Stories by Nicole Schuman

For many Americans, the arrival of a second government stimulus check can’t come soon enough. The payments began arriving in eligible citizens’ bank accounts this week, but not all are available for immediate access, and that has some people very upset. On Jan. 4, many H&R Block customers took to social media to complain about delays in getting their stimulus check.

If 2020 taught media relations professionals a lesson, it’s about the importance of relationships.

Meeting media contacts in person, securing press tours and catching up over coffee have taken a backseat amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For savvy practitioners, though, continuing to build relationships with the media endured, and in many cases, thrived.

The PRNEWS staff comes across many examples of brand advertising and communications every day. We have compiled an assessment, with staff members providing their choices of the most notable, good or bad. This week, we placed a special focus on 2020 brand pivots.

This week on LinkedIn Live the PRNEWS staff gave its 2020 wrap-up. They talked about notable campaigns, missed opportunities and changes for 2021.

Being on camera means so much more than how your executive or spokesperson appears on television. In addition to TV there’s YouTube and live streaming platforms, TikTok and Snapchat and IGTV…we could go on. Because screens are literally everywhere, brand representatives need to learn to embrace the limelight. Whether it be a spokesperson or an influencer, those in positions of power need to be ready to connect with the public.

Video and images flooded social media this morning after several states launched emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine. Many government entities and news outlets broadcast the first inoculations live, providing a sliver of hope in a year when so many have lost loved ones across the globe.

PRNEWS welcomed Aba Blankson, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the NAACP, as the keynote speaker for this year’s Media Relations: Next Practices Virtual Event. The NAACP thoughtfully handled a barrage of communications challenges in 2020, from COVID to social justice and race relations, always keeping in mind the needs of its audience—the Black community and its advocates. 

It might be the last month of 2020, but that’s not slowing big-time fast-food marketing campaigns. If anything, it might ignite chains’ last gasp for relevance, and, of course, sales, before the year comes to a close. Just in the past week we’ve seen an emergence of some fun and unique campaigns that many consumers may still be talking about as the calendar turns to 2021. McDonald’s, KFC, Chipotle and others continue to stretch the boundaries of branding genius. 

Flexibility requires brands to treat the holidays a bit differently than in years past. With more families staying home to avoid the COVID-19 spread, ecommerce has become the buying method of choice. How can brands stand out in a sea of online options? Creative content can help. 

Unfortunately for many organizations that use the MobileCause platform, its GivingTuesday outage caused challenges. Worse, it took too long to find out what was wrong on the biggest giving day of the year. While the company provided updates via Twitter, it did not release its first email statement to users until hours later.