This week's PR Roundup explores the characteristics of successful speakers at the Democratic National Convention, Muck Rack's new report on the state of work-life balance for the PR industry and Morris the Cat's campaign for president.
DNC Connects With Audience Through Traditional and Modern Means
What happened: The 2024 Democratic National Convention has brought out many new ways to utilize media and present information. For example, it is the first time the DNC streamed vertically on social media apps for younger demographics. It is also the organization’s first influencer convention (the Republican National Convention hosted influencers as well this year).
However, when it comes to tried-and-true PR tactics to deliver a message, traditional methods are still making a difference. The power of storytelling and stage presence continue to make an impact when connecting with the audience and gaining the attention of the media. Of course, every convention has its oratorial stars such as former first family the Obamas, and day three’s surprise guest Oprah Winfrey, but it’s also exciting to see emerging talents who captivate a crowd.
Minnesota Gov. and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, for example. He has a certain genuine charisma and calm that spectators relate to. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continues to deliver fiery speeches full of not only passion, but compassion for constituents. And Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff brings honest, yet relaxed first-person storytelling in regards to relatable situations and events in a modern family.
Communication takeaways: Content and context will always be important, but delivery and presence really makes a message memorable.
Meredith Klein, former Pinterest and Walmart communications executive, quoted Maya Angelou when asked about speech delivery: “At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
“You can have the best speech in the world, but it’s the delivery that will win or lose an audience,” Klein says. “This week’s DNC had the importance of stage presence on full display. In every speech, viewers felt something. And the emotional connection each speaker made was tied to an intentional communications strategy.”
Klein notes that Winfrey, a successful and childless public figure, made a point to hit on the “childless cat lady” trope, bridging humor with humanity. And Gov. Walz appeared to skip a power trip, choosing pep talks and personal connection as a father; a strategy that brought emotion to the audience and viewership, with his son Gus mouthing “That’s my Dad!” through streaming tears.
Klein offers a “REAP the benefits” mnemonic device as a speaker’s stage presence tool.
- Relatability. People want to feel connected to the speaker. They want the speaker to understand and relate to their situation and/or empathize with their feelings and experiences.
- Emotion. From their vocal variety, to their body language to how they annunciate certain words, the confidence and comfort a speaker has on the stage is palpable—and critical to captivating an audience’s emotional intelligence.
- Authenticity. Having an authentic point of view and an authentic, human tone and body language will create comfort and trust with the audience.
- Project & Pause. Knowing when to project key messages with gusto and strategically pause on select words will impact the engagement of your audience.
Muck Rack Releases Study on PR burnout
What happened: As we all know, communicators can work long hours, juggling multiple projects over long periods of time. So what kind of impact is this having on the current industry?
Muck Rack released its inaugural State of Work-life Balance Report this week, featuring data and insights from 2,200+ PR pros on topics like stress, burnout, vacation days and salary.
Key insights include:
- Half of PR pros surveyed considered leaving their job due to burnout in the last year. 44% said they left a previous job for the same reason.
- On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most stressful, PR pros are most likely to rate their stress as a 7.75.
- On average, PR pros use less than 75% of their full allotment of vacation days. 88% say they’ve been interrupted by work at least once while on holiday.
- Most PR pros believe their workplace would support them during struggles with mental health. 72% of them say they’d receive at least some support from their coworkers, and 60% say they’d receive support from leadership.
- In 2024, the typical salary for PR professionals is $90,000 compared to $85,000 in 2023.
Communication takeaways: So the industry knows it is consistently stressed out. Hybrid, remote and flexible work policies have helped to alleviate some of that pain, but what else can organizations provide to protect its employees?
Linda Zebian, Senior Director of Communications at Muck Rack, notes that while communicators understand the high stakes their jobs entail, sometimes that understanding does not carry through to key stakeholders.
"Some of the stress comes from the nature of the job—protecting a brand's reputation is a big responsibility,” Zebian says. “But I think some of it is also due to the lack of understanding of how PR works [by anyone who doesn’t do PR work—executives, financial decision-makers, adjacent teams outside of comms, etc].
Zebian acknowledges the misunderstanding may come from not really knowing the value communication provides or the resources it requires. Just a little nudge that way from the powers that be can be a big help to lessen stressors and burnout.
“PR and comms teams are notoriously underfunded and understaffed, and struggle to get budget support for complex campaigns, additional headcount or software that can help boost efficiency."
Morris the Cat for President?
What happened: If you are still an undecided voter, this may be the cat-i-date for you.
Morris the Cat has caught election fever, and he’s jumping into the presidential race. His platform is sure to appeal to anyone with a fur friend and a heart.
Last week, 9Lives announced Morris’s presidential campaign, and it’s not the first time he’s run for president. He’s a seasoned politician with runs in 1988, 1992 and 2012. Morris is looking for his running mate and to put a renewed focus on the importance of pet adoption. He’s also united with internet sensation Doug the Pug to manage his campaign.
Fur parents and friends across the country are invited to nominate their cat or dog as Morris’s vice president. If selected, the VP will receive a $1000 prize and the chance to choose an animal shelter to receive a $35,000 donation from 9Lives.
Morris’s paw-licy issues include:
- Right to Prospurr
- Be Paw-sitive
- Domestic Paw-licy
- Declaw Ridiculous Cat laws
- The Right Catitude
PRNEWS wishes Morris the best of luck on his campaign.
Communication takeaways: An effective campaign—presidential or otherwise—will catch the attention of an intended audience and can focus on an impactful result or goal in its narrative.
Jen McKnight, Sr. Director of Marketing for 9Lives, says the The Morris for President campaign is a great example of how to build upon a brand's legacy to continue to connect with consumers today.
“Morris has always been more than just a mascot,” McKnight says. “As an advo-cat for all animals in need, 9Lives is able to highlight the brand's long-standing commitment to helping all pets "prospurr." And while we're supporting an incredibly important cause—pet adoption and animal shelters—we're also tapping into consumers' passion for their own pets with the campaign's VP search.”
McKnight says the campaign hopes to raise awareness about every pet’s right to live a happy and healthy life, with good nutrition and care, as well as follow that up with action.
“That’s why we’re making a donation to an animal shelter at the end of the campaign,” she says. “We want to ensure that shelter animals are the real winners while making consumers smile!”
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.