Archive:

We hear from Payal Patel, communications director at Chicago’s Navy Pier on her communications philosophy, building a crisis communications war room and PR’s role in the tourism industry’s recovery.

Nigel Glennie, VP, global communications at Hilton, offers insight into the communication side of the hard-hit travel and tourism industry and a preview of what he’ll be sharing during PRNEWS’ Crisis Management Virtual Event next month.

On January 6 at 2:55 p.m.—about 20 minutes after insurrectionists breached the Capitol building—beauty influencer Amanda Ensing tweeted, “There’s not enough popcorn in the world for what’s about to happen.” Ensing has long been vocal about her political and religious views on social media. Sephora, partnered with the influencer on a skincare campaign, was forced to answer for its choice of brand ambassador.

Unless you’ve been living on Mars with no access to a livestream of Earth, there’s no denying that American’s emotions run the gamut right now. Many citizens’ stress levels, due to an elongated presidential election, have hit their peak. However, when things get tough in the U.S., some of our best and brightest creative coping mechanisms come through. Laughter is the best medicine for tense times, and social media is providing some of the most hilarious election memes, tweets and videos for comfort. 

Sometimes, when a company fails to take full stock of its actions—particularly around internal operations—activist employees take to social media to call out their organization. When an employee’s post goes viral, PR pros are expected to pick up the pieces. So, what is the best course of action when an employee puts a company on the stand regarding DEI, the election or another hot-button topic? Experts weigh in.

On Oct. 6, Ocean Spray CEO Tom Hayes posted his version of the latest viral video craze to hit TikTok, which has since racked up more than 1.3 million views. His video is a spin on a Sept. 25 video posted by TikTok user 420DoggFace208, the handle of Idaho warehouse worker Nathan Apodaca, 37. Squeezing some extra earned media juice, Hayes’ company donated a red pickup truck filled with bottles of Ocean Spray to Apodaca. The surprise gift video has seen more than a million views on Instagram, exhibiting cross-channel appeal.

Some PR pros might be surprised to see analog photography pioneer Kodak—which filed for bankruptcy in 2011—making headlines for technological innovation, but a new contract with the federal government has sent its shares soaring. The company, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2013 and has since transitioned into chemicals production, will be receiving a $765 million loan from the Trump administration to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), some of which are used in coronavirus patient treatments.

The investment management and stock trading app Robinhood has come under fire in recent months for its allure to young and inexperienced investors. On July 8, a New York Times report took a look at those who have played the stocks and lost big on the app, delving into common complaints from Robinhood users including gamification and technical glitches. How should its communication team respond?

In a $2.65 billion deal, ride-hailing app Uber purchased food delivery app Postmates. The acquisition will extend Uber’s reach in the meal-delivery market. Uber and Postmates aimed a joint press release at investors, saying the acquisition will benefit Postmates’ “strong relationships with small- and medium-sized restaurants.” It also said food-delivering couriers will benefit, but failed to say how.

The PRNEWS staff comes across many examples of brand advertising and communications every day. We have compiled a weekly assessment, with staff members providing their choices of the most notable, good or bad. This week, we placed a special focus on Father’s Day campaigns.