With President Trump inserting his new-media channel of choice, Twitter, into global media almost on a daily basis, these seem to be heady times for the social platform. Yes, it’s struggling to attract more eyeballs and with them, more advertisers. Twitter has about 330 million active users; Instagram has more than twice that number and parent… Continued
Social Media

What Twitter’s Move to 280 Characters Means for PR and Marketing
November 8th, 2017 by Seth ArensteinWhat Do Two Pizzas, Blue Cars and a Dented Universe Have in Common? You Know If You’re an Innovator
October 30th, 2017 by Diane SchwartzThat idea you have, which everyone is calling crazy and couldn’t possibly work: well, it probably won’t work. But you should try it anyway. Such was the advice of Guy Kawasaki (pictured), venture capitalist and former chief evangelist at Apple: “If someone says you will fail, it doesn’t always mean you will succeed. But if… Continued
Does PR Have a Reputation Problem with the Media?
October 16th, 2017 by Diane SchwartzWhen Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg took a trip to DC last week to assure politicians that Facebook was taking serious the claims about Russian meddling in our elections, it was referred to as a “PR Blitz” by The New York Times, which also mentioned in the NY Times article that the social network hired three crisis… Continued
What ESPN’s Suspension of Jemele Hill Means for Your Brand’s Social Media Guidelines
October 11th, 2017 by Steve GoldsteinWe’re deep in month 10 of the Trump administration, and it’s playing out as expected. As it was during the 2016 election, public discourse continues to be bitter, divisive and full of rage, and it’s putting brands and individuals in difficult situations. The crux of the issue for brands: We have free speech in this… Continued
Double Trouble: Twitter Shakes Up Its Brand Identity
September 27th, 2017 by Steve GoldsteinI don’t drink chocolate milk too often anymore, but those rare times that I do I reach for the Fox’s U-bet. Although the maker of U-bet, Brooklyn-based H. Fox & Co., was acquired in 2016 by Westminster Foods LLC, for more than a century it was known primarily for one thing—chocolate-flavored syrup that was used… Continued
Is Integrated Communications the Holy Grail or Just Cheap Talk?
September 17th, 2017 by Diane SchwartzGrowing up, most of us were encouraged by our parents and teachers to play well in the sandbox, to share our toys and pay attention in class. Fast forward to now, and imagine your boss telling you to do the same. It would feel patronizing, right? Truth is, we could benefit from those childhood reminders.… Continued
The Epic List of PR’s Daily Challenges (And How to Overcome Them)
July 24th, 2017 by Diane SchwartzReality checked in with me recently when a few parents on my son’s rowing team, knowing my affiliation with PR News, asked me to write the press releases for the club. Sure, it’ll be easy, I thought, not factoring in a few key variables such as time constraints and more importantly that I knew very… Continued
Got an Extra $250k in Your PR Budget?
July 5th, 2017 by Diane SchwartzWhen I ask my friends in PR what they’d do with a bigger budget, their first instinct is to smile that “yeah, right!” smile. It’s hard enough to keep the budget they have much less be handed a bigger slice of the pie. But when pushed, they usually say they’d spend the extra mil on… Continued
Next Time You’re at an Industry Event, Apply These 5 Simple Rules
June 12th, 2017 by Diane SchwartzIn the course of your career, you’ll have attended dozens if not hundreds of industry events where – if you’re like most human attendees – you’ve exchanged business cards as if by rote, refilled your coffee cup endless times and listened to experts tell you something new as you take notes, tweet and daydream about… Continued

Voice-Activated Communications Takes Next Step With Apple’s HomePod
June 6th, 2017 by Seth ArensteinUsually Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WDC) is a no-brainer, page 1 story. That it’s been relegated to the business section in some sites and newspapers this week is a reflection of the severity of global news from Europe and the Middle East crowding it off the front page. Still, the news coming out of WDC is… Continued