencer
Federal Trade Commission Documents (2016, Native Advertising: A Guide)
Federal Trade Commission Documents (2016, What People are Asking)
Federal Trade Commission Documents Re Online Advertising and Influencers (Dotcom Disclosures)
Federal Trade Commission and Lord & Taylor
Federal Trade Commission and Warner Bros.
Interactive Newsrooms
Coca-Cola Journey: An amazing amount of information here, although overwhelming at times and you must sign away your life to send a message to a press contact. Still it is a relatively friendly site for journalists.
ESPN Media Zone: Keeping media informed about this huge and diverse company is difficult, but the Bristol folks do it well with traditional outreach and their mediazone site.
Red Bull Content Pool: In common with Coca-Cola and ESPN, this media area feels a bit like a fan site. On the other hand, it’s graphically pleasing and we like how media members can click on a story and be offered photos and other content to supplement their work.
Internal Communication and Team Building
National Association of Manufacturers' communications team org chart
Southwest Airlines' social business org chart
Pacific Northwest Laboratory Communications-IT org chart
Mayo Clinic social media policy template
SHIFT Communications social media policy template
Live Presentations to Learn By
James Howard Kunstler: The ghastly tragedy of the suburbs (There is some profane language here, but it serves to underscore the passion Kunstler has for his topic.)
Hans Rosling: The best stats you've ever seen (The word data often is feared when it comes to presentations. But data can be extremely engaging; you just have to present it in an effective form.)
Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel (What makes this odd little talk so engaging? Its pure practicality. You can walk away from this and immediately put it into action, making a small part of your life more efficient.)
Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of classical music (Enthusiasm, humor and relatability are key in this presentation about getting an audience to understand and appreciate something foreign to them.)
Measurement
The Massive Guide to Measurement in the PESO Model (July 2018)
The Book of PR Measurement Strategies and Tactics - “Now more than ever, the pressure is mounting to assess and quantify the returns on investments in public relations.”
The State of Data-Driven Communications Strategies: A 2017 report from PR News and PublicRelay.
AMEC's Integrate Evaluation Framework: A framework that helps PR professionals put the Principles (see above) into action.
AMEC's The PR Professional's Definitive Guide to Measurement (2017): A terrific resource for measurement.
Dashboards, How to Choose Them
Katie Paine's Measurement Classroom
Katie Paine's Dashboard Recipe
Katie Paine's 5 Metrics That Mean Something
PR News' Special Report on Measurement
Media Relations (see also Interactive Newsrooms above)
An excellent example of an interactive press release.
Media Pitching and Media Relations Training
Avoiding an Interviewer's Question on Live TV Often is a Mistake (video)
Do’s and Don’ts to Get You Started With Volunteer Spokespeople
Media Pitching Tips from Michael Smart (video)
More Media Pitching Tips from Michael Smart (video)
PR Person Interrupting Interview of Ken Starr is a Bad Move (video)
Staying Positive During an Interview Despite Bad News (video)
Structuring Your Messaging Playbook
Tips and Tricks for a Successful Broadcast Interview
Media Trends
PBS Editorial Standards and Practices (June 2018) It took PBS one year to craft this document, which updates its editorial practices for both traditional and social media. For brands seeking a template for an editorial rulebook, this is an excellent start.
Reuters Institute Digital News Report (2017)
PR News Exclusive Research
2018 PR News/Public Relay Survey: The State of Data-Driven Communications
2016 PR News Salary Survey: PR Compensation and Benefits Report
2015 PR News Salary Survey: PR Compensation and Benefits Report
2016 PR News Measurement Survey: Awareness of Barcelona Principles Trending Upward Slowly
2016 PR News/Nasdaq Crisis Preparedness Survey
2015 PR News Survey: The State of PR and Emerging Social Media Platforms and Apps
2015 PR News/Nasdaq Survey: The State of PR Measurement—Industry Benchmarking
Reputation Management (see also CSR above)
Image Patrol: Lessons in Crisis Delusion; UK PM Cameron and UC Davis’ Katehi
Image Patrol: Sharapova Sponsors and Whole Foods’ Oranges: Brand Crisis in the Fast Lane
Image Patrol: Integrity, Passion Distinguish Boston Globe From Lumosity in Crisis Mode
Image Patrol: Chipotle & Theranos Differ on Crisis Management, Results Similar Though
SEO
Social Media
7 Social Media Trends in the Pharmaceutical Industry - An analysis of Analysis of 105 brand profiles, 200,000 pieces of content and 15 million interactions.
PBS Editorial Standards and Practices (June 2018) It took PBS one year to craft this document, which updates its editorial practices for both traditional and social media. This document is recommended for brands seeking to create a template for news operations.
The Book of Social Media Strategies and Tactics - “Social media has given us numerous avenues to spread our messages…if we have what it takes to communicate effectively.”
IBM's Social Computing Guidelines: The essence of these guidelines came from IBM employee contributions in 2005.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Social Media: An important one-pager for brand lawyers and communicators. It concerns brands' social media policies and whether or not they infringe on employees' freedom of speech rights.
Emerson College's Social Media Guidelines
ESPN's Social Media Policy for Employees
Nestlé USA General House Rules for Social Media
Nordstrom's Social Media Policy for Employees
16 Social Media Guideline Tips from Brands
Visual Storytelling
How a Federal Laboratory Distilled 3 Months of PR Activity into 1 Cool Page
Writing
Foreign Policy's Submission Guidelines: Founded 47 years ago, Foreign Policy is one of the go-to periodicals of the U.S. foreign relations community. Its submissions guidelines offer a brief but effective template for business writing and composition for nearly any purpose.
7 Tips to Improve Your Headlines
PBS Editorial Standards and Practices (June 2018) It took PBS one year to craft this document, which updates its editorial practices for both traditional and social media. For brands seeking a template for an editorial rulebook, this is an excellent start.
Check Yourself: Are You Using These Words and Phrases Incorrectly?
How to Write Long- and Short-Form PR That Will Engage Non-Readers
Six Tips to Help You Transform Bland Speeches Into Exciting Narratives