Facebook: Almost Everyone’s Doin’ It: How many times have you heard it said that everything flows from the top down? Well, not quite everything. In the case of social media, some CEOs trail their employees, particularly communicators. That needs to change, at least for CEOs using Facebook for business, Facebook says. Facebook tells us it helped 28 executives come aboard in 2015; the 2016 figure was 158, as of November 8. And the press for CEOs continues. On Oct. 31, Facebook posted the first installment of its Business Influencer’s Guide, a 36-page pamphlet designed to “help business leaders get started, build a strategy and connect with their audiences on Facebook.” The pitch to CEOs is that they can humanize their brand via Facebook, “talk about values and culture…and it’s easy to use and doesn’t take a lot of time,” Craig Mullaney, Facebook's strategic partner development manager, tells us in an interview. In addition to a regular newsletter for leaders, Mullaney promises Facebook will “reach out to provide support directly in some cases.”
M&A: 11 firms in healthcare communications said Dec. 12 they’re forming a micro-network under the name Watershed Bridges, LLC.
News Bits: Starbucks is delving into the original content business again. The coffeemaker debuted 1st & Main, an animated series, Dec. 16. A trio of writers from The Simpsons created the 90-second videos, which feature life in a fictional Starbucks, similar to one the writers meet at daily before heading to work. In September, Starbucks released Upstanders, “a 10-part series about ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities.” – Chipotle co-CEO Monty Moran will depart next year, the burrito maker says. Moran’s boyhood buddy Steve Ells now will be sole CEO. Apparently activist investor William Ackman prompted the move to make Chipotle seem more businesslike, Beth Kowitt of Forbes writes. – Seeking growth, Twitter unveiled a feature Dec. 14 that lets users broadcast videos live from its platform. Periscope powers the feature.
Fake News:A vocal opponent of fake news, German chancellor Angela Merkel is said to back a law making fake news distributed via social illegal in her country, MediaPost reports. Now the hard part: How will German officials determine what’s fake news and who will do so? Facebook believes it can answer such questions, at least for its platform. It’s partnered with the Poynter International Fact-Checking Network among others, which will help determine whether or not a story is false. Should a story be deemed a fake, Facebook will affix a warning to it and provide a link to the organization that made the call. The label will follow the story should it be re-posted or shared. Users also can flag stories for Facebook’s fact-checking partners to investigate. The bar is somewhat low, however. Facebook says it’s going after stories from sites that routinely deal in obvious falsehoods and gossip. – Abhor fake news? There’s an app for that. Slangwho promises to curate news from pubs “you care about” and says it uses “an algorithm to block fake news.” The free app launched Dec. 15. – We told you Dec. 12 that the Arthur W. Page Center was scheduled to name its initial 3 icons of integrity the week of Dec. 11. It did not. One of the icons has yet to accept the honor, a Page Center officials tells us.
People: A coup for Hill+Knowlton Strategies as it grabs D.C. heavyweight and former journalist Richard Keil from ExxonMobil’s government and public affairs unit. He’ll join H+K’s global corporate practice as EVP next month working on media relations, crisis and public affairs. Before joining ExxonMobil, Keil served as a senior communications advisor at Purple Strategies and before that at Public Strategies, Inc., which later merged with H+K. Keil spent two decades covering politics at the Associated Press and Bloomberg. – Former Dept. of Agriculture communications hand Matt Herrick is joining Story Partners as SVP. – Finsbury named former Ketchum hand Jeremy Pelofsky as SVP. Prior to Ketchum, he was a journalist at Reuters and Bloomberg. – Former group director of MSLGROUP’s consumer practice Kas Rigasjoined APCO Worldwide as a senior director for food, consumer products & retail. – Ogilvy named Dan Goodman SVP business development for N. America. Previously Goodman was at Newsweek. – Patrick McSweeney was named VP, PR, at Mortenson, Safer Kim, Milwaukee. He’s the incoming president of PRSA, SE Wisconsin. – Boardroom PR promoted 10-year veteran Angela Griffith to VP. – Dix & Eaton promoted Matt Barkett to chief client officer; David Loomis to chief marketing officer; and Kevin Poor and David Hertz to managing director. Poor will continue to head creative services; Hertz gains leadership of media relations.