Stories by Nicole Schuman

More than 500 award-winning brand, agency and nonprofit communicators gathered last evening (Sept. 17) to celebrate the PRNEWS Platinum PR Awards. Our most prestigious honors salute top campaigns and leaders in a variety of categories including advocacy, branding and social media. PRNEWS also inducted campaigns from Nike and Sandy Hook Promise into the Platinum Hall of Fame.

Anything can be politicized, however, it takes a very serious turn when the safety of people is at stake. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, home of the National Weather Service, continues to be at odds following a tumultuous week with the White House on the communication of disinformation regarding Hurricane Dorian and the state of Alabama.

With the continual introduction of new platforms and instant response, management and moderation becomes a key skill for any brand. Contrary to popular belief, the titles social media manager and community manager are not interchangeable. Both work towards the positive promotion of a brand underneath the direction of the marketing department, but the similarities really stop there.

The 100th season of the National Football League got underway earlier this week, with the sort of pomp and circumstance this television behemoth is known for generating. Yet professional football, America’s most popular sport, is showing more than a few cracks. You’d not know it, however, to listen to the vague responses to real issues that emanate from the league office in NY.

Trying to plan out or refurbish a social strategy can seem overwhelming. Gone are the days where brands can set and forget a strategy for a year. A social plan evolves with not only brand changes and promotions, but also platform innovations and announcements. Before you sit down and decide on content and where to post that content, you need to take a look at the intended audience and goals.

During our Aug. 22 PRNEWS Webinar, “Boost Coverage With Your Own Brand Newsroom,” Jennifer Nycz-Conner, director of brand communications at Hilton, Kevin Deane, digital design director at Northeastern University, and Jen Schertz, senior communications manager for Certified Angus Beef, discussed their organizations’ journeys to build and nourish in-house brand newsrooms that gain the attention of the media and appropriate audiences.

On Monday, PepsiCo Inc., the parent company of Frito-Lay’s iconic Doritos chips launched a new advertising campaign during the annual entertainment celebrating the pulse of youth culture—the MTV Video Music Awards. The campaign, titled “Another Level,” removes all logos and names from Doritos packaging, leaving behind unmarked bags of blue and red, and the archetypal triangle snack shape.

As a company grows, so does its variety of personalities and backgrounds, which contribute to the promotion of diverse creations and thinking, ultimately making an organization more well-rounded. However, growth can yield growing pains, and at almost 100,000 employees strong, Google management felt it needed to revisit and remind its workforce of the importance of work and reel in what it saw as wasteful and hurtful discussions.

Fall is right around the corner, and while it marks a new school year on the calendar for many students, parents and teachers, it may also inspire a change up for your current job situation. Whether you are just starting your career, wanting to move up the corporate ladder or just expand your network, there are right and wrong ways to go about applying for jobs and the interview process. Take this quiz to see if you are on the path to success, or need a little brush-up on your job-seeking skills.

Whether it be flight delays, shark sightings, wildfires or mudslides, tourism public relations pros should hope for the best, but always prepare for the worst, especially in the summer during peak vacation time. Denali National Park showed preparedness, and a quick resolution of a scary situation, which many organizations would be right to mirror. These takeaways can help guide your brand through the worst crisis.